Extrusion International USA 4-2021

56 Extrusion International 4/2021 THERMOFORMING Digitalization is here. IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and connectivity are increasingly important for man- ufacturing and industrial network- ing with production systems such as Manufacturing Execution Systems, MES. In particular, self-describing standard interfaces are becoming important to reduce customizing ef- forts and improve data access. Learning system complements machine intelligence ILLIGsystems have longbeenequipped with the Intelligent Control Concept (ILLIG IC). Including calculation of ma- chine parameters, a guided setup sys- tems, and dynamic optimization. In addition, thermoforming systems can connect to local networks anddatabas- es to query production-related data. ILLIG Assist complements these digital systems and helps the machine opera- tor as a learning component to cope with occurring events in the dailywork- fl ow. In the past, companies relied on notes and the ”tribal knowledge” of experienced individuals. The new ap- plication simpli fi es knowledge transfer minal and operators can be remotely informed. Event noti fi cations aremade by the operator or, in future versions, directly by the machine in the case of networked machines connected to the IIoT platform. Messages are automati- cally made available to other approved users inside the organization. In addi- tion to asset management and chat function per machine, ILLIG Assist also provides rights management for creat- ing and reading comments and other information. Depending on the user’s rights, the systemoffers insight into the machine with its functional sub-blocks aswell as anoverviewof the entire line, factory, or worldwide locations. ILLIG Assist has been developed together with customers, for machine operators and production managers, with the aimof increasingef fi ciencies inproduc- tion, service, andmaintenance through an intelligent communication tool and active knowledge management sys- tem. With digitalization, ILLIG brings customers even closer to theirprocess, delivering higher added value. Note: Terms marked with ® are registered and protected trademarks of ILLIGMaschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG ILLIG Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG Robert-Bosch-Str. 10, 74081 Heilbronn, Germany www.illig.com Industry 4.0 Makes Thermoforming More Effective ILLIGMaschinenbau introduces “ILLIG Assist”, a digital service platform to actively support ILLIG customers on the way to Industry 4.0. Digital transformation is increasingly becoming a reality thanks to breakthrough technologies. This also applies to the packaging industry: manufacturing processes are becomingmore digital and the entire value chain is being networked through a clear and interactive graphic user interface. Creation of a knowledge database Messages from both connected ma- chines and machine operators them- selves are recorded and displayed chronologically. The system automati- cally provides a visual localization of events and offers detailed suggestions based on a solution database, initially populated by ILLIG’s deep global ex- pertise. Furthermore, operators can actively contribute their own sugges- tions and enrich them with videos and images. An integrated comment func- tion allows users to comment on and evaluate proposed solutions. Users can also view and manage shift reports, maintenance information, and digital manuals. This approach serves to build up a permanent knowledge database, prevents the loss of knowledge due to the departure of experienced machine operators, and accelerates training for new employees. IIoT platform as a basis for connectivity ILLIG Assist is based on the IIoT plat- form ADAMOS and is expandable through a modular architecture of mi- croservices that enable connections to external systems. Events reported to ILLIG Assist can be displayed using any internet-enabled communication ter- Digital service platform: ILLIG Assist supports customers on their way to Industry 4.0 (Picture: ILLIG)