New Technology
What Is Advanced Machine Engineering?
By: Bill Davis, Industrial Machinery and Heavy Equipment Industry Leader for Siemens Digital Industries Software
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nnovative technologies are rapidly advancing machine engineering processes, driving positive change in the industry, prompting companies of all sizes to meet the challenges and trends facing machinery manufacturers. These trends include consumer driven customization, resulting in smaller lot sizes and product life spans; smart machines that provide an order of magnitude increase in information flow; hyper automation that leverages vast amounts of data to automate machine functions; and global competition from more flexible, agile startups. In response to these trends, advanced machine engineering (AME) has come to the fore in the past few years. It focuses on ensuring greater certainty in the development of next-generation machines by fostering collaboration among the multiple disciplines required to create today’s advanced machines. It also reduces ramp-up time to production through virtual design and commissioning, resulting in better upfront validation, shorter
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28 IMD AUGUST 2020
commissioning times and more immediate productivity. Equally important, advanced capabilities are now available to manage the entire bill of materials for all options and variants for advance machine builder support throughout its product life, from the engineering design through manufacturing, and service life.
AME Key Differentiators Let’s examine each of these powerful capabilities that form AME’s essential differentiators that are positively impacting the machine industry. Multi-disciplinary design – Today’s machines are no longer primarily a mechanical piece of equipment. Electrical motors and rotary equipment to move camshaft gears are driven by software and PLC codes, thus accelerating performance-based programs in recent years. The software is adaptable to conditions on the floor enabling the machine to react to real-time sensor readings. As more
