Big data, smart manufacturing, vertical integration and cross-platform communication. Everyone is talking about it. Everyone thinks everyone else is doing it. But does anyone really know how to do it? Better yet, is it even feasible? The answer is yes to it all.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK explores the question on every plastics processor’s mind as we enter this new age of connectivity and transparency: how to get multiple technologies and periphery equipment from different sources to communicate, form a cohesive data set and offer meaningful insight into a factory’s processes?
Working with a small consortium of premium machinery and automation partners, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK recently delivered a factory-tested, CE marked machine that connected an IntElect injection moulding machine to all of the periphery moulding equipment, including four existing and very much functional boxing and packing systems. Then, using locally built software and hardware, successfully got everything interacting with each other through a single NC5 controller. The project has made the finalist list in this year’s Plastics Industry Awards.
GAINING BIG VALUE FROM BIG DATA
Data holds intrinsic value with the ability to optimise productivity and increase profitability, but only if it is collected and handled correctly. Big data, in its simplest terms, is a large, complex, proliferating data set that comes variety of sources in diverse forms.
Through the newest digital technologies, this data can be collected, processed and analysed to help manufacturers gain the greatest possible value from it. The amount and availability of data a factory can collect is accelerating rapidly, propelled by advancements in digital technology, from deep learning data analytics to cross-platform, open-source communication.
THE CORE OF INDUSTRY 4.0
Industry 4.0 introduced the term “Smart Manufacturing”, whereby Industrial Control Systems (ICS) monitor the physical processes of the factory and make decentralised decisions. These cyber physical systems become an Internet of Things, communicating and cooperating both with each other and with humans in real time.
At the very core of Industry 4.0 technology is cross-platform communication and big data analytics. In today’s modern market, plastics manufacturers need to meet higher demands for productive, energy efficient, sustainable processes, in order to achieve ambitious growth targets and meet stricter government standards.
“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,” states SDUK Director Nigel Flowers.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag partnered with numerous companies at Fakuma 2024 to demonstrate the benefits of getting multiple technologies and periphery equipment to communicate and generate cohesive data sets
CAN MACHINES COMMUNICATE?
The momentum and move towards smart manufacturing and Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC-UA) interoperability continues at pace. Facilitating scalable and extendible communication between the injection moulding machines, periphery equipment and automation aligned to the recommended standards is imperative to adopting a smart manufacturing approach.
The OPC-UA standard was created in 2006 by the OPC Foundation. This proposed a standardisation of communications between ICS machines, integrating technology to ensure the security of these communications. It can be implemented on most current ICS device, running a compatible operating system (e.g. Windows, Linux, IIOT).
OPC-UA is the communication technology which allows equipment and machines to talk to each other, it does not however define what they are going to talk about. For real information to be exchanged, there needs to be a “conversation” layer – what the equipment is going to talk to each other about and what data is going to be collected. 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,” reports Nigel. This makes upgrading to a fully-networked value chain incredibly difficult. In fact, the cost of upgrading capital equipment is often cited as the biggest barrier to decarbonising processes and sustainability efforts, reported the MakeUK Industrial Strategy Report 2023.
For the vast majority of plastics manufacturers seeking to integrate digitalisation tools and achieve complete production line synergy, everything must be programmed to a standardised OPC-UA roadmap.
OPC-UA is the communication technology that enables equipment and machines to talk to each other in real-time.
IS THIS FEASIBLE?
Despite the talk about smart technology solutions such as big data and OPC-UA, these systems are still in their infancy. Although many approaches and technologies have been developed, it still remains difficult to carry out machine learning with big data.
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. Furthermore, many plastics companies are struggling to capture the full transformative efforts that deliver a satisfactory return on investment.
THE VALUE IN BEING SMART
To deliver the productivity, process and people improvements these new digital tools boast about, companies have 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 precedent over strategy. Piecemeal investments may get you by today, but it rarely accounts for the future.”
When digital transformations are scaled across the entire value chain, the gains can fundamentally transform a plastics processor’s competitive position. From increased production capacity to reduced environmental impact, 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.[1]
[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/capturing-the-true-value-of-industry-four-point-zero
