A key to success in the Industry 4.0 world is to be able to choose what data is applicable to your specific needs. There is no shortage of data available to access and monitor, however, the key is to be able to select the data that is most applicable. Not all data is created equally and not all data assists the manufacturer in solving problems.
Let’s dive into a few examples of current issues that manufacturing facilities are facing and how selecting the correct data to monitor could help minimize and resolve some common, yet challenging, problems.
Key issues that manufacturing facilities with dust collection encounter
1. Many dust collection systems are outdated and do not currently support an Industry 4.0 structure. They don’t collect enough data, display necessary values such as the main duct velocity, ambient temperature or the temperature inside the main duct. This leads to Maintenance Departments relying on operator feedback or, even worse, facing catastrophic consequences such as a fire or explosion. Read more on Preventing Combustible Explosions.
2. The demand to grow and meet the market’s expectation, forces woodworking companies to seek new technology to improve performance and output. However, not having enough data about their current utilization of existing workstations, makes it challenging to select which workstation to remove to make new space for the new one.
Using data to address and even prevent these issues
The ability to collect, store and access specific data over an extended period can truly help facilities tackle these challenges.
Data such as main duct velocity, fan pressure, filter pressure, and bearing temperature recorded over an extended period can be used to troubleshoot and extend the lifetime.
Data about utilization such as how long the cutting head of the Router or Sander has been on during the entire shift could help upper management understand the overall utilization of all machines in the plant. Thus making decisions on what to remove/replace/install is much easier.
How detailed can dust collection Analytics be?
