INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION 9 TRENDS IN 2021
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| INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION 9 TRENDS IN 2021 |
Virtualization
If we have seen something with the current COVID-19 crisis, it is that many of the tasks that we have been doing in person can be carried out virtually. During the pandemic we experienced a "boom" in online training, hundreds of Webinars allowed us to train and catch up with the news that the brands presented. From one day to the next we assume this type of virtual relationship has come to stay and in 2021 it will surely continue to develop. Likewise, we are experiencing the cancellation of industrial fairs and events and in many cases the birth of its Online version, we highlight the JAI Conference. Future face-to-face editions of these events will likely coexist with virtual formats. Machinery manufacturers also had to manage to be able to follow the production and start-up of their machines, enhancing the FAT and virtual start-ups that will undoubtedly be actions that have come to stay.
Renting Industrial
Renting (a rental contract for an asset in which one of the parties, the lessor, agrees to assign said asset in exchange for the other party, the lessee, paying a periodic fee) is very common in the automotive sector it is also being implemented in the industry. We are beginning to see the Renting modality, which offers tax advantages, with certain brands of industrial robots such as Universal Robots or Omron, but it can also be done with industrial machinery. This type of purchase will allow companies to automate their processes without a large initial outlay.
Edge
Despite the great growth of cloud services that we are experiencing, the industry requires just-machine data processing (Edge - Edge).
Digital Twin
Digital twins allow manufacturers to run their machines virtually before parts are ordered, they will discover control problems before the machine is up and running. Likewise, changes in production lines could be simulated to keep up with changing customer demands. In the future, functional testing of production systems will be carried out with comprehensive simulation models and virtual commissioning. A digital image, continuously fed with live data, will provide information on its status as a digital twin throughout the life of the machine, ultimately making on-site use an exception.
B2B2C model
The Internet of Things opens up entirely new possibilities for data-driven business models. For example, industrial companies can reach out to end consumers and supplement their products with services or sell them as a subscription service. Machinery manufacturers will increasingly find it easier to obtain income from their machines over the sale offering services thanks to data. Tele-assistance, predictive maintenance, program backup, production control (New business routes for Machinery Manufacturers)
New programming languages
We are beginning to see how new programming languages are increasingly present in the industry. Although the predominant programming languages in PLCs (IEC 61131-3) and Robots (owners of each brand) have exclusively taken over the way of programming in the industry, languages outside this sector such as Blockly are beginning to be present in PLCs and Robots. for easy and intuitive programming that any technician can use without prior knowledge.
Artificial intelligence
The application of Artificial Intelligence allows important improvements in many fields of industrial automation, from the initial design to more precise preventive maintenance systems through the application to artificial vision systems. The fact that we can have more and more machine data allows the creation of algorithms and AI programs that provide their benefits in the processes. AI should become a standard tool that enables better products with fewer resources. The basic approach is AI-based solutions for predictive maintenance of machinery, to guarantee quality and to improve production processes.
5G
For a long time, we have been talking about the virtues that 5G can bring to revolutionize the industry, some predictions for the future that are beginning to gain strength with the presentation of the first industrial products for 5G and the launch of real projects where 5G is implanted in real industrial processes. In 2021 we will see how 5G technology is gaining muscle within factories.
Cybersecurity
It is a classic on these lists, but unfortunately, cybersecurity will always be a trend in the industry, and predicting what the "bad guys" are going to do is a necessity. Cybersecurity education and training should be a trend in the industrial sector The reasons that push towards the automation of processes, either through software or robots (RPA, Robotic Process Automation), are diverse such as eliminating repetitive or complex tasks, replacing people in dangerous tasks or environments, and/or activities which involve high physical wear and tear, increase safety, increase precision, reduce time and costs, especially at the energy level. On the contrary, they become more important in their work of supervising this automation, in addition to carrying out the maintenance of these systems and the verification of the final quality of the products. Likewise, industrial automation increases factory production, which means that the capacity to take on a greater volume of orders can be increased, which leads to more personnel and, on the other hand, a faster amortization of the investment made.
Automation, step by step
But ... where to start. The first thing is to sensitize the plant. Sensors are devices designed to collect data from machines and different processes for subsequent analysis through software with artificial intelligence algorithms. It is what is known as the Internet of Things (IoT), that is, interconnecting the factory to have a greater knowledge of the production chain and control in real-time of everything that happens in the plant.
When introducing automation systems, a series of steps must be carried out:
Planning: knowing the entire production process and the supply chain to identify which processes can be automated and carry it out in such a way that there are no interruptions in manufacturing. Integration: all the elements and data must be computerized so that once the plant has been sensed, the automation software understands and processes the data well.
Monitoring:
The operators will monitor the systems to verify their correct operation.
Maintenance:
It is also necessary to design a maintenance plan to carry out the necessary actions to maintain the performance of the systems. On the other hand, the communication of an automated factory is done through a Distributed Control System (DCS) that consists of five levels and is known as the automation pyramid :
Process level:
It is the field to be controlled, where the connected sensors are located.
Level of control:
PLC systems
Supervision level:
Process Control and Visualization Systems (SCADA) Planning level: refers to Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Management level:
Management software and comprehensive planning of the company (ERP).
Advantages of automation
We can identify 5 advantages that have been analyzed in the course of this article.
Higher productivity.
Automation allows faster production and optimization of the use of machines, allowing people to dedicate more time to other valuable activities where automation does not reach. This productivity improvement is not only observed in the production plant itself but in other areas such as stock management or order processing.
Savings in time and costs:
A report from the market research firm, ARC Advisory Group, quantifies that only the adoption of universal automation can generate savings of up to 30,000 million dollars a year to the industry.
Availability:
Automation works 24x7x365. It does not rest, so orders can be processed at any time without human intervention.
Quality:
Limiting manual processes means reducing the risk of oversights and errors that result in product quality. Automation has only just begun and when the technological enablers of Industry 4.0 gain ground in factories, as Machine Learning or artificial intelligence is already doing, process automation will spread to other more complex areas. According to Deloitte's annual study, “Automation with Intelligence”, the incorporation of automation technologies increased last year by 73% compared to 58% the previous year, and that three out of four companies have incorporated them. The earlier this competitive advantage is introduced, the greater the distance in profitability from the competition.
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