As the capabilities and economics of cloud computing, wireless technologies, and artificial intelligence / machine learning continue to improve, so has Smart Manufacturing’s affordability and accessibility. Increasingly, equipment manufacturers are offering predictive maintenance information and services by embedding sensors in their machinery and conducting analytics across all of their deployed equipment base. Numerous service providers and coalitions are trying to create platforms and marketplaces to share self-service software and analytics algorithms, enabling manufacturers to take advantage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in a cost-effective manner.
While Smart Manufacturing capabilities built on sensor-generated data can provide greater visibility into any element of your in-house production process, it can also be extended to both pre and post-production elements of your overall supply chain. Through connected sensors and analytics, manufacturers can gain greater insight and control of the availability, quality, and location of their raw materials as well as their finished products. In regulated industries such as agriculture or food and beverage, consistent sensoring of the entire supply chain can provide the traceability required to meet regulatory requirements.
Some common use cases include:
By adopting Smart Manufacturing, manufacturers can take advantage of significant opportunities for growth and productivity. Smart Manufacturing, however, is just one of many elements of a larger movement: the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
As a trusted advisor, CMTC aligns your manufacturing business goals with unique solutions so you can successfully adopt the right Smart technologies to increase productivity and your overall competitiveness.
Our expert manufacturing consultants examine your unique business goals and challenges to see what operations can be optimized with smart technologies. Once your business comes to the decision that Smart technology can benefit you, CMTC works with your organization to develop a Smart Manufacturing adoption strategy for the most successful outcome.
Smart Manufacturing is the future for small to medium-sized manufacturers — so, are you ready to join? Discover how Smart technologies can address your business challenges and revolutionize the way you do manufacturing by contacting the experts at CMTC today.
Smart manufacturing technology allows manufacturers to automatically collect and analyze data from a variety of sensors and machines. This data is then communicated to the cloud by IoT connectivity solutions deployed at the factory level.
In fiercely competitive global markets, these powerful data insights allow you to make
better-informed decisions and optimize production!
The global number of IoT-connected devices is expected to reach 43 billion by 2023.
The Industrial IoT (IIoT) Market is predicted to be worth $263.4 billion by 2027.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) network connections will grow globally from just under 1 billion in 2017 to 3.9 billion in 2022.
Smart technology addresses a variety of challenges throughout manufacturing industries by automating data collection and providing advanced analytics, especially through condition monitoring.
Condition monitoring allows manufacturers to understand what is happening during production in real-time by gathering insightful data about the product and production processes. Whether stemming from smart sensors placed throughout the production line or from insights captured from machines, this data collection allows for enhanced manufacturing intelligence and increased visibility into the production process. Condition monitoring can help improve product quality in various industries, including:
Challenge: A tortilla chip manufacturer finds that many of the chips are being undercooked, thus compromising the product’s quality. It’s suspected that variations in the frying oil temperature are to blame.
Solution: By installing a smart manufacturing sensor on a pipe between the fryer and the oil reservoir to measure oil temperature in real-time, batch temperatures can be monitored.
Result: The sensors captured the temperature readings and sent them to the cloud for analysis. Variations in oil temperatures were detected that were responsible for the inconsistencies in chip quality. The manufacturer was able to implement changes to address the issue with the inconsistent temperature, and the tortilla chips were no longer undercooked.
Challenge: Assembly line machines for an automotive manufacturer consistently break down, resulting in costly repairs and excessive downtime, which slows productivity.
Solution: Installing smart sensors into the machines allows for remote machine condition monitoring, which tracks machine status, performance, and behaviors. This data can be collected and used for preventative maintenance so potential problems can be addressed before the machine breaks down.
Result: The manufacturer now has actionable data on hand about machine conditions and can solve issues before they occur. They now can prevent any unplanned downtime and accelerate repairs, thereby achieving much higher percentages of machine system uptime.
Challenge: Aerospace manufacturing must pertain to stringent safety demands to ensure all parts are safely manufactured.
Solution: Asset tracking with smart technologies, such as radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), and cameras with machine learning capabilities ensures that the right parts are in the right place at the right time.
Result: Detecting potential quality issues before aerospace parts are sold can present more costly damage in the future and allows aerospace manufacturers to ensure they are producing the safest possible products. Additionally, data captured by asset tracking technologies can help influence decisions to significantly improve operational efficiency
The Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII) is a non-profit Institute focused on driving Smart Manufacturing. While CESMII is branded as the Clean Energy, Smart Manufacturing, Innovation Institute, you’ll know us as “CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute,” because Smart Manufacturing is the ultimate solution to deliver performance, productivity, agility, continuous innovation, and the cleanest energy of all - energy not used in production, wasted scrap, or during periods of inefficient operations. Learn more about CESMII at https://www.cesmii.org.
Manufacturing USA brings together industry, academia, and federal partners within a growing network of advanced manufacturing institutes to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and promote a robust and sustainable national manufacturing R&D infrastructure. Learn more about Manufacturing USA at https://www.manufacturingusa.com.
The MEP National Network is a public-private partnership with locations in all 50 states and Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small and medium-sized manufacturers. By providing manufacturers with the resources they need for sustainable growth, the MEP National Network’s goal is to be the engine that delivers profitable business in the manufacturing environment, enabling expansion and profitability. For more information about the MEP program, please visit https://www.nist.gov/mep.