ANCA Academy March 2019

When we compare how we made CNC machine tools in the ‘70s, to now, the biggest change isn’t the tools themselves (although obviously they are different). The biggest change has been to how we communicate; how we communicate between ourselves, and how we communicate with our machines.

In the ‘70s communication was incredibly primitive by modern standards. If we wanted to send a message across the country we’d use a telex machine, that would run 10 characters a second. As for communicating with the machines, we just didn’t do that. We’d manually load programs and hope that nothing went wrong.

Later, we shifted to dial up modems using standard telephone lines. This was a huge leap, sending communications at a powerful 248 characters per second!

Another massive leap in communication was in 1991 when we released the first five axis machine tools that came standard with a modem. Suddenly we could communicate with the machine and the diagnostics were out of this world!

Nowadays we are well and truly in the thick of another evolution, perhaps another revolution – Industry 4.0. This new era means high bandwidth communications that can send almost unlimited data between machines and computers all over the world.

The machines, through high quality communications, can be largely automated and whole factories can operate ‘lights out’. We have more machine data in a minute than we could have dreamed of in a year back in the ‘70s.

Your machine can tell you that in three weeks time angle service will be required. It can then order the parts for you with the touch of a button. It can warn you when something is not working as it should, so you can plan for maintenance. Works orders are no longer on a piece of paper that is circulated; instead barcode scanners are used for work order identification and RFID reader used for tool identification.

In this environment of better and wider communications, machines are having a longer, more predictable life with less unexpected downtime which increases production rates.

However, there is a general fear that the uber-connected factory is open to new threats. There is a temptation, by some, to ignore the advancements in communication and keep processes manual and the data ‘locked up’ and ‘safe’. But to ignore the opportunities that connected machines present is akin to giving up. Factories that do not evolve will not remain competitive against others who are data informed, highly productive and producing CNC machine tools more accurately than ever.

Keep in mind that even machines that are connected only to internal networks are exposed to hostile actors. Using memory sticks to shift data from production systems to machines is a renowned way to spread viruses.

Cyber risk is a risk just like fire or flood, don’t fear it, plan for it and have contingencies in place.

So what needs to happen to shift the way we make CNC machine tools? There are five key things we need to change to get the benefit of the capabilities and opportunities that Industry 4.0 brings – and at the same time, repel the threats.

 

1. Get connected (in isolation)

You have two choices for harvesting all that machine data. The first is to create an unconnected island. This means housing your machine data on site with your own servers. You’ll be able to collect data and communicate between the machines, just nowhere else. Your IT provider will be able to set up protection for that island.

 

2. Get connected (in the cloud)

The alternative is to go to the cloud. Your data will be held offsite where it can be accessed by you, or any partner you choose, anywhere in the world through the internet. Your cloud provider will provide the infrastructure security, usually at a highly encrypted level.

 

3. Design from data

Whichever method you choose, you should now have the data and insights in place to optimise processes. By gathering comprehensive statistics on machines you’ll see where the operational inefficiencies are, what can be changed to get more output and identify opportunities to innovate.

 

4. Keep your systems clean

With all systems, whether your IT provider is looking after your systems in house, or offsite, you’ll need antivirus checks, stringent backup processes and regular health and maintenance checks in place to ensure your IP is secure and your systems run optimally.

5. Think of this as a beginning, not the end

Finally, think of this as just the beginning. The pace of change is more rapid than ever. More data means more insights and more opportunity to innovate with tool production. And it doesn’t just stop with the machines, from here other areas of operation can tap into the data. For instance accounting modules can take factory floor information in an instant. In this new era of communication the possibilities for CNC machine tools are wide open.

Industry 4.0 is full of promise. Whilst there are dangers that come with the change we should not ignore how the seemingly unlimited potential connected machines provide. The way we make CNC machine tools needs to change, and that’s exciting.

 

18 March 2019