Page 28 - MMI - JanFeb 2021 single

into, while AI aims to outfit problems and ultimately opti-
technological devices with mize energy consumption in
the keen insight and percep- the long term. Having an AI
tion of a responsive being. system look into the energy
With Augmented and Virtual consumption of a production
Reality technologies improv- operation can significantly re-
ing every day, more and more duce operating costs. The re-
major companies are develop- duced cost can allocate more
ing AR and VR for training, funding for process improve-
preventative maintenance de- ment resources, leading to
vices, inspection, quickly iden- higher yield and quality.
tifying defective products and
operational problems, etc. Challenges with
advantages
Tool Optimization and Tool With all the benefits AI has to
Wear Analytics offer, there are some challeng-
With a range of ultra-sensitive Source: SmartFix 4.0 es to overcome with regard to
but tough sensors available and manufacturing, starting with
with the option of mounting the challenge of investing in
“SmartFix 4.0 has leveraged AI
these sensors on the fixture or for multiple use cases. The most the new infrastructure that
In manu- the cutting tool as close to the sought-after feature is the tool enables these advantages. The
facturing, cutting edge as possible, accu- wear prediction that is served infrastructure includes buying
AI is also rate data can be achieved re- from vibration data captured new IoT-enabled machines and
being used garding how a tool is perform- from the fixture. The in-built AI having robust network connec-
model maps the sensor signals
in energy ing, its life, and the cost per to the expected age of the tool, tivity that allows the shop floor
manage- thereby allowing the customer
ment. It can component per tool. to track tool wear.” to be truly connected.
monitor Joshi adds, “We are also Nikhil Rabindra Next, there is the dilemma of
and collect developing sensorized tool- Head where the data resides—local
informa- ing to provide data for smart SmartFix 4.0 or cloud? And how secure is
tion about decision-making during the data if it is stored on the cloud?
energy con- machining process. We have “DMG Mori’s ‘Tool Control While local can be optimal
sumption also implemented smart man- Centre’ provides a visual rep- for a single location, a cloud
in the form ufacturing concepts at our resentation of a time sequence solution can be more benefi-
of num- plant in India. Development graph for monitoring and anal- cial for a multi-location set-
bers, text, and implementation of AI ysis of the axial and bending up. Solutions like SmartFix
images, and solutions provide Sandvik loads of every rotating tool. 4.0 address these problems
videos.
with the ability to offer cus- ‘Easy tool monitoring’ on the by providing flexibility in
tomers increasingly detailed DMG Mori turning machines the setup without burning a
and appropriate advice on is a technology cycle with hole in the pocket of a lega-
how certain operations could automated learning of load cy setup and also integrating
be performed more efficiently limits. It has a powerful algo- with existing IoT solutions for
and how their machines can be rithm for efficient monitor- a fraction of the cost. Finally,
used optimally in specific situ- ing right after the first part is the philosophical question of
ations to be more sustainable.” machined,” Varghese explains. how much human intervention
Rabindra shares, “SmartFix 4.0 and decision-making can be
has leveraged AI for multiple Energy Management handed off to AI is always an
use cases. The most sought- In manufacturing, AI is also ongoing process.
after feature is the tool being used in energy man- So yes, the forum is open to de-
wear prediction that is served agement. AI can monitor and bate on how far AI can be imple-
from vibration data captured collect information about en- mented in manufacturing, but
from the fixture. The in-built ergy consumption in the form the above points are a top-level
AI model maps the sensor of numbers, text, images, and survey of all the potential paths
signals to the expected age videos. By evaluating what is that can be explored going for-
of the tool, thereby allow- observed, AI can manage ener- ward and maybe seeing a facto-
ing the customer to track gy usage. It can compress and ry smart enough to be managed
tool wear.” analyze data to predict future by just a guard and a dog.

28 | January-February 2022 Modern Manufacturing India