IoT for manufacturing can help transform business

June 12, 2018 10:50 am

Marc Jarrault,
Managing Director, LAPP in India
IIoT has opened several avenues for manufacturers by integrating analytics into their systems for better results with high and quality output and precision.

Future look for IIoT in manufacturing
Industry 4.0 or the fourth industrial revolution concepts are in harmony with worldwide initiatives, including smart factories, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), smart manufacturing, and advanced manufacturing. This revolution in manufacturing landscape is changing continuously across boundaries bringing in greater efficiency.

Marc Jarrault, Managing Director, LAPP in India, says, “The Indian manufacturing sector looks to be heading towards a major facelift now with this revolution, in which IIoT and smart manufacturing are playing a vital role. All these terms are unification of different technologies like machine learning, Big Data, sensor data, machine-to-machine communication, advanced robotics and 3D Printing that have been transforming the fundamentals of manufacturing for a while now.”

Over the last few years, Indian manufacturing has come a long way by implementing IIoT and creating smart factories with robots and advanced computer systems. IIoT is helping manufacturing sector transform their business by applying industry-leading analytics and intellectual capabilities that can help improve the quality of operations, productivity, optimisation, efficiency and uptime from production till the final stage. He adds, “IIoT has opened several avenues for manufacturers by integrating analytics into their systems for better results with high and quality output and precision.”

IIoT adoption drivers
IIoT connects the entire manufacturing unit of the industry and its enterprise section by merging the information of various departments and operations. This process improves visibility, boosts operational efficiency, reduces the complexity of process, reduces wastage and increases productivity. Transformative manufacturing strategy through IIoT has become need of the hour for every sector including food and beverage, machine tools, special purpose machine manufacturing, textile processing and textile machinery, automotive, pharma and various others industry segments. This will help the industry in optimising assets; have smart monitoring, remote diagnosis, intelligent decision and most importantly predictive maintenance.

LAPP’s preparedness in the area of IIoT
While implementing IIOT in manufacturing, the demand of cable and connection technology is changing and is being redefined. Data rates are climbing with the consistent networking of company, production and business processes. This demands a high-performance network. In future, network cables will no longer only be used to connect machinery and within control cabinets, they will also be laid directly to intelligent actuators or sensors in the field.

Reliable networking of production across all levels will only be possible with a comprehensive cabling and connection concept. Ethernet cables in a production environment must be substantially more robust than LAN cables in an office environment. They have to be oil resistant, must withstand high temperatures and must also function reliably and durably in the drag chain.

The challenge for the cable industry will be to combine the requirements of flexibility, robustness and the highest data rates in cables. Also, Industry 4.0 would require data, power supply and pneumatics in one connector which would significantly reduce the retrofit times of a modular production plant. In general, the trend would be towards smaller and smaller yet also more and more efficient connectors and cables.

LAPP stands for innovation and caters to the increasing demand of the automation segment. The focus lies in developing solutions, that are designed with data cables that ensure minimal loss of data/signal and uses networking which assures high speed data communication. The slim and light design of the components manufactured by LAPP enables robustness with high flexibility best suitable to manage torsion, reeling and unreeling.

Under the brand name ETHERLINE, the company has new and innovative range such as ETHERLINE TORSION CAT.5 and ETHERLINE TORSION CAT. 6A that is suitable for PROFINET applications. These 2-pair and 4-pair industrial Ethernet cables can be used in harsh industrial environments. LAPP has also developed ETHERLINE CAT.6 FD which is highly flexible and apt for drag chains along with EPIC Data M12 Ethernet field mountable connectors range. Additionally, the company offer ETHERLINE HEAT 6722, series for industrial Ethernet that is especially resistant against weather, ozone, UV radiation, petrol and oil. The halogen-free cable allows frequent cleaning with hot steam or acidic/alkaline cleaning agents.

Jarrault states, “To further strengthen our offering for automation especially smart factories, we have introduced ETHERLINE ACCESS, the managed and unmanaged robust switches – industrial network solutions from LAPP means data cables, connectors, accessories and industrial grade active network components. LAPP also has to offer its Industrial Ethernet RJ45 connectors.”

Other products for automation sector include OLFLEX FD and ROBOT cables for applications with very high linear bending stress. They are universal cable used in control applications. Besides being the first multi core cable to be manufactured in the world, these cables are suitable for 3 axis rotation applications. Jarrault informs, “We also have UNITRONIC range of products that are the high-quality data network cables that provide a forward-looking solution for all applications in industrial machinery and plant engineering.”

One can also find HITRONIC – the fibre optic cables, designed to transfer large volumes of data. HITRONIC TORSION, HITRONIC breakout cables, HITRONIC HDM cable and HITRONIC HRM FD cables are suitable product for robots and power chains with 360-degree movement as they are designed to withstand high flexibility. These cables are easy to install due to the compact design, robust sheath and small radii with zero electromagnetic interference.

For areas that need high level of fire protection, LAPP presents UV-resistant and watertight HITRONIC FIRE. They are suitable for installations in underground tunnels where fire safety is critical.

LAPP has also expanded its product range with EPIC MH SYSTEM connectors an apt product for the automation sector. It is a modular system for transmission of power, signal and data. In addition to cables and connectors, LAPP also offers glands, conduits and marking systems.