FEATURE MACHINE BUILDING, FRAMEWORKS & SAFETY
MEETING THE CHALLENGES of modern industry
Rapid technology development is changing the way machines are built and expanding their capabilities, efficiency and
connectivity. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach to control and actuation – it’s now about getting a right-sized solution that meets the challenges facing modern industry. Mike Loughran, Rockwell Automation field business leader - Automation & Software, examines his top
considerations for machine makers and OEMS specifying machine control and actuation technologies
W
hile there is a lot for designers to consider, here are my top
considerations for building machines (split across machine, plant and enterprise level priorities) that will live up to expectations and continue to adapt with the Industrial Internet of Things revolution as it gather pace through highly connected enterprises. The first three considerations concern the machine itself. 1. Scalability. For the design, development and delivery of machines and applications that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, machine builders need a common control platform, design environment and right-sized hardware. Moore’s law suggested that processing power halves in size and doubles in power every year or so. It’s a good way of thinking about the potential of smaller modern systems that are packed with the technology only available at a much larger scale in the past. A good modern solution should include scalable servo drives, variable frequency drives, and Ethernet connectivity.
2. Size. The footprint of the machine remains a key consideration for any machine builder. In the push for improved performance and profitability, smaller and smaller machines need to be built without losing any performance. Seeking right-sized, smaller component controllers, drives, network switches and drive motors are fundamental to delivering on size.
3. Precision. The development process for high precision equipment historically involved repeated re-engineering that made for a long and expensive development process. Modern mechatronic analysis and simulation used alongside
28 APRIL 2016 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
contemporary actuation technologies can optimise this process greatly. The next three considerations place the machine in the plant and look further ahead at how it will be used, managed and maintained. 1. Collaboration. Where there are multiple engineers working on a joint project, they traditionally needed to work together to manually consolidate changes, which can add time to the build and lead to errors. Consider using a single software framework for engineering collaboration that sets the foundation for design tools which allow single entry of configuration and programming information which can be replicated across the plant’s entire control system architecture.
simply not enough to produce an effective, efficient machine for the modern industrial environment. Enterprises are gearing up for a revolution, and these considerations will keep your machine ahead of the curve. 1. Connectivity. I can’t stress this one enough! A truly integrated solution has well understood benefits but actually getting information technology (IT) engineers and operational technology (OT) engineers with different priorities to agree is not always as simple as it might be. Look for solutions that use EtherNet/IP to simplify the network architecture by providing a single, IT-friendly network to bring together platforms for control, networking, visualization and decision support, providing one network architecture for information, I/O, and motion control.
“Make everything as
inherently secure in the design phase as possible.
This is an increasing concern for enterprises as their systems become more networked”
2. Be real-time. The information revolution might have been slow moving into the industrial space, but it is now approaching fast. Data from your machine needs to be accessed seamlessly and captured, processed and analysed into actionable information as it happens. Enterprise cost savings can be made through early
indication of quality lapses, faults, inventory losses and equipment availability, while
2. Performance. Continuous improvement throughout the enterprise for the duration of the plant lifecycle is fundamental to competitiveness and sustainability. Look for a solution that brings large-system performance to your whole machine.
3. Sustainability. To remain sustainable, plant operators need to continue to improve efficiency, optimise asset and energy use, reduce non-renewable fuel consumption and seek to draw power in off-peak hours – all while meeting stringent compliance issues. A good modern solution will include lower energy operating modes, green shunting technology, and low inertia servo motors to drive better energy efficiency. The final three considerations place the plant into the enterprise as a whole. It’s
historical data can be used to identify best practise and further hone efficiency. Good solutions should be built with the capability to collect, analyse and report on vital live data from the machine, with dashboards that plant managers can use to easily transform information into improvements.
3. Security. Make everything as inherently secure in the design phase as possible. This is an increasing concern for enterprises as their systems become more networked. There’s no one-size- fits all approach here, either. Taking a strength-in-depth approach to security and using asset-based risk assessment of every aspect of an enterprise leads to a custom roadmap containing best-practice-based security policies and, often, advanced technologies that help reduce risk and protect manufacturing assets.
Rockwell Automation
www.rockwellautomation.com
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