Engineering Magazine – June 2019

22 JUNE 2019 ENGINEERING

INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION

Preparing the smart factory

The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, is not on the horizon.

It’s here now, and the landscape of the traditional factory has already

changed dramatically. Stephen Hayes explains the misconceptions

surrounding the smart factory

W

hile Industry 4.0 may be

a new term to many, the

Internet of Things (IoT) is

not. In fact, the concept was first coined

in the early 2000s by Kevin Ashton,

co-founder of MIT’s auto-ID centre,

and it has since been a trending topic

among industry experts. Due to the

convergence of multiple technologies,

real-time analytics and machine learning,

the definition of IoT and its capability

has evolved significantly. IoT is no

longer just about a handful of high-end

internet-connected appliances.

Now, businesses are looking at

how IoT can completely transform

operations across the entire factory

floor and create an ecosystem

whereby its machinery and equipment

can improve processes through

automation and self-optimisation. This

is what has come to be known as the

smart factory and its benefits extend

beyond the physical production of

goods and into other operations like

supply chain logistics and potentially

even product development.

The technological ingredients needed

to create the smart factory are no

longer just a concept or an idea. For

businesses like Amazon and Ocado,

the implementation of IoT has already

delivered a more responsive, adaptive

and connected manufacturing line. At

Beckhoff, we believe that the factories

of the future will be measured not so

much by their ability to produce, but

to produce with the most flexibility —

something that these two companies

are already doing.

For example, at its Andover

warehouse, Ocado is able to process

3.5 million items or around 65,000

orders every week. Its operations

are conducted by robots, which

are controlled through one central

computer. What’s impressive about the

set-up is that whereas many traditional

factories store items in crates that are

then stacked high upon one another,

Ocado’s factory stacks the boxes in a

particular order based on an algorithm.

The algorithm orders the crates

based on data collected from the

company’s previous orders, with the

most frequently ordered items being

situated at the top and rarer purchases

being located at the bottom. Ocado’s

automated solution allows its facility to

make the most of its physical space and

simplifies the picking process.

While the smart factory represents

a leap forward from more traditional

automation to a fully connected and

flexible system, manufacturers must

remember that Industry 4.0 is all about

data and making incremental gains. In

the rush to accumulate data from its

systemwide physical, operational and

human assets, many businesses have

created complex technical systems.

The issue with having a system

comprising of various components and

devices is that often they are made from

different manufacturers, which in turn

can slow the system down as a result

of having limited or no compatibility.

For example, most factories commonly

use industrial protocols like EtherNet/

IP or PROFINET I/O, which require any

automation equipment integrated into

the system to be able to communicate

in exactly the same language.

The problem many manufacturers

are experiencing is that although

the sensors, PLCs and software of a

factory may be able to communicate,

data that is reported to a PLC should

also be able to be communicated to

the purchasing system, sales team and

beyond. However, the systems that

a company uses beyond the confines

of the factory floor may use other

protocols for communication.

To overcome this challenge, multiple

devices in the factory should be

connected to the same control system,

uniting the operational processes over

a single network. An industrial network

like this provides the factory with its

own nervous system that is able to

communicate data autonomously.

When using a single network,

manufacturers must also minimise

data latency and provide managers

with real-time data by using EtherCAT.

EtherCAT can process 1,000 I/O

points in 30 microseconds and

communicate with 100 servo axes

in 100 microseconds, with a single

ethernet frame being capable of

Stephen Hayes