QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
WHEN CONSIDERING TO RETROFIT YOUR MACHINERY

By now you’ve probably heard of Industry 4.0 and how it can help manufacturing processes. While going full-out digital and becoming a connected smart factory with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment would present endless production opportunities, getting involved in such a large investment may not be the best choice for your company, especially with a slow return on investment. Considering a retrofit may be a much better solution for you. 

One major reason why people decide against investing in wide sweeping, Industry 4.0 initiatives is because large transformations call for complex decisions on spending extensive amounts of capital upfront. What’s more, big investments often yield a slow ROI, causing people to wonder if the investment is worth the trouble. In comparison to implementing vast changes, retrofitting offers a nice alternative by being able to concentrate on something smaller and more specific that yields precise results. In effect, by exploring retrofitting options, people are able to get sample results of Industry 4.0 while not spending a fortune. What’s more, one smaller upgrade can lead to another, and another, which in turn allows plant managers and operators to slowly adapt their production floors to become more Industry 4.0- and smart factory-oriented through increments. 

So what are good examples of when to retrofit and when not to retrofit? 

Well, do you use your production floor to run a lot of jobs continuously where part changeovers happen frequently? Do you and your team spend more time than you would like programming and setting up for jobs and making frequent changeovers? If these circumstances present significant constraints with unwanted downtime, then a retrofit would be a good idea.

If you need different types of machine heads for running different jobs, perhaps you can outfit one or two of your existing machines so they can be equipped with interchangeable machine heads. For instance if you need to have a combination of machine heads, such as straight heads for heavy-duty metal cutting; contour heads for profiling and curved cutting; and 90-degree heads for angled cutting, then retrofitting a machine so that it can use all three types interchangeably would be ideal. If you work with more than one type of axis, you could also further outfit your machinery so that the axes are interchangeable along with the heads.  

While the above example of when to retrofit with metal cutting may be a given, there are other times when the idea of retrofitting sounds good in theory, although when you take into consideration the time and money needed to do so the idea may not pan out as perfectly as you would want. For instance, in a case where you are looking to get data information from an older piece of equipment for predictive analytics where the only place it can be seen is on a human-machine interface, having a custom-made device specially crafted for the sole purpose of being able to externally access data may be very costly. While connecting your equipment to IIoT systems has limitless potential, some older pieces of equipment may be very difficult to digitize as they were never meant to function in this way. In cases like these, the investment may not be worth what you’re trying to accomplish. 

Let’s say you have a possible need for retrofitting but are unsure of the next steps to take. When considering doing a retrofit, you always want to create a specific goal that is as detailed as possible. For example, perhaps you and your staff are experiencing problems where production repeatedly gets bottlenecked in a certain area on your floor. What are your pain points? What could be done to improve the situation? This could be a good case for how retrofitting a piece of machinery could improve the situation. 

In addition to pain points, other questions to ask yourself when contemplating a retrofit include the following:

• What are you trying to achieve?
• What is your current situation?
• What do you need in order to achieve the desired outcome?

After clearly assessing your needs, you can then form a business plan and even more detailed information on how a retrofit would be good for you and your company. How much time, money and products are lost by staff needing to clear bottlenecks that could be applied toward more seamless production? Any possible retrofit case needs to be backed by a careful cost analysis of how much money is being lost due to the current situation, how much the projected cost estimate would be to implement changes with a retrofit and how much money you would have to gain as an ROI over the course of one month, 6 months and a year after successful implementation.

Regardless of whether you plan to retrofit your equipment, go for a complete upgrade or keep your machinery as is, Mueller Electric is here to support you in your factory automation efforts, which is why we are pleased to announce that with the new additions to our molding line up Mueller Electric is now manufacturing instrumentation cables in Akron, OH

While our initiative to bring manufacturing back to the states has allowed us to replenish our stock levels, it has also provided us with the capabilities needed to manufacture standard, and custom, length 3, 4, 5 and 8-Pin M12 cables in-house, and deliver on competitive lead times on average of 5 DAYS or LESS! so you no longer have to wait for the cables that you need to keep your machines up and running. 

With an extensive line of UL-listed M12 cables and custom-made solutions, Mueller Electric has the cables and solutions that are just right for you and your specific application. 

Please feel free to contact us for a consultation and to learn how Mueller Electric can help you with your factory automation needs.

Coming Soon from Akron - M8 3 and 4-Pin and 7/8-16UN 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8-Pin Cables

(All Lengths - All Configurations)

AUTOMATION TRENDS FOR PACKAGING, 2022

           How To Make Technology Work As Your Packaging Solution While Creating A Profit



Due to uncertain times and the need to streamline manufacturing processes as much as possible while turning the best profit, technological advancements have been made in every industry and are now being heavily implemented everywhere. By now you’ve heard all about Industry 4.0 and how it can be applied to factory automation. But how does this effect your packaging needs and that of the packaging industry overall? Here are some of the top automation trends for packaging in 2022 and how these trends can help your business.

Robots & CoBots
The most obvious automation trend is using robots and cobots to automate such packaging tasks as filling, packing and palletizing. Robots are used to perform just about any repetitive task such as assembly, machine tending, quality assurance, palletizing and picking-and-placing tasks. CoBots, short for collaborative robots, can do the same and are often utilized where more than one robot is needed to perform a sequence of tasks. Because CoBots are premade with safety-compliant designs, CoBots are typically rented or leased and are especially great to use in conjunction with human applications or in areas where people work on the production floor.

End-Of-Arm Tooling (EOAT) for robotics
EOAT is being used more and more in packaging as many technological advances have been recently made. Developments include robotic hands that now have sensitive grip and can automatically adjust through Artificial Intelligence (AI), making this function useful for picking and packing applications.

For example, the idea of EOAT being used to pick and pack food items as delicate as tomatoes or grapes hasn’t been considered until now due to the risk of crushing items, however; because of newly-designed soft, spring-like fabricated fingers can sensitively adjust grip on objects, the application is now a reality. What’s more, EOAT changeovers needed for running different jobs has been a chore in the past, producing a lot of unwanted downtime with needing to unbolt one tool, bolt on another and, in many cases, having to change programming to accommodate the new job to be run. Because of EOAT advancements, however, operators are now quickly able to swap out one tool for another during change outs, along with grippers, scanners and packaging tools. Some new EOAT can also be used among different types of robot arms and models, instead of just one, making them convenient to use for multiple applications and compatible with different styles of robots and cobots.

NEW ADVANCEMENTS IN EOAT ROBOTICS WITH SENSITIVE GRIPPERS, POWERED BY AI, ALLOW FOR NEWFOUND APPLICATIONS IN FOOD PICKING AND PACKAGING. TO THE LEFT, DELICATE GRIPPERS ARE GENTLE ENOUGH TO GRASP BREAD PRODUCTS WITHOUT CRUSHING THEM. TO THE RIGHT, THE SAME GRIPPERS PICK UP A HEAD OF CABBAGE WITHOUT DAMAGING ANY OF THE LEAVES!

Machine Learning / AI-Vision Systems
Machine learning, such as what is used in Artificial Intelligence-vision systems (referred to as AI), can help greatly in packaging as well. AI-vision systems can be used for inspection purposes and for lowering costs associated with inspection. Adaptable systems, such as the AI Gateway from Pleora Technologies, can be integrated with current cameras, sensors and equipment and can be programmed to update your existing systems for added functionalities. AI-vision systems can be of special use in food picking and packaging as they can inspect produce and predict shelf life which can help immensely to reduce waste. AI-vision systems are also being used more and more often in a variety of ways to enhance quality control, inspection and production efficiency, such as by taking pictures of completed products to examine package quality.

BELOW (LEFT), AN AI VISION SYSTEM IS USED TO SORT APPLES. THROUGH MACHINE LEARNING, SENSORS AND CAMERAS CAN DETECT DEFECTS, AS WELL AS RECOGNIZE WHICH APPLES ARE NOT AS RIPE AS OTHERS AND SEND THEM TO BE USED IN A SEPARATE FOOD CLASSIFICATION. ALL OF THIS IS DONE AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED TO IMPROVE FOOD QUALITY AND REDUCE LABOR COSTS. TO THE RIGHT, PHOTONICS IS USED TO INSPECT THE RIPENESS OF STRAWBERRIES FOR PICKING AND PACKAGING. PHOTONICS CAN ALSO BE USED TO PREDICT THE SHELF LIFE OF PRODUCTS AND GREATLY REDUCE WASTE.

Food Packaging & Processing
The key to more profitable food packaging is knowing what goods should be produced in large amounts to yield the greatest profit margins. Technology can certainly help in this department. Automation is now being used to enhance packaging, as well as improving food safety and increasing shelf life.

All these automation trends are currently being used in packaging as well as in all types of factory automation, however; due to universal pressures to continue manufacturing processes while turning a profit during labor shortages has caused plant managers and staff to implement and rely more and more on automation as a solution.

No matter where you are in the automation process … whether you’ve invested in all new equipment, are retrofitting a few pieces of machinery or are continuing to use your current equipment as is, Mueller Electric is here to help you with automation solutions. Mueller Electric can supply you with the factory automation cables needed to link all your equipment together for ultimate communication and automation purposes. With a large array of UL-listed cables and custom-made cable solutions, Mueller Electric can find a solution for you that gives you ultimate connectivity. Feel free to contact Mueller Electric or call 800.955.2629 to find out what Mueller can do for you.

WHAT IS INDUSTRY 4.0?

There's no doubt you've heard about Industry 4.0 and that it's all the rage, but what is it really? And how can it help your manufacturing process? Read on to find out ... 

Industry 4.0 is a broad concept that refers to the fourth industrial revolution (the first Industrial Revolution being the Age of Mechanical Production in the late 18th century, followed by the Age of Science and Mass Production in the mid 19th century and the Digital Revolution that started in the mid 20th century) which expands on the most recent Digital Revolution by taking what has been computerized a step further and adding on interconnectivity as it applies to manufacturing and how society is changing to adapt to it. We've seen Industry 4.0 take place in the past decade and really take off in the past two years due to labor shortages and disruption caused by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Terms such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and smart factories are more specific terms used under the umbrella phrase, Industry 4.0, that further describe types of technology and applications used in the fourth Industrial Revolution.

In manufacturing IIoT refers to the connecting and converging of technology applications, specifically that of machines, computers and digital technology, all for the purpose of enhancing industrial processes in order to become more efficient. For example, one IIoT application is predictive maintenance, or the use of sensors to stream data about machine activity, which can alert plant staff about current production conditions, possible warning signs and machine problems. It can even prompt routine maintenance checks. This can typically be done through devices, either on-site or through cloud-based applications, allowing staff to remotely control what happens on the production floor. Valuable benefits of predictive maintenance are endless and include controlling quality, adopting sustainability, tracing products, vastly reducing operational costs and keeping production equipment running smoothly and effectively … all of which are used in modern, smart factory practices.

Process control systems such as SCADA, DCS or PLC systems are different types of control systems used to regulate how production is managed. SCADA, or Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition systems, are complete, large-scale software-based systems used to collect data from ALL machinery, devices and inputs on the production floor, and can be used remotely to monitor and control devices. SCADAs allow operators a complete overview of processes and are usually data-driven systems. SCADA systems can fairly easily be modernized for IIoT systems by utilizing cloud-based technology to be able to control machinery remotely or access data analytics information.

A DCS, or Distributed Control System, is similar to a SCADA system in that it is a computerized system for a plant’s manufacturing processes, however; it differs in that it does not contain a centralized computer or control room but autonomous controllers throughout the system. The reason for this is if a processor fails it only effects one part of the plant’s process, whereas with a SCADA system all processes would be effected. A DCS is the system of choice to use in industries where safety critical or continuous processing is done. 

In contrast to SCADAs or DCS, Programmable Logic Controllers (or PLCs) are simpler and smaller systems used to control equipment in an industrial facility. PLCs rely on hardware and simple programming to monitor inputs and outputs and make logic-based decisions for automated processes or machines. Where SCADA systems are data-driven systems, PLCs are driven by instantaneous changes. Often PLCs can and are incorporated into larger SCADA systems. 

No matter what system you use—whether a SCADA, DCS or PLC system—no matter how high-tech or low-tech you think you may be, Mueller Electric can help you with your manufacturing needs by providing factory automation cables for your plant machinery. Factory automation cables are the filaments that connect all manufacturing equipment and provide ultimate communication between all devices, resulting in seamless connectivity for a streamlined production floor. Whether you need UL-listed cables or custom cable assemblies, Mueller Electric has just the solution for you.

Feel free to browse our factory automation cable catalog and then contact Mueller Electric at 800.955.2629 for a free consultation on selecting the cables that best fit your application. We look forward to helping you with your factory automation needs!