INDUSTRY 4.0
EPISODE 8
Part 2
Rob Miller, Wittmann Battenfeld Canada Inc. / ROTOLOADTM
Mold Use Intelligence
Hopefully, answering the question…at least partially. When this issue is in your hands, we will all be meeting, sharing in our stories, our struggles, our successes, and the pleasure of all being together once again. For refresher, here again is the original question… Q: Can Industry 4.0 be used to provide the intelligence to define which molds should be run with which other molds, or combination thereof, on which arm/cart, through which oven, at what molding parameters, to achieve the best possible outcome, efficiency, part quality, and overall production results. A: I have had several discussions related to the questions that arose in the last incomplete episode 8 part 1. To come full circle, this term “Mold Compatibility” seems to be at the root of this discussion. There can be a lot of varied opinions on the factors that make molds compatible, but in the end, if a grouping of similar or dissimilar molds, seem to be compatible, then this is THE key piece of information. Evidently, it seems that in some cases, very different molds 54 ROTOWORLD® AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021
could indeed have similar processing windows, and therefore can be considered compatible. So…to get back to the answer for the original question. I do believe that this is an application for Industry 4.0 principles, and programming / communication from machine to machine. While this automated MOLD COMPATIBILITY platform is not yet developed and therefore not yet available, it is possible to use automation to ultimately define compatibility of a range of different molds and primary machinery. Firstly, in its eventual intended form, I believe that it could be classed as AUTOMATION as it can do what is currently achieved by a human. (automatically controlled operation of an apparatus, process, or system by mechanical or electronic devices that take the place of human labor. (An automatically controlled process or system” could be used to define this application.” While I may personally want to dispute this and argue this point, in the end it can be considered automation). While this application is not replacing physical human labor, it is replacing human thought, gut feel, and ingenuity, which is largely how this process works currently. HOWEVER, at least
