The digital twin is a superior representation of a physical entity or system across its lifecycle using comprehensive data, analytics, simulations and emulations. We say it's superior because it provides you with so much more information than its physical counterpart, allowing you to gain speed, clarity and certainty in the physical world. By virtually modeling and piloting new product designs, line configurations and process changes with digital twins, you can remove risk from the equation, allowing you to see opportunities for optimizing your development and production before committing resources and time. 

Explore these topics: 

• Decrease Time to Market
• Connect R&D with Manufacturing Operations
• Accelerate Commissioning
• Enhance Collaboration
• Drive Continuous Improvement

Why do we love iTRAK® Intelligent Track Technology on our contactor line? We’re working with more than 400 SKUs, which means size and shape variation that necessitates precise movement and cart placement. Additionally, it’s fast and prevents bottlenecking. By using buffer zones in between each operation station, iTRAK is able to move a piece out of the way after a task is complete, and have it all prepped to be brought into the next station. Finally, we’ve got our system set up with extensive vision control that notices any issues or defects right away, and stops further production on the piece – saving us parts and production costs. 

Discover: 

• Improve Line Speeds
• Higher Throughput
• Smaller Production Runs
• Consistent User Experience
• Learn More About Independent Cart Technology

Much to the delight of our engineering team, there’s a stretch of MagneMover® LITE track on our contactor line that’s bidirectional and enables flexible manufacturing. We needed a way to keep a four second cycle time at every station, and the only solution that could bring the carts back fast enough to get them refilled was using bidirectional track. With any other system, it’d be virtually impossible to program bidirectional movement, but it’s a snap with MagneMover LITE. We use MagneMover LITE track for our contactor assembly zone all the way through to packing because of its efficiency, modular pieces and flexibility of setup.

Explore these topics: 

• Minimize Bottlenecks and Increase Output
• Manufacturing Flexibility
• Fast Commissioning and Deployment
• Learn More About Independent Cart Technology
• Minimize Downtime with Augmented Reality

As evidenced by our multiple robotic implementations on our contactor line, inclusive of the collaborative FANUC robot seen here, Rockwell Automation recognizes robots are a critical part of the automation solution.  We offer a full suite of robotic integration solutions,  providing our customers with an open architecture approach that strives to encourage robot vendors to offer their own innovation, layered on top of our proven Logix control platform.  We see unified robot control as the next natural progression for the Logix multi-discipline architecture, as it enables increased productivity and throughput by integration of the robot and machine control.

Learm more about: 

• Robotics Control Strategy
• Maximize Productivity Without Compromising Safety
• Simplify Robotics and Machine Design
• Safe Collaborative Robotic Applications
• Enable Smart Machines with Mechatronics
• Smart Sensing and Safety

What has over 30 controllers, numerous drives, an industrial data center, network switches, and a handful of HMI? Our little contactor line! And we bring it all together into a cohesive environment with Integrated Architecture. There are three cabinets like the one you see pictured here, full of our Allen-Bradley products and FactoryTalk® software. It’s all working together in one infrastructure using one control engine and one network topology to create a cohesive, productive facility.

Explore these topics: 

• Scalable Control Systems
• Design and Manage Your Automation System
• Modern, Scalable HMI
• Smart, Flexible Control Systems
• Smart Motor Control

Decision-making insights begin with data, and there is a lot a data coming out of this contactor line.  Accessing and analyzing the right data for the information required to make real-time decisions that can improve productivity, manage assets effectively and reduce re-work or waste are critical here and in your operations. See how FactoryTalk® InnovationSuite powered by PTC provides ways to help contextualize all this data and turn it into actionable insights.

Discover how you can: 

• Deliver Real-time, Actionable Insights
• Execute Production Flawlessly
• Converge IT Power with OT Data Context
• Access Analytics Where and When It Matters Most
• Empower Your Workforce

LifecycleIQ Services is a combination of our domain expertise and technology. Building our contactor line was a team effort from our experts and our partners. We worked together from design through implementation to create a cohesive line. And support of the line is enabled by our LifecycleIQ Services team of experts as well. A few of our new modern support tools, using augmented reality, are used to help troubleshoot easily on the contactor line. 

Explore these tools: 

• Live View Support™ Tool
• Digital Assist Library of Work Instructions
• Industrial Data Center
• Reliable, Secure Network Infrastructure