Extrusion International 1-2017

20 Extrusion International 1/2017 INDUSTRY 4.0 Step by step into the future Veryearlyonmotan-colortronic recognisedtheopportunitiesof anetworkedproductionand created thenecessary foundation. motan already offers the possibilities for an intelligent, smart factory with, for example, their CONTROLnet architecture with integrated controls concept. With the development of an OPC-UA interface (Open Platform Communications – Unified Architecture), motan-colortronic was one of the first periphery suppliers able to communicate with the processing machines independent of manufacturer or platform. The consistent modular set-up of the control components also contributes to this by enabling the constant and trans- parent networking of the manufacturer’s units with a pe- riphery and communication network. motan-colortronic is continually working on pilot projects together with dif- ferent machine manufacturers to develop intelligent solu- tions which support the processors in the optimisation of their value added chain. Synchronised production start Up to now, the established practise has been to use weekly timers to switch on the dryers and processing machines. Independent of each other, the systems then wait for pro- duction start – and use unnecessary energy during this time. No consideration is taken if the production plan has changed in the meantime. In a Smart Factory with Industry 4.0, however, material distribution and processing machines will start in coordina- tion with each other. Here, each processing machine choses “its” dryer, depend- ing on the required throughput, and communicated the time of production start. The material distribution does everything else independently. This means that the drying process starts automatically at the right time for enough material of the required quality to be available at produc- tion start. Machine andmaterial are both ready for produc- tion at the same time and over-drying of the material is not possible. The benefits are; improved productivity, resource efficiency, and less energy consumption. Dynamic and intelligent production monitoring No one is immune from nasty surprises – interferences and interruptions cannot be completely eliminated. This is why the availability of material for the processing machine is monitored through targeted information exchange even during the process. Material shortages are displayed cen- trally at the machine. With a dynamic, intelligent response by the material dis- tribution (in this case the dryer), the influence of an inter- ference, wherever it may occur, on the flow of production and the material can be minimised, if not completely elimi- nated. For example, it may be worthwhile to lower the dry- ing temperature and adjust the air flow in order to avoid over-drying during longer production down-times. Due to the constant comparison of piece numbers and remaining production time, the drying system has all necessary infor- mation to prevent material shortages. Information regarding the current or remaining supply of material, as well as the number of parts still to be produced, is shown centrally on the processing machine’s display, in order to offer the operating staff as much transparency as possible regarding the current status of the entire process. Co-ordinated production end The material distribution knows the produced part num- bers and remaining running time – the dryer knows that only a few parts are left to be produced and adapts its op- eration accordingly. This saves energy and prevents over- drying of the remaining material. Additionally, the target- ed running empty of the drying bin can be planned for the end of production. For this, the required time until the bin is empty is calculated in regards to the remaining number of parts left to be produced. This saves energy for drying and conveying, but also minimises return of material and prevents material loss. The decentralised intelligence of motan systems enables communication in all directions. In practise, this means the operation and status data is ex- changed between motan‘s material distribution systems and the processing machines, the data is analysed by the controls, and the required actions are started. The goal, from the view of material distribution, is to en- sure the required quantity and quality of available material at the processing machine. For this, the processing process must be viewed in its entirety in order to use the resources at hand efficiently – for an economic production. www.motan-colortronic.de