The industrial internet of things (IIoT) or Industry 4.0 are the terms most commonly used for enhancing industrial processes and manufacturing machines by capturing data throughout a machine from sensors, motors, actuators etc. and turning that data into information that the facility can use to make intelligent decisions in advance.
The manufacturing space is seeing an undeniable transformation, as leading manufacturers worldwide are beginning to envision the benefits of how cloud-based technology can help monitor the "heartbeat" or pulse of their machine. The ability to implement this without having to fully change out the current hardware of their machine or process makes the Industry 4.0 movement that much more attainable.
IIoT helps revolutionize businesses by giving the user the ability to visualize their machines' vital signs and OEE.
You may be surprised to find out that they can capture all this data without taking their current machine offline and disrupting production.
How Can IIoT Be Implemented?
IIoT allows anyone to connect an existing machine and make it "smart", allowing for an expandable visualization of key data metrics.
How is this done? It depends on the customer, but in many cases it is not as difficult as you may envision.
In any machine there is usually some controller or brain which connects to sensors and motors within its limited control scope. The key to bringing your machine into the Industry 4.0 revolution is by connecting that brain to your internal plant network and storing data you deem necessary to a database.
"We Don't Have A Centralized Database"
Not an issue.
Setting this up can be quite easy and can be implemented very quickly without having to add any hardware beyond the edge device that helps centralize the data needed to push to a virtual database.
From this database, the possibilities are endless.
As this data is collected and manipulated in a rich environment of machine virtual dashboards, it is transformed to informative visuals which are entirely customizable, and often simplistic. A great example of this is the dashboard of your car, and all of the information that is presented to the driver who then uses that knowledge to make informed decisions while operating their vehicle.
Want to Keep Learning?
Stay tuned as BlueBay continues this series on the Industrial Internet of Things and how we can help you transform your machine into the intelligent predicative machine you have always wanted it to be. See our next article: What Value Does IIoT Bring to You
Introduction to IIoT