Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 11

43 Contact: JOHN HALL [email protected] In this scenario and in order to provide useful insight to foundry management, data has to be processed with advanced tools (analytics and algorithms) to generate meaningful information. Considering the presence of visible and invisible issues in a foundry, the information generation algorithm has to be capable of detecting and addressing invisible issues such as machine degradation, component wear, etc. on the foundry floor. Imagine a rotary table casting machine sending a notice that a wheel bearing on station six will fail in the next ten days. Then create and schedule a work order specifying if the bearing is to be replaced or simply greased. For a foundry or system to be considered Industry 4.0, it must include: • Interoperability machines, devices, sensors and people that connect and communicate with one another. • Information transparency the systems create a virtual copy of the physical world through sensor data in order to contextualize information. • Technical assistance both the ability of the systems to support personnel in making decisions and solving problems and the ability to assist with tasks that are too difficult or unsafe for people. • Decentralized decision-making the ability of cyber-physical systems to make simple decisions on their own and become as autonomous as possible. Challenges and Risks The rate at which foundries are turning to robots and eventually IIoT is growing and with this growth comes the potential for systems to be hacked. Hacking and network security risks are there. Challenges in implementation of Industry 4.0: • IT security issues, which are greatly aggravated by the inherent need to open up those previously closed production shops • Reliability and stability needed for critical machine-to-machine communication (M2M), including very short and stable latency times • Need to maintain the integrity of production processes • Need to avoid any IT snags, as those would cause expensive production outages • Need to protect industrial know how (contained also in the control files for the industrial automation gear) • Lack of adequate skill-sets to expedite the march towards the fourth industrial revolution • Threat of redundancy of the corporate IT department • General reluctance to change by stakeholders • Loss of many jobs to automatic processes and IT-controlled processes, especially for lower educated parts of society Every foundry and manufacturing company is on the road to IIoT and Industry 4.0. One might be at 2.6 or 3.1 but a manufacturer must accept the challenge and make the change one step at a time. By doing this we can expect zero downtime in gravity die-casting. Additionally, we can also expect to attract a younger and higher skilled workforce. We will retain them longer by providing greater mental challenges and less “getting hot and dirty on the foundry floor”. Where do USA foundries stand in the global acceptance of IIoT and Industry 4.0? With this being a German concept puts Germany and Western Europe in first place, but China and India are in a strong race for second and third with the USA coming in last. It is time for American foundries to accept the future of the global foundry industry and work towards zero downtime. MAKING YOUR INSTALLATION ASUCCESS