Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK has recently worked with a small consortium of premium machinery and automation partners to deliver a factory-tested, CE-marked machine. This connected an IntElect injection moulding machine to the periphery moulding equipment, including four existing boxing and packing systems. The company used locally built software and hardware to make everything interact through a single NC5 controller.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag
Gaining value from data
Data holds intrinsic value since it can optimise productivity and increase profitability. However, this is possible only if collected and handled correctly. Factories can now collect big data thanks to advancements in digital technology, from deep learning data analytics to cross-platform, open-source communication.
Industry 4.0 introduced Smart Manufacturing, whereby Industrial Control Systems (ICS) monitor the factory’s physical processes and make decentralised decisions. These become the ‘Internet of Things’, communicating with each other and with humans in real-time.
As SDUK Director Nigel Flowers states, “The key to success is total integration and seamless interactive connectivity between all devices, from injection moulding machines and robotics to temperature controllers and mould flow digital devices.”
Can machines communicate?
The move towards smart manufacturing and Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC-UA) interoperability continues.
The standard was created in 2006 by the OPC Foundation and proposed a standardisation of communications between ICS machines. It can be implemented on most current ICS devices, running a compatible operating system (e.g. Windows, Linux, IIOT).
OPC-UA allows equipment and machines to communicate but it doesn’t determine the topic. There needs to be a “conversation” layer – what the equipment talks to each other about and what data is collected – for real information to be exchanged. With the help of the OPC Foundation, Euromap has created this cross-platform, universal reporting language.
Why do we need this?
“90% of the machines we install at SDUK require some form of integration with existing equipment and technologies. Many of this existing equipment is not from the same company. Plus, few factories would ever have the luxury of replacing all their legacy equipment at the same time, or with the same brand,” states Nigel.
The MakeUK Industrial Strategy Report 2023 reports that the cost of upgrading capital equipment is often cited as the biggest barrier to decarbonising processes and sustainability efforts.
The overcomplexity and issues with enabling interoperability of ICS are only just being addressed. Few have been able to push the boundaries and mastered total integration, seamless communication, data collection and valuable analysis between devices.
To deliver the productivity, process and people improvements these new digital tools boast about, companies need to be strategic in their approach, urges Nigel. He believes that even the best technologies are compromised by a lack of long-term planning and reactive piecemeal purchases. “Urgency very often takes precedence over strategy. Piecemeal investments may get you by today, but they rarely account for the future.”
When digital transformations are scaled across the entire value chain, the gains can transform a plastics processor’s competitive position. This ranges from an increased production capacity, a lower environmental impact and unparalleled OEE to higher employee satisfaction.
Fully leveraging the newest digital technologies can lead to a 50% reduction in machine downtime, a 30% increase in throughput and an 85% improvement in forecasting accuracy.