Imagine a sheet metal factory. Hundreds of processes are taking place at the same time and all of them generate (or can potentially generate) a huge amount of invaluable data. That data can be processed and fed into the data analysis pipelines that Lantek is developing to provide advanced services targeted at improving the efficiency and performance of factories. Some of those advanced services are already in the market, like Lantek Analytics. Soon that data will also feed machine learning algorithms that will revolutionize the way we work and interact with sheet metal software.
For this to be possible, the data must not only flow through the factory but also within the cloud and that means we need software that is capable of securely connecting the factory. Sherlock Edge is the new Lantek software aimed at doing exactly that. In this sense, Sherlock Edge is a set of services that will be deployed in the factory to provide real-time communication with the cloud as well as edge computing capabilities. This will allow for preprocessing of the data before sending it to the Lantek cloud (our Lantek 360 platform), as well as increased privacy and security for our customers with faster, more efficient uploads.
One of the powerful built-in features in Sherlock is the over-the-air (OTA) updates. OTA will allow Sherlock to be updated without human intervention with the latest security patches and, at the customer’s request, new features that extend its capabilities.
Sherlock Edge will make its debut in the v2020 SP1 release of the Lantek software. Initially, it will have the OTA feature and a module to be used to upload the data required by Lantek Analytics to work. Both will be disabled by default but can be enabled at the customer’s request. In the future, new features will be added using OTA such as a machine connectivity module that will allow connections to several models of cutting machines and upload real-time data related to their status. OTA will progressively increase the number of models of machines supported, opening the door to continuously improve the software Lantek provides to its customers.
Sherlock Edge is a milestone in the data and cloud strategy of Lantek that paves the way for future innovations and advanced services for Lantek customers.
In addition to the advantages of its products for the general market, Lantek nesting solutions offer added benefits like auto nesting, nesting of remnants via kits, with significant time and material savings.
In today’s world, one of the few sectors which cloud computing has not penetrated on a large scale is in industrial plants. Many companies are still wary of a remote platform which operates from outside their facilities, despite its undeniable success in other economic sectors and the tremendous advantages it offers.
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