What is a Smart Factory?
Industry 4.0 creates what has been called a “Smart Factory”. Within the modular structured smart factories, cyber-physical systems monitor physical processes, create a virtual copy of the physical world and make decentralised decisions.
Using Industrial Internet and the Cloud to connect the real and virtual world, smart factories require seamless integration of cyber physical systems at all levels in order to monitor the whole production process.
There are an array of advantages linked to a Smart Factory, one of which is the minimised downtime. The application of data allows devices to diagnose problems and provide instant feedback. Consequently, this learning approach means machines can predict potential faults and provide the required feedback information for swift recovery, resulting in reduced downtime and associated costs.
How can you create a Smart Factory?
What is missing from existing factories is the functionality to gather and analyse all of the data and transfer it to an intelligent management system.
Modular construction enables flexible construction, including communication across each module. Each module generates its own data, which in turn needs to be stored and analysed. To create a smart factory, this data needs to connect together faultlessly. By using intelligent devices, you can consequently monitor and control the whole process remotely as an intelligent smart factory.
The key to a successful smart factory is the interaction, which is required at field level. With a unified language, there is communication between machines, enabling full interaction and integration across the whole factory. The communication functionality does not necessarily need to be inbuilt into the machine. Instead, flexible modular devices can be added on to capture process and transfer this data throughout all levels of the factory. Device connectivity solutions including RJ54 and M12, enables this communication to flow through devices.
What is a digital retrofit?
A digital retrofit is where Digitilisation capabilities are added to an existing machine that is presently without them or which capabilities are currently outdated. One way of overcoming this would be to add a modular industrial computer, which in essence will retrofit the current machinery and digitally enhance the capabilities without the extra time and costs involved in purchasing new machinery.
Introducing MICA
HARTING’s new MICA (Modular Industrial Computing Architecture) edge computing device can directly address the Industry 4.0 roadblocks that older, legacy machines create. The path to Industry 4.0 success can be cleared by using the MICA to provide a digital retrofit solution for older machinery. The MICA provides a protocol-converting gateway to the central operating software controls of newer machinery, opening up communication pathways between old and new machinery, at a fraction of the investment cost of purchasing a new machine.
This is because with MICA’s modular open platform, the HARTING Industrial Internet Computer MICA permits the user to choose the programming language and development environment according to what they are most comfortable with. It can create a virtual image of a device or a machine in the digital world. It enables modern interfaces for devices whose communications are outdated. This means that you can convert old machine protocols into OPC-UA or MQTT, in order to connect legacy machines to the developed MES and Industry 4.0 based Smart Factory
More information
Download the full HARTING Digital Retrofit Guide to discover how you can create your own Smart Factory.
http://www.harting.co.uk/integratedindustry/digitalretrofit-guide1/
