Manufacturing Automatic Data Collection

Abstract

The question or purpose of seeking out new technology and actively using it is whether it makes our lives better and more efficient. Today’s state of the art manufacturing facilities and even the ones that are slightly behind the modern curve, have manufacturing processes that produce an enormous amount of data that needs to be captured; Futaba Indiana of America (FIA) is currently not using autonomous data collection measures on their production floor. If FIA’s data was collected and properly utilized it would provide valuable information, which could aid their organization in making business decisions and help to lead them into a significant competitive advantage. Unfortunately, if a facility’s automation development is lacking in the field of equipment network capability, it can make it quite challenging to collect and capture all of its relevant data. Understanding the purpose of automated data collection and trying to move into the age of “real-time” machine data collection is all about helping your facility improve productivity and profitability. However, it is also about making the essential first steps toward becoming a data-driven, high-tech manufacturing sector that makes the company internationally competitive. FIA, in short, will begin this journey to becoming a smart manufacturing facility by implementing the following tasks: upgrading internal server capacities to handle the intense data load, upgrading all equipment PLCs for network capabilities, running network cabling to all equipment desired to be “on network” and create a PLC program to capture all the desired manufacturing data. The goal at the end of this project is to make data collection effortless, done completely without the need for a production control specialist to count a single part on the plant floor.