Not so long ago, the concept of “lean manufacturing” was embraced and implemented worldwide for manufacturing. But these days, lean manufacturing is old news. Today, you need to be on the “Industry 4.0” bandwagon if you want to survive into the next decade. Governments, associations, universities, and any business advisory firm are all talking about “the fourth revolution” for manufacturing. According to the hype, you need to adapt and change or else... you are doomed, closed, out of business.
So, what exactly is Industry 4.0? Well, if you can put the words manufacturing, digitization, automation, connection, and efficiency together in one sentence, then you’ve got the idea. The Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science defines it this way: “Industry 4.0 uses transformative technologies to connect the physical world with the digital world.” Clearer? An easier way to consider Industry 4.0 is simply machinery and communication. Machines connecting and communicating with each other. Machines self-monitoring and analyzing. Machines autonomously managing production. Machines creating superior cost efficiencies, better quality goods, improving production, and increasing flexibility. In other words, machines autonomously managing production in a flexible, efficient, and resource-saving manner.
How does Industry 4.0 relate to the component manufacturing industry? If you think your linear saw is the answer, then you are on the right path. However, your linear saw alone does not make you Industry 4.0 compliant. There is no doubt that linear saws have revolutionized the production of prefabricated housing. However, this is only an “incrovation”– an incremental innovation. To really embrace Industry 4.0, your machinery needs to be doing a lot more!
In an Industry 4.0 context, real-time decision making is imperative. The term used for this is “Big Data and Analytics.” In simpler words, your production equipment, enterprise, and management systems all need to be talking to each other. The information they give you needs to be what business decisions are based on. To be able to use data and analytics to inform decisions, you will need horizontal and vertical system integration combined with the Industrial Internet of Things.
Still with me? It might be easier to unpack some of the theories behind Industry 4.0 by highlighting the actions Vekta is taking to ensure our customers are ready for the next big change in manufacturing.
Vekta has invested in ensuring our machines are able to post real-time data in a number of formats, and support a wide range of Factory Management Systems. Web-based technologies are used to make it easier for both management and operators to interact efficiently with products using personal devices such as tablets, computers, and smartphones. Live production statistics, material picklists, even remote viewing and control can be achieved easily from mobile devices. You could be sitting in your office (or at the beach) and be able to see exactly what is happening in production in real time.
To address Industry 4.0 requirements, Vekta is also investing in background infrastructure development that will enable products to directly interact with cloud-based systems aimed at improving the customer experience. The ability for field devices to interact and communicate with more centralized components is an example of the Industrial Internet of Things. What does this actually look like? In 2020, Vekta’s products will be able to “phone home” and report information such as software version numbers, production statistics, and even complete automated back-ups. What are the benefits? Well, perhaps a new software bug will be discovered and rectified by the Vekta Engineering team – in that case, Vekta can use the central portal to immediately identify in real time which systems globally are affected and implement the changes. Other applications of this technology include production benchmarking (enabling each site to see how their operation performs against the status quo), targeted product development (based on common issues found at various sites), and (as mentioned) automated tools for software updates and backups.
Ok, so those are some of the higher-level aspects of Industry 4.0. Now for the fun – Autonomous Robotics
Machines that can make their own decisions and then perform an action accordingly are the next phase of robotics. It would be easy to think that your average CNC linear saw fits into this category, but that’s not really autonomous. Your average linear saw is pre-programmed to perform a repetitive movement, but it’s not able to react. Roomba is the best example of an autonomous robot in the current commercial market. The little vacuum cleaner can perceive its environment and make a decision based on those perceptions.
An example of autonomous robotics for the Frame and Truss industry is the Vekta PackFeeder. The PackFeeder communicates with the linear saw as to what piece of lumber is needed next. Then, the PackFeeder picks the lumber and delivers it to the saw. Although this action is not officially Industry 4.0 compliant, the PackFeeder has these enhanced abilities to make decisions and then act. The machine includes sensors that are able to identify information about the piece of wood, and then it can decide if actions need to be taken to ensure the wood is used correctly. If needed, actions are implemented. Sensors are also used to detect the condition, state, and location of the packs of lumber, and decisions are automatically made to ensure the linear saw is continuously fed.
The combination of the PackFeeder and the Razer Linear Saw is exactly what Industry 4.0 is aiming for. They are machines that are communicating with each other, making their own decisions, and therefore increasing production, efficiency, and quality of product. Yes, reducing human interaction is also an integral part, however, the theory is that people power will be better used in other business areas.
In Industry 4.0, “simulation” is the ability to mirror the physical world in a virtual model, allowing operators to test and optimize machine settings for the next product in line before completing the task in the real world. This is one area where your linear saw “should” be proficient. The optimizing software on a linear saw should be able to test all of the possible parameters for a piece of timber and cuts needed, then produce the best option based on predetermined qualifications (such as minimizing waste, etc.).
Vekta is continuously investing in improving the optimization software (named Simple) of our Razer Linear Saw with regular updates available for all customers. There are three main ways that Simple stimulates production to ensure the best options are considered.
- Batch optimize: The software has the ability to run through hundreds of jobs, saves the results, and produces a summary report to assist in making high-level optimizing decisions. The report demonstrates how changes in settings and the length of timber available will affect cost and waste over a large sample of jobs.
- On the fly optimize: This allows a board of an unknown length to be fed into the saw. The saw takes seconds to automatically measure the length of the timber and optimize members to suit the piece of timber – a great function for using up off-cut lengths and random packs of timber.
- Auto-optimize: In seconds, Simple optimizes a job several times (hundreds) with slightly different settings each time. The solution that best suits the customer’s requirements (cost or waste) is chosen. The computer does the simulation before completing the task.
Vekta is a company at the forefront of technical innovation and invests heavily in the development of new machines to do a variety of tasks. However, ensuring new machines will not become obsolete in the near future is just as important as developing the new machines in the first place – and this is where Industry 4.0 comes in. Industry 4.0 is considered the fourth major Industrial Revolution because it will bring major changes in how industry works. Equipment manufacturers today should be taking steps to ensure their products are following this global change and guiding customers on how to become Industry 4.0 compliant.