Innovative Thinking

As technology advances and better automation systems are made to perform various functions, it reduces the need for human workers in manufacturing. While this technology has been developing rapidly, there are still many flaws in the system. Some people might think that either having a fully automated shop or a staff of able workers would be the optimal choice to run their manufacturing process. Another and quite possibly a better option is to have an automated system run by workers that are intertwined.

Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Some people don’t see a difference in these three terms, and treat them as the same. One must understand that while some concepts of these technologies may overlap, they must be looked upon independently and studied according to their applications. AI suggests automatic generation of insights when applied to Big Data, offering results with little to no effort. The data analytics user experience on the other hand has a user experience that’s different altogether.

The process of finding and identifying qualified system integrators for your automation requires a strong understanding of system integration and paying close attention to what you’re looking for. Your choice of system integrators will only be as good as the candidates you’ve vetted. Therefore, having a broad initial search is essential to finding the right candidate.

System Integrators can essentially be divided into three types:

1. Ones that prefer building new systems, delivering them and moving onto the next project, offering limited time post-installation support.
2. Ones that build systems and support them for a considerable period of time.
3. Ones that specialize in troubleshooting and tailoring of existing systems.

Process control is designed to keep variables within specific boundaries so optimum productivity can be achieved. The primary purpose of process control is to ensure that a process runs at the desired operating conditions, whilst meeting its constraints such as those of safety, environment, and reliability. Process control strategies can be organized into a hierarchy, allowing operators to differentiate vital features from the optional ones.

For decades machine safety systems in industrial complexes have been associated with individual components such as safety interlocks, electromechanical relays, switches, fencing, enclosures, and so on. But with each passing year, this approach seems to be expiring and lagging with the requirements of today.

Machine safety components are tools that can be used in a certain manner to ensure the safety of a machine. The end-goal of machine safety component usage has shifted from installation of safety components to the successful accomplishment of a goal-set and a strategy. This effectively means that a shift needs to occur from the traditional on/off, go/no/no-go paradigm towards a more functional approach that ensures the workability of all safety-related components in a coherent manner. This system-based approach is now the consensus of several safety experts due to the rapidly changing market demands and evolving technologies.