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Streamlining equipment IIoT connectivity Micro-PLCs with support for Wi-Fi and industrial communication protocols make it possible to add IIoT to any type of machinery in an easy and incremental manner. Bill Dehner, technical marketing engineer, AutomationDirect
Pneumatically- and hydraulically-operated equipment is found worldwide in machine shops, factory floors, and production sites. While these heavy-duty systems excel at manufacturing and production tasks, they typically lag behind common consumer devices with regards to convenient connectivity and data access. Which is unfortunate, because all sorts of industrial equipment contains a wealth of operational knowledge. End users have become accustomed to remotely accessing and viewing information from consumer devices, and would like some of the same capabilities for their production equipment. Unfortunately, even ‘intelligent’ equipment is often installed in a standalone, local-only manner (Figure 1). Sometimes data connectivity is possible via a serial or Ethernet connection, but in many cases — especially for hardwired machines — it can be very difficult to obtain even basic information like on/off status. Combined with the fact that end users may use many makes and models of field equipment, it can be complicated and expensive to create a standardized way of obtaining the data needed to improve efficiency. Across most industries, end users are looking for an affordable way to bridge the gap from the plant floor to the cloud. Creating this edge-to-cloud connectivity is a key requirement for industrial internet of things (IIoT) implementations, and there are some sophisticated and complex ways to create these types of systems. However, many end users are finding the best answer is often to leave existing automation systems largely as-is, and to add IIoT capabilities by installing easy-to-use and low-cost industrial controllers that are cloud-capable. 40
FLUID POWER WORLD
10 • 2021
www.fluidpowerworld.com