Industrial Automation For Enabling Industry 4.0
The evolution of information and communication technologies and its introduction into production processes are transforming traditional industry, bringing it to a new level of organizational development. In order to avail the benefits of these technologies to strengthen competitiveness in the global market, a new paradigm is being discussed worldwide. Industry 4.0 or 4th Industrial Revolution are some of the terms used to describe the implementation of “smart” devices that can communicate autonomously along the value chain.
Industrial Automation is today a key pillar of every manufacturing organization strategy. Usage of robots, AI and latest generation software to execute routine tasks and minimizing human involvement is proving to be extremely cost effective solution to the challenges of modern manufacturing. It helps in increasing quality, reliability and production rate and reducing overall cost of production.
Why Industrial Automation?
- Increases Productivity: Automation of manufacturing & process helps in improving the production rate with cost effective production.
- Optimize costs: Use of industrial automation minimizes human errors.
- Improves the product quality: With the reduction of human errors, uniformity & product quality can be improved.
- Reduces the routine checks: Industrial automation enables the process variables to be maintained at desired values with the help of closed-loop control techniques.
- Increased safety: Automated machines or robots can work in hazardous working conditions and reduce manual error.
Industry 4.0:
It is a collective term for technologies and concepts of value chain organization. Based on the technological concepts of cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things and the Internet of Services, it facilitates the vision of the Smart Factory.
Within the modular structured Smart Factories of Industry 4.0, cyber-physical systems monitor physical processes, create a virtual copy of the physical world and make decentralized decisions.
Over the Internet of Things, Cyber-physical systems communicate & cooperate with each other & humans in real time. Via the Internet of Services, both internal & cross-organizational services are offered & utilized by participants of the value chain.
Builds on the Digital revolution
Smaller & powerful sensors
Machine Learning
Ubiquitous internet
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Labor & Energy Cost
Cyber Physical Systems
A cyber-physical system (CPS) is a system of collaborating computational elements controlling physical entities. CPS are physical and engineered systems whose operations are monitored, coordinated, controlled and integrated by a computing and communication core. They allow us to add capabilities to physical systems by merging computing and communication with physical processes.
Industry 4.0
Six Design Principles:
►Interoperability: the ability of cyber-physical systems (i.e. work piece carriers, assembly stations and products), humans and Smart Factories to connect and communicate with each other via the Internet of Things and the Internet of Services
►Virtualization: a virtual copy of the Smart Factory which is created by linking sensor data (from monitoring physical processes) with virtual plant models and simulation models.
►Decentralization: the ability of cyber-physical systems within Smart Factories to make decisions on their own.
►Real-Time Capability: the capability to collect and analyze data and provide the insights immediately.
►Service Orientation: offering of services (of cyber-physical systems, humans and Smart Factories) via the Internet of Services.
►Modularity: flexible adaptation of Smart Factories for changing requirements of individual modules.
Building blocks of Industry 4.0
WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF INDUSTRY 4.0
Industry 4.0 includes:-
1. Factory 4.0:
◆ Robots,
◆ Autonomous Vehicle (unmanned vehicles),
◆ 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing,
◆ Advanced Manufacturing System,
◆ Sensors (sensors — data collections),
◆ Industrial mobile devices (platform),
◆ Nanotechnology / advanced materials,
2. Cyber Security (Information Security),
3. Software for data processing — Big Data,
4. Logistics 4.0,
5. Mass Customization (a large number of custom),
6. Internet of Things (IoT),
7. High-quality team of employees and experienced team of associates
Thus Industry 4.0, or as is originally termed -“Industrie 4.0” for the concept in Germany, seeks to be the Fourth Industrial Revolution & is ought to be the future; and no matter what, it cannot be completely possible without the ample help of Progressive Industrial Automation throughout; as both these aspects go hand-in-hand, side-by-side.
