What Do You Prioritize When You’re Designing Your Smart Machine?

All of this supports faster time-to-market, reduces scrap and downtime, and helps manage operating costs.

As smart manufacturing and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) evolve, OEMs should ask: What is my role, and my opportunity?

Simplify Integration

Smart manufacturing requires smart machines to do things better and faster than ever before.

As manufacturers connect the plant floor with the enterprise, it’s critical to specify machines that seamlessly bridge the gap.

How It Works

There’s a lot happening in the background when users are extracting and analyzing data.

And that’s what makes an easily integrated machine so important: no one wants to spend valuable time on accessing information when the real value is found layers below just waiting to be extracted.

The time to think about how to build a machine that’s easy to integrate – and easy to access the valuable data -- is before the design phase. Yes, before, by considering:

1. A Common Network Architecture: EtherNet/IP can simplify network infrastructure and reduce integration risks. EtherNet/IP offers the realtime performance, resiliency and security of a standard fieldbus solution, and the bandwidth, open connectivity and global acceptance of standard Ethernet. When connected via an open and standard network architecture, such as EtherNet/IP™, they provide greater connectivity. This enables real-time collaboration and seamless data sharing across all levels of an organization’s enterprise.

2. A Scalable Control Platform: A Logix-based platform uses a common design environment, one control engine and one network technology, making it easy to integrate all forms of control into one platform. It also supports reusable code to help reduce system complexity and support faster design, commissioning and installation times. It also allows you to right-size the control system for your customer’s application.

3. On-Machine™ solutions move industrial controls and hardware closer to the application or onto the machine, minimizing the number of components in the cabinet. This reduces wiring time and results in increased uptime and lower costs. For example, FactoryTalk Analytics for Machines utilizes a small device on the machine to collect and report performance analytics, helping drive higher availability and output while reducing maintenance costs.

Smart Manufacturing is driving new priorities for end users and redefining what they expect from machine builders.

To fully realize the benefits of The Connected Enterprise®, end users need to be able to easily connect devices, plants, people, equipment and supply chains.

Designing machines and equipment to more easily integrate and share data provides a significant competitive advantage.

Learn more about key consideration for developing smart machines and equipment (PDF).