Hidden Factory-Factory Automation

The Hidden Factory embodies the untapped capacity of a manufacturing plant, referring to parts of the manufacturing process that decrease overall efficiency or product quality. By exposing and rectifying a hidden factory, its underlying capacity can be unlocked and utilised. This delivers increased product quality, optimises efficiency and improves overall production. 

 

• For maintenance managers, this means decreased maintenance costs & downtime

• For quality managers, this delivers increased quality & reduced defect products

• For shift managers, this ensures improved production & throughput

• For factory owners, this provides a fast ROI (+/- 2 years)

 

With owners and managers meeting their targets faster, why wouldn’t you begin unlocking your hidden factory?

 

 

 

To reveal a hidden factory, you’ll first need to discover and define it. This is done through data-driven, Industry 4.0 technologies (including hardware, software and patented technologies). 

 

 

Ideal for condition monitoring and maintenance alerts, IO-link enabled sensors deliver improved communication between the system control and field level. By being active process participants in an end-to-end automation network, these sensors independently report errors and status to the control. 

 

Instead of wasting your maintenance team’s precious time constantly cleaning sensor screens, this sensor range can signal errors for preventative cleaning when necessary. This allows your maintenance team can better plan their schedules, reducing maintenance costs and precious resources. 

SICK products that can help: IO-Link sensors

 

 

Sensor integration software make Industry 4.0 more accessible. Technology used to integrate IO-Link sensors and devices into common PLC environments and enterprise level systems deliver seamless integration and data transparency from their sensors to the plant’s PLC system.

 

Hardware agnostic software that can send out an ‘echo’ (much like eco-location) to pick up all of a factory’s sensors running on the same IO-link network, regardless of brand. It then creates a comprehensive list and downloads data from each sensor. This data specifies how each sensor is running and if it requires maintenance. 

 

The software then groups all data and presents it in an easy-to-interpret manner via any internet browser. The comprehensive data can then be downloaded onto a PC by connecting the PC to the network. 

Preventative and general maintenance checks can be done on the fly by any plant personnel, as this easy-to-interpret methodology delivers a comprehensive overview of your sensors throughout their lifecycle. Additionally, in the long term, this allows you to observe trends and optimise your maintenance schedules even further – improving overall factory efficiency.

 

SICK products that can help: Sensor Integration Gateway SIG200 & FieldEcho.

 

Create the perfect programme for your PLC when monitoring your IO-link devices, using a standardised programming centre that helps you obtain the exact data needed from your sensors (regardless of brand). By plugging in your PLC and IO-link devices’ details, as well as the features you’d like to receive from your device, programming centres create a downloadable software for you to integrate into your main programme. 

Programming centres remove the need for a programmer or expert skills, making it easier to read and write device parameters. You’ll obtain the exact data you’re looking for to improve your production processes or maintenance schedules. 

SICK products that can help: Smart Service Function Block Factory

 

 

Long-distance, ultra-high frequency, RFID read/write devices help plant managers and operators track assets or production line components and parts within the factory. RFID solutions can be used to identify a vast range of goods, parts and product flows. 

The wireless technology provides many advantages, especially in fast-moving or ‘just-in-time’ environments. Furthermore, large amounts of data can be decentralised and stored in the transponder on the product.

 

In fast-moving factories, key production line assets cannot be misplaced. Many elements that contribute to ‘hidden factory’ are due to loss of time while locating specific tools or components and parts… Someone forgot to put an asset back in its original position and now it’s missing. No problem. RFID equipment tells you exactly where it is, reducing wasted production time. 

 

Even better, factories never have to stop production when a specific component or part is not at the assembly point. Using RFID equipment, serialised components and parts can always be found.   

SICK products that can help: RFID range of read & write heads

 

 

Perfectly suited for barrierless production, safety laser scanners are used in factories across the world. As soon as any person or object breaks the scanners’ beam, entering a ‘danger zone’, operating equipment in that space either slows or stops altogether. Once the zone has been vacated, the equipment automatically returns to normal production speed. 

 

Used primarily in hazardous areas and point-and-access-protection of stationary applications, these scanners provide improved safety for personnel and equipment while delivering improved production rates. Developed for demanding and harsh industrial applications, this solution is the perfect combination of safety and productivity.

Furthermore, by coupling safety scanners with software based on intelligent prediction models, future data flows and processes can be made visible immediately. Such software solutions allow users to optimise the availability, capacity and productivity of their plants and machines. 

 

By using predictive software with laser scanners, users can predict known events such as contamination, unwanted field interruptions or ambient conditions. In the long term, plant availability is increased by sustainably enhancing the quality of products and processes.

 

SICK products that can help: MicroScan3 (safety laser scanners) & the Prediction App for microScan3

 

Quality inspection 2D cameras identify quality deviations as early as possible in the production line. By snapping a picture of each product and comparing it to a set of acceptable product images, these cameras identify whether each stage of production is delivering high-quality output. 

 

These quality assessments help plant personnel identify exactly where and when a product defect occurs. This solution helps plant managers/operators prevent failed product accumulation or errors in the production line, ensuring top-quality products. 

If these cameras are programmable and can run apps (similar to how a cell phone works) once can customise each camera to fit the needs of a specific task. In turn, the factory delivers high performance with a low demand for hardware maintenance. 

From part positioning and presence checks to correct shape and dimension inspections – even robot picking, quality inspection cameras are ideal for various applications. Quality managers can rest easy, knowing that any defect can be traced to its root cause. 

SICK products that can help: InspectorP 2D range & Intelligent Inspection AI camera app

 

 

Agnostic software, when incorporated into factory hardware, is used to conveniently create a Digital Twin of your production-line. Your factory’s Digital Twin delivers a completely transparent view of all your assets and components, mapping out the entire factory. In turn, you can develop productive maintenance schedules and find all your assets’ data in one place, regardless of the equipment brand. 

Record and identify the assets that contribute to efficient and productive manufacturing, as well as those that are bringing your production rate and quality down. Using machine learning, this type of software can also deliver intelligent instructions based on necessary and preventative maintenance schedules, preventing downtime and reducing maintenance costs. 

 

SICK products that can help: AssetHub 

 

 

1) Will they grow with your company?

 

Make sure to partner with a supplier that has global experience and is committed to innovation and R&D.  Your partner should have a diverse and large portfolio, to meet all your automation requirements. They should become your complete solution provider or ‘a one-stop-shop’, ensuring that you always have a solution to further optimise your process.

 

2) Do they have a ‘hands-on’, responsible approach?

 

Your partner should take ownership and responsibility of their solution through a broad service offering. Such partners ensure risk management, as they trust their technology, services and support to create leading solutions. 

 

3) Do they have comprehensive services & support?

 

From consulting and design to product and system support, verification and optimisation, your partner’s solutions should constantly function at peak-performance. Such partners will also deliver verification and optimisation services, alongside customer and staff training and education.

 

 

The hidden factory is said to account for up to 30% of a factory’s overall activities. By shortening the feedback loop in your manufacturing process, to expose any wasted resources, you’ll uncover your factory’s hidden potential. With consistent fixes to factory inefficiencies, you’ll reduce downtime and maintenance costs, meet quality targets and increase throughput.