Merging machines and software for the Smart Factory
by Lantek
Advanced Manufacturing
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A favourable overall framework such as that of Industry 4.0, which encompasses a set of factors, extended to specific applications such as the connectivity of elements in the plant and the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), are leading the industrial sector to change at an unprecedented scale.
More than 10 years ago Lantek set out to go further in solving the needs of companies in the metal sector. An example of this is Opentalk, which allowed Lantek to progress with the development a many different systems by enabling machines to inform software when they were ready to start or when they had finished in the case of unattended production lines.
The emergence of new technologies along with the development of communication protocols and standards (OPC-UA, etc.) has endowed machines with the necessary resources to establish a fluid communication with software systems: IoT, CPS, sensorization, security, 5G, etc.
In recent years, Lantek has been working hard on developing a secure connection mechanism that enables cooperation between machines, local software systems, applications and systems located in the cloud.
The merging of machines and software, two elements which were traditionally isolated is unstoppable and technology is relocating the different functions, either locally or in the cloud. The interconnection between the two worlds (local and cloud) is already possible. Machines started to “talk” some time ago and they are learning more “vocabulary” and “languages”.
A strategic approach for collaboration between machine tool builders, software developers and system integrators will be essential to unleash the amazing potential of concepts yet to be imagined.
By all working together, we will define the Smart Sheet Metal Factory of the future.
"The Force is not just about moving rocks. It’s about understanding the connections between all things. When you understand the connections between all things, you understand the Force." - Luke Skywalker
In mid-March, when lockdown had only just started in many countries, we were writing about the digitization of supply chains to place value on the importance of using Industry 4.0 enablers (Digital Factory).
Nearly everything we interact with is connected to the internet. This connectivity is spurring a widespread digital transformation. From our phones to our appliances and the machines that fabricate them, today’s level of connectivity was unimaginable a decade ago.