Industry 4.0

What does Industry 4.0 mean?

Millions of jobs have been created by the production sector of the industry. The productivity and competitiveness of these jobs have to be maintained by technological adjustments. Industrial facilities, as well as processes, are subject to a steady stream of, at times even rapid, changes. These rapid changes are called industrial revolutions. While energy from water and steam was introduced during the first industrial revolution to speed up industrial processes, the fourth industrial revolution is currently taking place. In 2011, the term industry 4.0 was published.

Industry 4.0 deals with the linking of machines, plants and industrial processes. Up to date information and communication technology is intended to be used to guarantee a high amount of intelligence in processes. Intelligent processes allow for more flexibility. Individual customer requests can be included in the manufacturing process. The German government provided a platform (Plattform Industrie 4.0) for information exchange, concept creation and finding contacts as well as cooperating in regards to industry 4.0.

What is Industry 4.0? A Simple Explanation.

The approach of industry 4.0 is to create a new concept to organize factories and production processes based on data and networks. People, plants, machines, sensors and actuators are being linked. Decision making power - if possible to be automated - is put as close to the production process as possible.

Industry 4.0 thrives on Data

Industry 4.0 thrives on the creation, acquisition, and use of data. This data includes humans, machines, plants, tools involved in the manufacturing processes and the use of the products as well as the products themselves which provide a big amount of data during their span of use. Industry 4.0 views data as a raw material which is used to create value out of it. Automation technology has a critical part in collecting this data. Sensors retrieve data and then forward it to control units. For this process industrial networks (Industrial Ethernet) have to be installed and used. Standards (EtherCAT, PROFINET etc.) have to be continuously adapted and extended to be applied in industry 4.0. Connection technologies (M8, M12, RJ45) have to be suited for the increased demand of higher transfer rate as well a bigger data volume. Data volume allows for the necessary increase of efficiency in manufacturing processes of industry 4.0 while bath sizes are getting smaller and product ranges are changing faster. Analysing data creates new business opportunities and services for industry 4.0.

Connection from Sensor to Cloud in Industry 4.0

The third industrial revolution focused on computers and their ability to process big amounts of data quickly. Industry 4.0 shifts the focus to the connection technology of powerful industrial networks and the internet. Automation technology supports industry 4.0 in connection and the self-controlling of machines and plants. IO-Link has a major role in industry 4.0 to intelligently connect sensors and actuators. Machines and plants compatible to industry 4.0 transfer data from the control unit and from sensors and actuators directly into the Cloud where they are processed regardless of place (cloud service). The goal is to create a machine without control cabinet. This requires components in accordance with the IP67 standard that can be installed right on the machine.