Smart Machines & Factories

With more than five years' experience in the introduction of Industry 4.0 – gained both through its own operations and in supporting other companies – Bosch Rexroth shares some advice on adopting a digitalisation strategy by discussing the top five stumbling blocks in the introduction of Industry 4.0.

With the UK facing a skills crisis, the importance of encouraging the next generation of engineers from a young age has never been more acute.

In December 2018 eight GAMBICA Industrial Automation members gathered around a table at the King Power Stadium in Leicester to be recorded discussing IT, cyber security, cloud computing and of course automation and what it all means for Smart Manufacturing. In a special three part serialisation in Smart Machines & Factories, Victoria Montag – sector head for Industrial Automation, GAMBICA, will be looking at the output of the discussion that took place and covers a pragmatic guide to getting started on your smart manufacturing journey.

Leading industry experts from across the Food & Beverage industry have been lined-up as speakers for the forthcoming dedicated digitalisation conference for the Food & Beverage industry: Demystifying the jargon: How to make the digitalisation transition, which takes place on 22nd May 2019 at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham.

Festo Member of the Management Board Dr Frank Melzer has taken over as head of the Industry 4.0 platform steering committee for the digitisation of business in Germany. Smart Machines & Factories’ Aaron Blutstein caught up with him in Holland to find out which direction Industry 4.0 is heading.

Paresh Kansara, Rittal’s product manager for Industrial & Outdoor Enclosures, looks at some tips to help companies implement fast-deploying and secure IT for production environments.

In tomorrow’s factories, workpieces will be transported flexibly between workstations on magnetically levitated carriers. This vision of the future was demonstrated at a recent German exhibition by two rival automation companies who believe that their technologies will help manufacturers to achieve “batch size one”. Contributing editor Tony Sacks reports.

INCASE (“Industry 4.0 via Networked Control Applications and Sustainable Engineering”), co-organised by PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI UK)and the European Interreg Project, are free-to-attend seminars that will address the key practical issues arising from the use of digital communications technologies in automated manufacturing and process industry applications, with particular attention to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0. Smart Machines & Factories reports.

Benjamin Stafford, materials science expert at materials search engine Matmatch, explores the future relationship of aviation and additive manufacturing.

John Roberts, director of Idhammar Systems, addresses 5 developments manufacturers need to seriously consider this year, and shares his predictions for the manufacturing industry in 2019.

It seems a long time ago now since various malware attacks on the operational layer changed the security landscape and highlighted vulnerabilities in the de-facto automation architecture. However, as we move along the road towards Smart Manufacturing with a view to improving efficiency, productivity and reliability of supply using the principles of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the subject of cyber-security is becoming arguably even more important. Chris Evans, marketing & operations group manager at Mitsubishi Electric

Graham Smith, head of marketing at Microsoft recruitment partner Curo Talent, explains the role of automation in IT security and how it could address the skills shortage.

3D printing was first used in rapid prototyping, but today is increasingly used in additive processes that enable volume production of plastic and metal parts. It is also used to manufacture parts that are too complex for traditional injection moulding. The trend is towards modular and scalable manufacturing solutions tailored to a particular application. Smart Machines & Factories provides an overview of the processes and trends.

Leveraging the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to connect digital systems is a crucial step for increasing manufacturing productivity, efficiency and quality. Jonathan Wilkins, director at industrial automation parts supplier EU Automation, explains what UK manufacturers can learn from countries leading the way.