Manufacturing technology Plug-and-play:
Process automation
Facilities with a mix of legacy equipment and new digital tools need universal interfaces and hardware-agnostic robotics. Sarah Harris investigates practical checklists for interoperability, cybersecurity concerns and ROI models for retrofits, by speaking to Professor Michael Short from the Centre for Sustainable Engineering and Dr Xinjun Cui, associate professor in digital engineering, both based at Teesside University in the UK.
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edical device manufacturing rarely happens on a blank slate. Many production environments contain a patchwork of equipment installed over decades: legacy inspection systems operating alongside modern robotics, manual data capture processes feeding into digital quality systems and machine controllers that pre-date today’s connectivity standards. As manufacturers accelerate their digital transformation strategies, integrating these disparate systems has become one of the sector’s most pressing operational challenges. Increasingly, the conversation is shifting beyond the simple deployment of robots or autonomous mobile platforms. Instead, the focus is turning to the infrastructure that allows different generations of equipment to communicate reliably. Middleware
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platforms, standardised communication protocols and adapter robotics are emerging as key enablers of this transition, allowing manufacturers to retrofit automation capabilities without replacing entire production lines. For regulated industries such as medical device manufacturing, however, integration carries implications that go far beyond productivity. Data integrity, cybersecurity and validation requirements all influence how digital automation strategies are designed and deployed. Many facilities operate with a mix of legacy machines and newer digital tools, but leaving these systems unintegrated can create significant operational and regulatory risks. According to Professor Michael Short of Teesside University, cybersecurity is one of the most immediate
www.medicaldevice-developments.com
Roman Prysiazhniuk/
gettyimages.co.uk
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