Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK explores the question on every manufacturers mind as we enter a new age of connectivity and transparency: how to get multiple technologies and periphery equipment from different sources to communicate, form a cohesive data set and offer meaningful insight into a factory’s processes?
Working with a small consortium of premium machinery and automation partners, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK recently delivered a factory-tested, CE marked machine that connected an IntElect injection moulding machine to all of the periphery moulding equipment, including four existing and very much functional boxing and packing systems.
Using locally built software and hardware, the firm was able to successfully connect every element through a single NC5 controller. The project has subsequently made the finalist list in this year’s Plastics Industry Awards.
BIG VALUE FROM BIG DATA
Data holds intrinsic value with the ability to optimise productivity and increase profitability, but only if it is collected and handled correctly. Big data, in its simplest terms, is a large, complex, proliferating data set that comes from a variety of sources, in a variety of diverse forms.
Through the newest digital technologies, this data can be collected, processed and analysed to help manufacturers gain the greatest possible value from it. The amount and availability of data a factory can collect is accelerating rapidly, propelled by advancements in digital technology, from deep learning data analytics to cross-platform, open-source communication.
THE CORE OF INDUSTRY 4.0
Industry 4.0 introduced the term ‘Smart Manufacturing,’ whereby Industrial Control Systems (ICS) monitor the physical processes of the factory and make decentralised decisions. These cyber- physical systems become an Internet of Things (IoT), communicating and cooperating both with each other and with humans in real time.
At the very core of Industry 4.0 technology is cross-platform communication and big data analytics. In today’s modern market, manufacturers need to meet higher demands for productive, energy efficient and sustainable processes, in order to achieve ambitious growth targets and meet stricter government standards.
“The key to success is total integration and seamless interactive connectivity between all devices, from injection moulding machines and robotics to temperature controllers and mould flow digital devices,” states SDUK Director, Nigel Flowers.
CAN MACHINES COMMUNICATE?
The momentum and move towards smart manufacturing and Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC-UA) interoperability continues at pace. Facilitating scalable and extendible communication between the injection moulding machines, periphery equipment and automation aligned to the recommended standards is imperative to adopting a smart manufacturing approach.
The OPC-UA standard was created in 2006 by the OPC Foundation, which proposed a standardisation of communications between ICS machines, integrating technology to ensure the security of these communications. It can be implemented on most current ICS devices running a compatible operating system (Windows, Linux, IIOT, for instance).
OPC-UA is the communication technology which allows machines to talk to each other, it does not however define what they are going to talk about.
For real information to be exchanged, there needs to be a ‘conversation’ layer – what the equipment is going to talk to each other about and what data is going to be collected. With the help of the OPC Foundation, Euromap has created this cross-platform, universal reporting language.
WHY DO WE NEED THIS?
“90 per cent of the machines we install at SDUK require some form of integration with existing equipment and technologies. Many of this existing equipment is not from the same company. Plus, few factories would ever have the luxury of replacing all their legacy equipment at the same time, or with the same brand,” Nigel explains. Indeed, this makes upgrading to a fully-networked value chain incredibly difficult.
In fact, the cost of upgrading capital equipment is often cited as the biggest barrier to decarbonising processes and sustainability efforts, the MakeUK Industrial Strategy Report 2023 found.
For the vast majority of manufacturers seeking to integrate digitalisation tools and achieve complete production line synergy, everything must be programmed to a standardised OPC-UA roadmap.
IS THIS FEASIBLE?
Despite the talk about smart technology solutions such as big data and OPC-UA, these systems are still in their infancy. Although many approaches and technologies have been developed, it still remains difficult to carry out machine learning with big data.
The overcomplexity and issues with enabling interoperability of ICS are only just being addressed. Few have been able to push the boundaries and mastered total integration, seamless communication, data collection and valuable analysis between devices.
Furthermore, many companies are struggling to capture the full transformative efforts that can deliver a satisfactory return on investment.
THE VALUE IN BEING SMART
When digital transformations are scaled across the entire value chain, the gains can fundamentally transform a firm’s competitive position. From increased production capacity and reduced environmental impact, to unparalleled OEE and higher employee satisfaction, fully leveraging the newest digital technologies can lead to a 50 per cent reduction in machine downtime, a 30 per cent increase in throughput and an 85 per cent improvement in forecasting accuracy, according to a McKinsey Industry 4.0 Insight report.
As such, to deliver the productivity, process and people improvements that these new digital tools boast, companies have to be strategic in their approach, urges Nigel. He believes that even the best technologies are compromised by a lack of long-term planning and reactive piecemeal purchases: “Urgency very often takes precedent over strategy. Piecemeal investments may get you by today, but it rarely accounts for the future.”
