Industry 4.0, the so-called 4th Industrial Revolution, is a hot topic right now. Fundamentally, it means harnessing data from all the machines, devices, sensors, and people in a manufacturing operation and enabling them to communicate with each other via the Internet to make informed and timely decisions.

These decisions can be taken at a local level by operators with a more complete picture of the operation; by systems suggesting an intervention through automatic analysis of the data; and potentially by the system itself using intelligent software.

Examples include using data from a number of sources to predict failures and request maintenance autonomously or systems that do not simply measure OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) but take steps to improve it.

Its application seems inevitable, but to busy people running a business, challenging at the least. The answer seems to be to take small steps starting with the core of Industry 4.0: data. It’s well within the capability of all companies to gather more data in order to measure and understand how their processes and equipment work, and take steps to improve.

Baker Perkins’ policy is to provide machines that are Industry 4.0 ready. The start (Level 1) is to connect all the sensors and devices to a common network and provide this data to the PLC to control the process. A Level 2 system will use this data to provide production information such as OEE, alarm priority analysis and machine condition information – information the customer can use to improve efficiency. Also available will be reasons for machine down time and systems to advise when and how to do maintenance.

 

The same data can be fed into an ERP system and improve virtually any supply chain function, including scheduling, production and maintenance. The final step (Level 3) is to store the data in a cloud along with data from every other part of the manufacturing operation. This creates an intelligent network that can autonomously optimise the production process and react to changing conditions faster and more effectively than a series of discrete systems. It could, for example, be used by suppliers to provide dynamic support such as advising customers of the action and/or parts needed to avert a predicted failure.

 

Tripling and doubling throughput on installed extruders

Unrivalled service support

Extrusion news archive