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Internet of Things
by an autonomous transport system—carts moving freely between stations.
5) Efficient inventory management
Unnecessarily full warehouses are yesterday’s news; the TruTops Fab app tracks the number of unprocessed sheets available in the warehouse, and knows of storage locations are full or empty. This real-time information makes it easy to see whether enough material is available to process a certain job; it also can track remnants.
6) Certainty replaces guesswork
TruTops Fab, thanks to the use of miniature transponders, knows which parts are where in the manufacturing process. Shop workers no longer must search for parts.
7) Customer response from anywhere
Managers can call up the processing status of job orders at any time, from anywhere, using a smartphone or other mobile device.
IT specialists looked closely at how manufacturers retrieve infor- mation from their machines, in order to analyze and improve their production processes. The app then helps reveal deficiencies in production processes to help metalformers deal with price pressure, short delivery deadlines and increasing quality demands.
8) Filling idle time with productive work
The production-control system provides a complete, real- time overview of order status. Job lists show which machines are processing which orders, and indicate idle machines. Buffer times can be used to complete rush jobs.
For example, a manager can drill down to the cutting overview for a ByStar Fiber laser-cutting machine. A status window shows laser-power output in kilowatts, total operating hours of the machine and whether maintenance is due. Also, a performance window quantifies how efficiently the machine is being used. A user can understand why the machine experienced idle times, why it failed to produce the target number of parts in the scheduled time, or why parts did not meet the required quality standard.
Bystronic: www.bystronic.com
9) Lastly, “smart” predictive maintenance drives machine uptime. Sensors monitor the condition of machine components essential for quality of fabrication—cleanliness of the cooling water in a laser-cutting machine, for example.
Trumpf Inc.: www.trumpf.com
Realtime Monitoring
of Cutting, Bending Machines
In mid-2017, Bystronic introduced a new service to help met- alformers stay networked and up to date, by offering the ability to monitor and analyze their processes and make production operations more transparent and efficient. Called ByCockpit, the mobile app delivers realtime information from the shop floor for sheetmetal-parts production. Managers can use it to keep up to date with selected key indicators related to machine performance, manufacturing efficiency and material stock.
A Definitive Guide
to Connected Manufacturing
Among the benefits delivered by ByCockpit:
Plex has developed The Definitive Guide to Connected Man- ufacturing, a 90-page reference that captures all of the information metalformers need in order to understand how connected man- ufacturing “turns challenges into opportunities and transforms how you do business.” Use the guide to:
• Full transparency on productivity and optimization potential. Realtime monitoring provides key indicators on all integrated Bystronic cutting and bending machines equipped with an OPC UA interface.
• Identify industry and technology challenges that can be turned into a competitive advantage.
• Unique widget design enables a global overview of production processes and detailed views of machine performance, machine utilization, productive and maintenance times, and material stock in the warehouse.
• Understand how manufacturing companies are leveraging connected manufacturing.
• Monitoring of key indicators at any time from anywhere. As a web application, ByCockpit is available on virtually all laptops, smartphones and tablet computers.
• Make an informed decision about your business strategy —and feel confident about it.
During the development of ByCockpit, say company officials,
Download the guide as a PDF from the Plex website to learn about the forces of change (variable demand, compressed lead times, shorter product lifecycles, etc.); how these forces are
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• Determine what kind of system will support your manu- facturing business today, and in the future.