Murrelektronik smart automation brings ‘smart factory’ concept to life

In our latest article, connections experts Murrelektronik give us a glimpse into the world of smart automation and explain how their drive to create new smart manufacturing technology is bringing the ‘smart factory’ concept to life.

The ‘smart factory’ concept

As machines and systems become more intensively networked, creating transparency across the entire product life cycle becomes a key challenge for the future. The ‘smart factory’ concept offers great opportunities.

Murrelektronik is pursuing this smart manufacturing approach with their customers. Their products and solutions are aligned with the 'Smart Automation by Murrelektronik' principle and form the basis of their revolutionary installation concepts.

Predictive maintenance smart automation

Murrelektronik supplies modern components equipped with innovative functions and high-performance interfaces to enhance production modularisation and flexibility. This is coupled with their ever-present focus on customer needs, such as reliable user-friendly installation; straightforward commissioning (ease of use); reducing downtime; and end-to-end controlling in the field.

Practical smart automation examples from the Murrelektronik world include predictive maintenance products and solutions. Products reaching the end of their life cycle can be replaced just-in-time, avoiding downtime. Devices aren’t exchanged too early, which makes the most of the device's service life. In other words, the device's life cycle has been used to the limit.

Smart manufacturing technology

A recent joint research project, involving the development of intelligent cables using smart core technology, indicated that when a cable has completed 80 percent of its typical number of bending cycles, then it is time to replace it during a regularly scheduled service interval.

Several parameters are monitored at the same time in power supplies: interior temperature, load situation during operation, number of start processes and component service life. Here too, warnings are issued at the right time, so the part can be replaced duly during the next routine maintenance – with no unplanned stoppages.

A particularly useful smart manufacturing feature is the IODD on board integrated in the MVK Metal and Impact67 fieldbuses to quickly set-up of IO-Link devices. The data required for the sensors and actuators is directly embedded in the GSDML file, while IO Link devices can be easily connected and operated. This really is plug and play at its finest!

For more information, please visit www.murrelektronik.uk. To speak to a Murrelektronik adviser today, call +44 (0)161 72831-33 or email [email protected].