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An OEM Superpower: ICT + Simulation

How machine builders can capture the benefits of independent cart technology (ICT) – and deliver more operational certainty to their customers earlier than ever.

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Blog | OEM Simulation
Recent ActivityRecent Activity
An OEM Superpower: ICT + Simulation
How machine builders can capture the benefits of independent cart technology (ICT) – and deliver more operational certainty to their customers earlier than ever.

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Independent cart technology (ICT) is a boon for machine builders challenged to deliver the assembly and packaging flexibility end users increasingly demand. And when I began introducing the technology to packaging OEMs nearly a decade ago, the concept was nothing short of revolutionary.

With ICT, OEMs could finally address the age-old conveyance challenges of complex belt- and chain-driven machines. Instead of running at fixed speed and fixed pitch like conventional conveyors, ICT enables independent control of magnetically propelled carriers on a track in a simpler, more compact footprint.

And because accelerations, decelerations, velocities and positions are programmable, the same equipment can be modified to support a wide range of packaging sizes and configurations – with the touch of a button.

Over the years, ICT has enabled OEMs to create extraordinarily flexible machines that have improved customer efficiency and increased throughput by up to 50%.

How can you replicate this kind of success and use new digital engineering tools – like simulation/emulation software – to accelerate your results? Here are some lessons we’ve learned.

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Focus First on Business Outcomes

As a tinkerer at heart, I can relate to machine builders who look for ways to add new technology to an existing machine design. But this approach simply will not work with ICT, which radically changes equipment operating principles and performance.


"In my experience, machine builders who have gained the most success have started with a focus on customer business outcomes – and a clean slate from a machine design perspective."


How do you know which outcomes are most critical? One thing is certain, if you wait for your customer’s request for quotation (RFQ), you’re already too late. Think about it. By the time the RFQ is generated, your customer has likely determined the capabilities required based on existing applications – and has accounted for similar technology.

OEMs who have been most successful in ICT implementations have a deeper, more advanced relationship with their end user that’s not simply reactionary. In other words, they have established a dialogue with their customers to uncover business challenges where ICT can drive significant value.

Some examples?

  • Beyond its unmatched ability to optimize highly variable packaging applications, ICT also conserves floor space – thanks to efficient track configurations and self-contained electrical components.
  • In addition, ICT features a smarter, simpler design that can ease operation and maintenance by a less-skilled, constantly revolving workforce.
  • And ICT can even combine intermittent and continuous motion in a single solution to solve complex application challenges that formerly required multiple machines.

Add Simulation. Improve Operational Certainty.

As a machine builder, you know that adding any new technology to your portfolio has the potential to delay projects or introduce other implementation risks. And while ICT enables simpler operation on the plant floor, it does require a mindset shift during machine design.

For example, while a conventional belt- or chain-driven machine might have just one or two axes of motion driving it, an ICT system will have an axis of motion for every individual carrier on the track. Depending on application, that could mean going from two axes of motion to 20 or 60 or more.

So from a design perspective, how do you determine exactly how to configure the equipment to achieve optimal results – and minimize rework?

The answer is simulation/emulation software. These digital tools deliver dynamic models – or “digital twins” – that can be used to solve technology challenges in the virtual world early in the equipment development cycle. Much more than a 3D representation, digital twins enable you to actually run, modify and rerun your machine – before you’ve ordered any ICT hardware or cut any steel.

Adding simulation to your ICT project also delivers a whole new level of operational certainty to your customers not possible any other way. Imagine showing customers exactly how a machine will operate and dialing-in adjustments before equipment is built. How much time would it save during the factory acceptance test (FAT) and beyond?

Value That Grows with Your Business

Recently, we have seen more end users consolidate and centralize their internal engineering resources. To address shrinking expertise at the plant level, I predict end users will ask their machine suppliers for more operational support than they have in the past. And that will likely include equipment adjustments, retrofits and validations that were formerly the purview of staff engineers.

With ICT and simulation, you can better support customers throughout the machine lifecycle. Gone are the days of arriving on site with a crate of parts – hoping for the best. Instead, you can drive more value and certainty by testing modifications virtually alongside your customer. And boost customer confidence by getting it right the first time.

LEARN ABOUT INDEPENDENT CART TECHNOLOGY UNCOVER MORE VALUE WITH SIMULATION TOOLS

Published May 20, 2022

Tags: Independent Cart Technology, Motion Control, Motion Control, Packaging Simulation Software

Justin Garski
Justin Garski
OEM Segment Lead, Rockwell Automation
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