COVER STORY
and labelled lines; a 3D point cloud; warning triangles; images; cubic volumes; or hyperlinks to sites and documents. Technicians will be immediately
alerted to any issues within their plant or factory as well as what is causing them via an easy-to-read display. Walker argues that the provision
of data in a real environment will lead to reduced downtime and make equipment more available leading to cost savings. “The service will also provide a better understanding of the machines and general infrastructure,” he explains.
THE MQTT FORMAT EXPLAINED MQTT is an OASIS standard messaging protocol for IoT-connected devices. A deliberately lightweight publish/subscribe messaging transport system, it is ideal for connecting remote devices with a small code footprint and minimal network bandwidth. MQTT is used in a variety of industries, such as automotive, manufacturing, telecommunications and oil and gas.
HOW WILL THE TOOL HELP PROCESS ENGINEERS? As Walker explained the product was originally designed as a LiDAR (light detection and ranging tool) for autonomous vehicles since it can help to make these sometimes complex, error prone systems accessible to the workforce without
The SARA engine was demonstrated at Smart Factory Expo 2024
the need for robotics experts. However, the SICK engineers quickly realised that the technology’s application was broader than this. For example the tool can help
plug skill shortages. “If there is one engineer and lots of technicians, as well as software and a little bit of programming, a senior engineer can pour their understanding into the software to make it available for the whole team,” Walker explains. “The skills shortage has been particularly acute in the UK since Brexit and so we expect this to be a key driver for uptake of our product.”
INACCESSIBLE OR UNSAFE AREAS SARA can also be useful for checking inaccessible, unsafe or restricted areas or equipment since a phone or tablet can be pointed at a sensor
from a distance. More specifically SARA might be used to test a motor’s temperature, to check a PLC load, to analyse vibration, or to measure liquid/gas levels and flow. In addition, an array of drives, motors, and pumps can be inspected in a short period of time. SARA will also help with
maintenance and commissioning since it can link to URLs or PDFs providing pictorial or step-by-step guides. It can also be used to order new stock when there is a fault.
AVOIDING COSTLY MISTAKES Manufacturing processes require precision and attention to detail, and even a small mistake can result in significant losses for the company. The technology can help operators
avoid this by providing easy to follow instructions to employees without the need for additional explanatatory material. Inventory feedback is another
potential use case for the product. As long as a high shelf containing stock can be pointed at, the operator doing so can easily collate stock data. Walker concludes: “Wherever
equipment or stock is IoT enabled, SARA can provide insight. The number of potential use cases mean we expect to see a wide range of industries making use of the technology in the near future.”
For more information visit:
www.sick.com
The SARA engine can be used via any Android or Apple-enabled device 16
www.engineerlive.com
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