Taking Your Factory to the Connected Edge: Converting Legacy Factory Equipment into an Edge-Connected System

May 19, 2021

Having an edge-connected factory allows you to access your data at anytime, on or off the factory floor. No more manual reports, no more wondering what’s happening on the factory floor while you’re away. You can track efficiencies and identify weak points in your factory as well as bring together data from multiple sites to manage resource distribution and maintenance and compare performance across facilities. Sounds great, right?

Even better, you don’t have to start from scratch. Building an edge-connected factory does not require replacing all your legacy equipment—whether you have a system based on PLC-5, S3 or a cutting-edge ET 200SP or NX102. You can still use your existing field devices, network connections and controllers to build an edge-connected system and create custom dashboards from multiple data streams for every level of user at every level of the business. Capture low-level data for maintenance and continuous improvement. Create a high-level dashboard for operation managers to monitor facility output and keep processes moving smoothly. To keep all stakeholders informed and up to date, you can create a feature-rich visualization system users can access from anywhere with an internet connection.

Because a cloud system is based on data, not hardware, the system is brand agnostic. Your factory equipment does not need to be on one type of fieldbus and you can add pieces quickly and cost-effectively, with data behind your decisions.

Download the Allied Engineering.com whitepaper, “Bringing Your Factory to the Edge in 2021,” to learn the details involved in converting your legacy equipment into an edge-connected system—the layers of components and connectivity involved as well as edge architecture choices—plus the advantages that come with this digital transition. You will understand how an edge-connected factory can enable you to view and harness your production data and make it work for you, and you’ll see how this digital transition is within reach.

Source

Put to the Ultimate Test – Part 1: Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL

DCS Put to the Ultimate Test Part 1 Torsion Tests by HELUKABEL 1 400x275

Cables and wires in industrial robots and other moving machine parts are often required to withstand extreme stresses caused by torsion. Constant repetitive movements put materials under considerable strain. At the same time, operators expect components to function perfectly and reliably throughout their entire service life to avoid disruptions, outages and safety hazards.

For this reason, at HELUKABEL, we simulate intensive and continuous torsion stresses under realistic conditions with our high-tech testing equipment in Windsbach. We have several types of apparatus for doing this because some of our customers, for example those in the automotive industry, have very precise specifications for how a torsion test is carried out. The tests show that our cables and wires withstand speeds up to 1,000°/s, accelerations up to 2,000°/s² and torsion angles up to 720°. Hence, we make sure that each product always meets our customers’ high standards, and that they receive the impeccable quality they rightly expect from us as a leading supplier of cables, wires and accessories for more than 40 years.

What Is Torsion?

To learn the answer, click here

30 Minute Live Webinar 2:30 PM ET January 19th, 2023

With PC-based automation, you can implement applications and solutions that far exceed the functions of a classic controller. SIMATIC PC-based products offer you a flexible, innovative platform with long-term availability that give you a home field advantage when meeting the challenges of the digital factory for your machines and plants.

Festo Didactic at the Forefront of Developing Canada’s Future Work Force

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With Canadian manufacturing suffering from a growing labour shortage, the participation of industry in skills development is emerging as a vital component in hiring and retention.

The needs are stark: The Canadian Exporters and Manufacturers Association says almost 40% of its members have jobs they can’t fill. Five years from now, 60% expect to be short-staffed, especially when it comes to skilled trades. Statistics Canada forecasts the country’s labour force growth rate will remain below 0.2% for the rest of the decade, below replacement levels.

This growing shortage is affecting companies of all sizes. Already, some manufacturers acknowledge losing out on contracts because they can’t find the manpower to fulfill them.

In reality, the challenge is two-fold: to replenish and expand the workforce to help close the gap between the number of job seekers and vacancies through 2030 when the last baby boomers reach age 65, and ensure workers get opportunities throughout their careers to upgrade or add to their skillset as current technologies evolve and new ones emerge. Festo, through Festo Didactic, one of the world leading provider of equipment and solutions for technical education, intends to help Canada meet this challenge on both fronts. In essence, the approach Festo has always taken is that the learning never stops.

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