Industry 4.0 Impact On Manufacturing

By Frank Arteaga, Head of Product Marketing, Market Region NAFTA, Bystronic Inc. Industry 4.0 is a term that references the collective machine interconnectivity and big data that is now a large part of the manufacturing process chain. It refers to the physical computing, logical devices and machine sensors that communicate data, the networking of these systems to communicate their data in real-time and the ability to utilize the collected data not only for automated decision-making systems but for data services used by humans involved in the manufacturing process chain. The origin of the term Industry 4.0 is from a German government project that promotes the computerization of manufacturing and is a reference to the 4th industrial revolution in manufacturing. The 1st revolution being mechanical production equipment driven by water and steam power, the 2nd based on mass production enabled by the division of labor and the use of electrical energy, the 3rd based on the use of electronics and IT systems to further automate production. Decentralization of Decisions: The interconnectivity of devices has enabled data to be communicated from one system to the other in real-time and allowed automated systems to make decisions that were once centralized with human activities. ERP systems can now automatically break down orders into bill of materials and machine routings, raw materials automatically ordered and jobs released to the automated job management systems that can collect, group and optimize jobs based on material requirements and order due dates. As soon as the job management system has optimized the materials, the orders can be sent directly to the machines based on reaching automatic criteria such as achieving effective material yields. Automated material handling systems can take the raw material information and retrieve the correct material and present it for processing as well as unload the cut sheets when finished. Read more   About Bystronic Bystronic Inc. has offered customers single source service expertise for over 35 years. They provide innovative laser cutting, press brakes, automation, system software and comprehensive customer training and support. The company’s North American headquarters is located in Elgin, IL. Offices are also located in Toronto, Canada and Monterrey, Mexico. For more information on Bystronic Inc., visit www.bystronicusa.com. Visit Bystronic at FABTECH Canada in booth 905.