The implementation of smart technology is accelerating, in part because of the global pandemic, organizers of an online press conference on smart manufacturing in Taiwan said today.
Representatives from five Taiwanese companies—Advantech, Techman Robot, Cosen Mechatronics, Axile Machine and AccuteX Technologies—spoke today about how Taiwan’s smart machinery can manufacturers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico build superior smart production lines through cloud platforms.
To supplement today’s event, Taiwan Excellence is hosting an online exhibition hall where 60 smart machinery products from 50 companies are on display.
As the world’s fourth largest exporter of machine tools, Taiwan “already has huge smart machinery and smart manufacturing momentum,” according to the Bureau of International Trade, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council.
In the post-pandemic era, the manufacturing industry will move “toward automation and localized production as a response to a restructured supply chain and diversified, reduced production needs,” the organizers told the press.
The Industrial Internet of things (IIoT) is key, they said.
Advantech’s IIoT solution is already used in smart factories. It proffers a four-phase strategy to help customers embrace Industry 4.0: machine automation; equipment networking; process visualization, and predictive maintenance.
The event’s organizers touted Advantech's Industrialization 4.0 “situation room,” which consists of a high-resolution LCD screen wall, a multi-screen display media player and exclusive WISE-PaaS/SignageCMS multi-screen playback software. “All types of information, from bottom equipment, production, and factory environment are collected and integrated in the situation room to help managers better grasp production status within their factory,” they said.
“Industrial IoT … enables management teams to respond quickly to customer needs and market changes—while still controlling costs and quality,” Willie Lin, senior manager at Advantech, noted during today’s event.
As COVID-19 continues to spread, “companies can no longer rely on globalization as they have in the past,” the organizers said. “They are now moving toward localized production, which in turn encourages companies to rely more heavily on automated production.”
Techman Robot’s “one-stop automated introduction solution” limits labor, as well as land and labor cost issues, the organizers said. The company is expert in systems integration, they added.
Cosen Mechatronics acts as a “machine equipment physician” in the industrial market, understanding clients’ issues and providing quick solutions, the organizers said. Its high-precision band-sawing machine and health-diagnosis technology provides its clients with a smart cloud service platform that lets them verify the status condition of various components and implement relevant measures promptly.
“Cutting is all about smart combination,” Alice Wu, VP of marketing at Cosen, said during today’s event. “What kind of material you are cutting. What kind of material shape. What kind of width. What blade you should choose. And what machine you already bought….
“AI can help you to understand that material you are cutting,” and more, she added. “This technology can help the operator run everything better—and help you … reduce planned downtime.”
Wu also spoke at length about sensors and remote monitoring. With an app, she said, “you can see your machine status right away” and compare current operations with “best record” achieved so far to optimize current parameters. Cosen gives manufacturers push notifications “of every situation on the screen of the machine,” she said. “You don’t need to run to your machine to check the signals; you can receive what your machine is going to tell you” on your watch, for example.
Axile Machine's “smart monitoring system” is installed on its five-axis machine tool. The system is equipped with “self-developed AI sensors to monitor mechanical components and consumables, and provides reliable information to managers by collecting and analyzing data,” the organizers said.
AccuteX provides unmanned processing for wire cutting. It also makes machine tools for wire-cutting machines. The company focuses on solutions to problems commonly encountered in manufacturing molds. “No matter how many holes are drilled into a sample template, all waste materials can be automatically removed without human intervention,” the organizers said.
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