Page 14 - MetalForming-Jan-2018-issue

Internet of Things
Remote Machine Monitoring and Support
The metal sheets processed in smart factories “know” what parts the machines will cut and bend. In addition to cutting the blanks, a laser-cutting machine can mark the parts with a QR code containing job information, such as the customer ID. If required, the code also can include data referring to the next step in the fabricating process, and thus be used to specify pro- cessing parameters—in a press brake, for example. Then, all the press-brake operator must do is scan the code and the appropriate bending program is automatically selected.
The web-based remote360 produc- tion-monitoring and support application from MC Machinery Systems, Inc., Elk Grove Village, IL, provides real-time machine data to increase productivity, improve efficiency and reduce down time. Users gain a wealth of real-time data including machine operation and alarm state, maintenance timers, active alarms, diagnostics, program header content and active job information, all monitored from a desktop computer, cell phone or tablet. Users can enable alerts via email and text.
4) The next part arrives without asking
Smart-Factory Solutions Will Minimize Non-Value-Added Processes
The recently opened Trumpf Smart Factory, in Chicago, IL, displays solutions designed to equip metalformers for Industry 4.0. Noting that as much as 80 percent of operations consist of indirect processes, such as upstream and downstream job handling, the Smart Factory concepts promise to help companies reduce their non-value-added processes.
The star is a production-control system that processes data in real time, simplifying nearly every step in the production process, from initial inquiry to invoicing. Trumpf officials summarize the benefits for metalformers:
1) Fast processing of purchase orders and quotations
Online commerce has set new standards, where customers can order products online in just a few clicks. Within this online store for fab-shop customers, Trumpf’s TruTops Fab app and TruTops Boost software solutions automatically calculate costs and prepare quotations.
2) Reliable, automated operation
Digital production control facilitates automated night-shift operations. The system automatically reports any malfunctions, and the night-shift supervisor can take immediate action without having to be onsite.
3) Fewer mix-ups because each part knows its destination
12 MetalForming/January 2018
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In the Chicago Smart Factory, parts generally travel through the entire production facility. However, standalone stations also are on hand. The parts transport from one station to the next
Must-Attend IoT Event Slated
forNashvilleinApril Asindustryrapidlytravels new paths via new, smart technologies, floor super- visors, manufacturing engi- neers and managers, IT directors, and others work- ing in small to midsized metalforming and fabricating plants must stay on top of digital manufacturing and plant-
floor connectivity.
Powered by MetalForming magazine, IoT for Metalformers
and Fabricators: Software, Sensors and Controls offers the opportunity to do just that. To be held April 18-19 at the Hilton Garden Inn Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN, the event will feature experts explaining how ERP/MRP software allows critical data gathered on the plant floor to be deciphered and delivered to managers, enabling strategic decision- making. And, with sensors and machine controls evolving at a rapid pace, IoT for Metalformers and Fabricators offers the perfect opportunity to stay current with these critical IoT (Internet of Things)-enabling technologies.
Successful use-case studies will describe how IoT technology helps improve OEE and drive quality and productivity improve- ments. In addition, attendees will be given a roadmap for planning and executing an IoT plan.
Presentations include Digital Manufacturing: Why Small to Midsized Manufacturers Must Get There, by Craig Zampa of Plante Moran; Industry 4.0—Crawl, Walk, then Run, by Scott Phillips of Connected Factory Global; How Automated Connections to Equipment Enable Mistake-Proofing Within Metalforming and Fabrication Plants, by Ed Potoczak of IQMS; and more.
For more conference details and to register to attend, visit www.metalformingmagazine.com/iot.
A remote support feature allows MC
Machinery technicians to remotely tunnel
into a user’s machine to help resolve
issues, upload/download programs and
push software updates. In addition, MC
Machinery’s network of service engineers can be enabled to receive real-time machine diagnostics, providing the ability to spot issues before they result in downtime.
MC Machinery Systems, Inc.: www.mcmachinery.com