AdvancedManufacturing.org


Meanwhile, robots are making more of their own deci- sions, University of Michigan’s Hu said, “The new genera- tion of robot is more automated; they can adapt.” For example, a robot’s software can learn and can com-


pensate for the wear on a weld tip, Hu said. As the tip wears down and becomes misaligned, which would be picked up by a sensor or other data sources, the robot can adjust its force or current, or both, to compensate and keep on working.


Optimized supply chains Smart manufacturing isn’t all about


what’s happening inside the factory alone. It also enables transparency through the supply chain from original equipment manufacturers, or OEMS, right down to their lowest-tier suppliers. In the case of Ford and FANUC,


the robot’s communication back to its manufacturer via the Internet—or the Industrial Internet—shows how technol- ogy can change the way factories work with parts suppliers and manufacturing technology providers. “The opportunity you have as a com-


pany is to keep your supplier companies involved,” Ketelhut said. This lets FA- NUC be more proactive in maintaining the robots it manufactures, and makes the supplier more vital to the automo- tive company’s operations, he said. If a manufacturer along a supply chain is having quality problems or a production slowdown, that would also be more transparent when supply chains are sharing data, too. For manufacturers working on complex projects such as fighter jets, having transparency among a complex web of suppliers holds the promise of improved efficiency and cost. This data-sharing can extend outside of the manufacturing environ- ment altogether, and help solve real- world problems. Cisco (San Jose, CA) said sensors on some ATMs can recognize gunshots or human distress signals. The compa- ny foresees a time when the ATM can


15


notify police and possibly link to traffic monitors that can shut down traffic in the vicinity, if needed, according to an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. GE is already working on this type of manufacturing com-


munications with a concept it calls the “digital twin,” said Stephan Biller, the company’s chief manufacturing scientist.


Spring 2016


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