TECHNICAL TOOLBOX ISSUE 11 Traditionally, it took experienced and skilled employees to keep a shot-blast process on track and machines in peak operating condition. At an alarming rate, this experience and skill is retiring and is increasingly hard to replace. As equipment gets more and more automated, the risk of small issues becoming unscheduled outages is real. When things go wrong with shot blast equipment, operating costs can ramp up rapidly, especially when excess abrasive consumption, energy use or downtime are not fully understood or go unnoticed by operators and management. Even at the best companies, advances in shot blast technology over the last two decades have nearly exhausted the potential for process optimization and automation. Today, significant gains and reliable, handsoff process control, can only be unlocked with digital integration. Digital integration and real-time data collection in shot blast machines offer companies the ability to closely monitor operations, promptly identify anomalies, receive alerts for potential issues, and intervene proactively. This approach significantly reduces the risk of minor operational hiccups escalating into major problems, ultimately enhancing operation efficiency, and minimizing downtime. (see customer example below). Most importantly, you build a history of data on your own process to analyze and learn from. This additional know-how can be built into dashboards and alerts, to ensure fewer and less experienced operators can monitor the process and look after the machine. The results? A more stable process, higher quality output, and more efficient resource and energy use. A FAST START TO DIGITALLY ASSISTED BLASTING A network gateway is all it usually takes to digitally-enable even older shot-blast machines. These edge devices collect data from PLCs, sensors and other sources and send them to a central platform. We use the Monitizer® NoriGate solution to digitally enable Wheelabrator equipment. This solution can also be installed on many types of equipment from almost any vendor. Available in real time for monitoring, the data can also be stored in an existing Industry 4.0 system or a cloud application. Through it, data can be accessed, viewed, and analyzed on easily configurable dashboards or using pre-set tools. If data is being collected across an entire process, shot-blast data not only helps improve blast operations but can generate insights into how other parts of the process can be improved too. For example, data on reasons for machine idling can point to issues with production flow, while feedback from the abrasive recycling system could indicate a problem during shake-out on a molding line. CUT BLASTING COSTS Using digital integration to reduce blasting costs delivers the biggest gains early on and rapidly covers the cost of the initial digital installation. A set of ready-made, proven digital tools is available to tackle the top three shot-blast cost drivers: energy use, abrasive consumption, and maintenance. To give an example of the potential payback, a digital tool that reduces idle time by one hour per day could save over $10,000 annually in energy cost alone (on a machine with eight 50HP blast wheels, running in three-shift operation, 240 days a year). But the benefits extend well beyond those three metrics. Optimizing abrasive consumption can shorten cycle times, save energy, and reduce wear, while cutting energy use (through the clever management and minimization of idle time) and minimizing maintenance can free up capacity and maximize productivity. HANDS-OFF BLASTING: THE NEXT FRONTIER IN DIGITAL SHOT BLASTING JOE EVERETT VP Business Development North American Market, Wheelabrator ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: • Real-time data collection to monitor operations • AI puts “self-correcting blast process” within reach Continued on next page
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