Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are very popular terms these days. But they are more than just buzzwords; incorporating these concepts into your facility adds instant value.
Industry 4.0 and IIoT provide you with much needed data. Having information easily available regarding how well your machines are performing allows for process improvements and increased efficiencies. The need for increased efficiency is driving the industry to improve manufacturing processes, reduce downtime, increase productivity and eliminate waste. Increased efficiency is necessary to stay competitive in today’s manufacturing market. With technology continuing to advance and be more economical, it is more feasible than ever to implement increased efficiencies in the industry.
Industry 4.0 and IIoT are the technology concepts of smart manufacturing or the smart factory. IIoT is at the core of this as it provides access to data directly from devices on the factory floor. By implementing a controls architecture with IO-Link and predictive maintenance practices through condition monitoring parameters from the devices on the machine, Industry 4.0 and IIoT is occurring.
Condition monitoring is the process of monitoring the condition of a machine through parameters. In other words, monitoring a parameter that gives the condition of the machine or a device on the machine such as vibration, temperature, pressure, rate, humidity etc. in order to identify a significant change in condition, which indicates the possible development of a fault. Condition monitoring is the primary aspect of predictive maintenance.
IO-Link is a point-to-point communication for devices which allows for diagnostics information without interfering with the process data. There are hundreds of IO-Link smart devices, which provide condition monitoring parameters for the health of the device and the health of the machine. By utilizing capabilities of IO-Link for diagnostics the ability to gather large amounts of data directly from devices on the factory floor gives you more control over the machines efficiency. Smart factory concepts are available today with IO-Link as the backbone of the smart machine and smart factory.
Dive into big data with confidence knowing you can gather the information you need with the smart factory concepts available today.
