FEATURE SMART FACTORY
AVOIDING ROADBLOCKS on the journey to IIoT
Manish Sablok from ALE explains the fundamental requirements for building a smart industrial network: industrial-grade hardened Ethernet with real-time safety built-in
T
he Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is connecting the entire manufacturing
enterprise from acquiring components to manufacturing, storage and delivery. However, traditional networks present a significant roadblock to deployment in smart factories and connected plants. When we talk about smart
manufacturing or IIoT we are talking about a complete network environment that gathers, exchanges, collates and enables the analysis of real-time data from the factory floor to the back office and right along the supply chain. The IIoT is not a single technology but a
whole raft of new generation technologies including sensors, applications, machine2machine interfacing, machine learning and predictive analytics. The network infrastructure brings these technologies together; without it you have disparate collections of smart technologies never reaching their full potential. In the manufacturing and industrial sectors there are specific network requirements which you just wouldn't need in an office or retail environment so should networks be the same? The answer, of course, is no.
THE HARDENED NETWORK Unreliable connectivity on LAN or WLAN can be a disaster for automated production lines. Even minimal network disruption caused by inefficient data transfer, bottlenecking or data loss can have ramifications along the entire production chain. Patchy wireless connectivity means mobile equipment and workers cannot operate efficiently and can pose a serious safety risk. Bringing together controllers, sensors
and wireless-enabled assets on manufacturing floors or industrial sites requires a network backbone that can maintain reliability and quality of service in the face of the heat, dust, electromagnetic interference and vibrations caused by everyday operations. Rugged network components are vital to ensure a reliable and secure manufacturing network.
BUILT TO LAST: NETWORK REQUIREMENTS So how do you build a hardened network to support connected plants and factories? Switches, access points and routers need to be able to offer the same level of capability as you would find in any other advanced network: embedded security, dynamic network performance tuning for real time application delivery and reliable broadband connectivity. This needs to be built using network hardware with industrial grade form-factors.
FAIRWEATHER SWITCHES NOT GOOD ENOUGH Outside of the protected and climate controlled data centres, the campus network needs to be able to handle a much wider range of conditions. Hardened industrial-grade switches
which can operate in environments ranging from -40°C to +74°C are a crucial element in a network subjected to extreme temperatures. Non-hardened switches in the plant or at remote locations could severely limit the reliability and lifecycle of equipment, putting operations at risk. Temperature is not the only factor which
can impact the network at the hardware level; humidity levels or the airborne particles in dust need to be protected against. Convection cooled, fan-less
switch models can offer greater reliability and a longer lifecycle. Hardened switches are designed to withstand the greater shocks and vibrations caused by heavy machinery and vehicles as well as greater EMI/EMC variance.
Bringing together controllers, sensors and wireless-enabled assets on manufacturing floors or industrial sites requires a network backbone that can maintain reliability and quality of service
SAFETY FIRST, DURING AND LAST Safety and security is not an afterthought in the manufacturing world and shouldn't be when laying the network foundations of the connected factory. Modern manufacturing with real-time data communication can now benefit from a centralised alarm and notification platform that pushes out notifications to apps on smart devices as well as fixed telephony and computer stations. A network that collects and aggregates alarms from different subsystems to a centralised platform can provide the responsiveness a 'smart factory' demands. A universal notification service can provide the right alerts to the right people at the right time, enabling them to respond quickly to any situation. These can be integrated into other safety and security systems such as CCTV and BMS, video and surveillance and intrusion detection to be easily managed through a single and reliable solution. In addition to emergency and safety notifications, engineering alerts can be directed straight to the right engineers. These can be in the form of audio and text notifications, be routed to DECT/WiFi handsets or sent directly to smart devices via an app, email or SMS, providing the flexibility needed across the full range of manufacturing and industrial settings.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT NETWORK The IIoT is growing but before you can even start to think about what new technologies and services to introduce you need to ensure that you have the best network in place to deal with the stresses and strains of the production environment. This means building an industrial-grade hardened Ethernet with real-time safety built-in.
ALE T: 0203 603 9783
www.enterprise.alcatel-lucent.com
10 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT
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