Extrusion International 4-2018

38 Extrusion International 4/2018 MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY Industry 4.0 and IIoT The term “Industry 4.0” – together with the “Industrial Internet of Things” (IIoT) – shapes the discourse on sustainability and competiveness of the industry. The interaction between human, machine, and production during the running production process enables an independent production control via intelligent machines. SIKORAmeasuring technologies are equipped with interfaces for Industry 4.0. How the customer benefits from it shows the following overview Data transmission In classic production lines, SIKORA devices receive nominal values from a programmable logic con- troller (PLC) of the customer and in return transmit real measuring val- ues. The received information are the basis of process optimization. Visualization of measuring values and plant control With the integration of SIKORA’s ECOCONTROL processor system into the production line, the cus- tomer gains various new network- ing and control possibilities in the area of Industry 4.0. All SIKORA measuring devices are connected to the ECOCONTROL. It visualizes the transmitted data, creates trend and statistical data and, on this basis, initiates specific measures for plant control. The regulation is done by increasing or decreasing the line speed or extruder rpm. Fur- thermore, the ECOCONTROL is able to mirror the recorded production data to any desired display systems in the line where it can be further processed. Mobile data accessing The SIKORA processor devices pro- vide the industrial network protocol OPC UA, which increasingly prevails as standard language of the IIoT and allows a comprehensive data exchange with IT systems. SIKORA devices are equipped with all stan- dard interfaces, and therefore, fit for Industry 4.0 and with regard to the hardware optimally designed for future developments. Via an Ethernet interface, a remote main- tenance is also possible with the ECOCONTROL and allows SIKORA employees to access a system inde- pendent of the location. SIKORA service SIKORA service offers customers comprehensive services regard- ing the area of Industry 4.0. This includes a mobile diagnosis by Wi- Fi transmission, for example, from the diameter measuring gauge heads of the LASER Series 6000 to the SIKORA App or SAM (Smart Assistance Manager). In addi- tion, remote maintenance via safe cloud accesses is increasingly gain- ing importance for customers. The ECOCONTROL also enables remote maintenance via an Ethernet inter- face, so that SIKORA employees may access the system location- independent if needed. The de- velopment of special maintenance software tailored to individual cus- tomer requirements that enables predictive product maintenance will also be possible in the future. For example, a LASER Series 6000 device may then send an automat- ed fault message when the gauge head is dirty. SIKORA AG Bruchweide 2, 28307 Bremen, Germany www.sikora.net Visualization of technology development towards Industry 4.0 at SIKORA