Industry 4.0
The term Industry 4.0 is now used to indicate the progressive automation of traditional industrial practices through the use of modern technologies, such as machine-to-machine communication (M2M) and the Internet of Things (or IoT), with which it is possible not only to increase the productivity of the plants, but also to have analyzes and diagnoses without human intervention.
The topic is very broad and to deepen it several issues should be addressed. In this article, however, we only want to consider the aspects that most concerns Movipack as the increasing interconnection between machines is the core of our research of efficiency that we try to guarantee to our customers with our products.
Four fundamental principles of Industry 4.0
The four fundamental principles of Industry 4.0 are:
- Interconnection: machinery and devices are connected through sensors that communicate with each other via IoT;
- Information transparency: the immense amount of data that is transmitted by the sensors during production is analyzed to identify areas where automation can be increased;
- Technical assistance: technologies allow operators to easily identify and solve any technical problem;
- Decentralized decisions: continuous communications between machines allow for ever greater automation; tasks are performed as automatically as possible. Human intervention is only necessary in case of errors, interference or conflicts.
The communications between machines connected to the network makes it possible to simplify production and programming. Changing a single parameter on one machine implies that the others adapt by automatically changing their individual parameters to standardize production. To give an example, by increasing the production speed of the start of the line, the subsequent machines will adapt to those parameters in order to sustain this increase in rhythm.
For Movipack, the application of these technologies translates into the possibility of offering customers increasingly efficient, functional and independent machinery. The use of sensors allows not only preventive maintenance (the transmitted data allows the communication of the state of health of the machinery itself) but also to improve the operator’s skills.
Another aspect that should not be underestimated is the fact that the data collected can be used by manufacturers in multiple ways: on the one hand, they can be used to remotely monitor the machinery and offer a rapid assistance service, as well as carry out preventive corrections. On the other hand, they can be analyzed in order to improve the development of subsequent products.
Even after-sales assistance changes, becoming faster thanks to the possibility of doing it remotely. During their life cycle the machines can undergo more or less intense stresses and breakdowns can unfortunately stop production at any time.
If you are interested in learning more about the IoT, do not hesitate to contact us!
