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 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

INDUSTRY 4.0

EPISODE 8

Part 2

from my perspective, there still seems to be a lot of questions for exactly how to make this process and application function well.

As I said in the last episode, I am not a molder. I look at the range of different molds, and the laundry list of details about each mold, and frankly speaking, walk myself quite far into the weeds, trying to find the simple solution. I could easily define a list of 10-12 mold characteristics that may contribute to some formulation of compatibility. But, indeed, this may be going too far. Some items in that list may be of great importance, and some may be less critical to the success of this platform. The primary machinery and its related capabilities also have a significant role to play in the equation.

As does your customer demands on your production capabilities, schedules, and requirements. I do not believe that it is any molders goal to have machines not being used to their maximum capabilities. Let me rephrase that with a more positive spin…every molder wants every machine to be used at its maximum production capabilities, and compatibilities. As I try to narrow this down, and work towards some level of simplification, I see the potential to use three more generalized terms:

• Mold Compatibility – how molds in your facility have similar characteristics and compatible process windows so that they can run successfully with a specific list of other molds. • Machine Compatibility – which molds can run on which machines, and with which list of specific molds as listed above. • Production Compatibility – what is in your production schedule and how can you ensure maximum production efficiency.

If the expectation is for an application to take these three categories of information and apply that to a simple A+B+C = D, then we have achieved the end game. The potential of this Industry 4.0 application comes with the next step when “D” gets communicated directly to the Primary Machinery, without human intervention, to make the necessary adjustments to maximize performance of all the moving parts. This for me is the exciting and most beneficial purpose and eventual intention of this type of application.

If equations and molding parameters can be automatically communicated, and automatically updated to the primary machinery in the event of a process or mold change, and the primary machinery makes the necessary adjustments to maximize efficiency…this is Machinery communicating with Machinery, the real intention of Industry 4.0.

This could continue to be expanded with other support equipment, such as environmental monitoring, process monitoring, resin management, labor control, and potential direct communication with ERP or MRP systems for maximum long-term control and cost management.

I hope that this has affirmed that there is potential for this

type of platform to exist, and to be developed. I am anxious to know your thoughts, and to discuss this in detail with whoever is willing. The more knowledge that we can gain together, the better our collective minds can solve the problems, and accomplish great things!

Please send your questions. I am looking forward to the next challenge. Come and see me at our booth, grab me in the hall, lets grab a beverage of choice. Thanks for reading and your continued support and thoughts.

Image courtesy of Ferry Industries