Mitsubishi

Now factories that are populated by autonomous vehicles delivering parts and sub-assemblies across the shop floor, with robots working alongside human operators to assemble customised products are more of a common reality that are additionally scheduled automatically by live orders placed online.

The drive for increased efficiency is essential in every area of the water industry, completely integrated solutions that offer improvements to operational insight, energy usage, physical supply networks and process installations of especially high importance. At the IFAT 2018 exhibition, Mitsubishi Electric will be presenting its approach to meeting these needs, which has been developed based on an understanding of industry requirements from water automation projects from around the world.

  Joining the journey towards Industry 4.0, businesses will start to see progress and it is a necessity to be able to share large volumes of data across growing numbers of devices, in real time. This can only be done if there is sufficient network bandwidth available.

Linear transfer carriages and articulated arm robots that can move around the factory floor on AGVs and can direct and think for themselves, will both be featured in Mitsubishi Electric's range of innovative products and solutions at Drives & Controls 2018.

The AutomationML interface within iQ Work has been implemented by Mitsubishi Electric, which is the integrated software suite for programming Mitsubishi Electric automation products. AutomationML represents an important step-change in the way complex equipment is designed, installed and maintained. Designers, integrators and end users will all benefit from a streamlined approach to system implementation that will drive down costs and shorten time to market.

With an increasing modularity in PLC components, it means that principle life has been getting easier for systems integrators of late, with the ability to implement complete automation systems on a single backplane. However, with a host of new PLC modules making it feasible to implement full control of a complete production line without ever leaving the PLC rack, are we at risk of over-complicating a simple idea? Barry Weller of Mitsubishi Electric argues that, actually, this is all for the better.

  Having won the Continuous Improvement category at the 2017 Food Processing Awards, Mitsubishi Electric has gained further recognition for the innovative Smart Condition Monitoring (SCM) solution. Part of the Appetite for Engineering conference, the annual Food Processing Awards are designed to recognise and reward engineering innovation in the food and beverage sector.

Mitsubishi Electric had a very busy show at this year’s SPS Drives showcasing a range of new products and solutions from collaborative robots, to modular linear transfer systems and smart carriages, especially as the company was like many, concentrating on the big focus of the show Industry 4.0 and digitalisation. Anna Flockett, Engineering Specifier editor attended the Mitsubishi press breakfast at the SPS show, where the first innovation that was easily noticed was the demonstration of production in an Industry 4.0 environment which included a new collaborative robot, working together with an operator without safety barriers.

At this year’s SPS Drives show in Nuremberg, Mitsubishi Electric was highlighting the benefits of the PLC as a platform for automation, with a complete set of dedicated CPU modules for the MELSEC iQ-R Series PLC. A CNC CPU module and a robot control CPU now complement the existing options for analogue and digital I/O, motion, positioning, process control, safety and networking, delivering a solution that integrates the full suite of control and automation processes onto one common platform.

There is a current project underway at the Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR) which is looking at 3D printing from a totally different angle - where the emphasis is placed on meaningful expression, rather than the accurate reproduction of digital data, and at the centre of the project lies a flexible Mitsubishi Electric MELFA RV-7FLM articulated arm industrial robot.

There are challenges facing today’s packaged goods manufacturers to reduce costs per package unit, on lines that need to be flexible and ready for the introduction of the latest packaging innovations. However, at the same time, production lines need to be more tightly integrated, with improved monitoring at a local IT level for both production and performance data.

The PPMA show this year was very successful for Mitsubishi Electric, as the company demonstrated the benefits of advanced automation systems and solutions for packaging machinery. Taking centre stage visually was a Proseal GT0 automatic in-line tray sealing machine, equipped with high-speed heat sealing technology, touch screen HMIs, PLCs, drives, servo control and robot handling.

EMO 2017 saw Mitsubishi demonstrating innovative predictive maintenance possibilities for robots that can reduce operational costs, increase asset productivity and improve process efficiency. The cloud-based solution is based on the AI platform within IBM Watson, which enables the smart analysis of operational data to highlight maintenance requirements.

How important is the need for fast, precise and affordable control of machine tools for complex machining applications with a new range of CNC systems? Mitsubishi Electric is addressing this with the the M800 and M80 controllers, which offer superior functionality and intuitive usability. Enabling users to boost productivity in application areas such as automotive manufacturing, medical component machining and other sectors requiring a combination of high throughput and reliability.

Mitsubishi Electric is providing a glimpse of the future with human orientated monitoring and training for CNC machines at EMO 2017, using smart devices offering direct integration with machine control systems. Developed as a pilot project with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT, the demonstration on the Mitsubishi Electric stand shows how smart tablets and smart glasses can be used as the user-interface with a CNC controller on a 5-axis CNC machine to support the user on a new digital level.

  Mitsubishi Electric has announced the unveiling of two wire-cutting machines with a new control and simplified operation at EMO 2017. A new option that displays the output of numeric values as easy-to-read graphics - much like in an aircraft’s cockpit - is now available.

In an increasingly competitive manufacturing environment, businesses need flexibility, improved productivity, and the capability to make gains in efficiency and reductions in down-time. Mitsubishi Electric is showing how these requirements can be met with a focus on connected production systems, intelligent control systems, Edge Computing solutions and smart services at EMO 2017.

  For food and beverage manufacturers there are many benefits in rationalising their automation vendors. Using a single source of supply for automation components can play a big role in improving flexibility and reducing downtime. However, as Jeremy Shinton, Mitsubishi Electric explained, an automation system can be much more than just the sum of its parts.

  Mitsubishi Electric’s Barry Weller argues that it can and that the age of the PLC platform is now bringing a host of benefits that extend far beyond ease of programming and simplicity of integration.

  The Mitsubishi Electric stand at this year’s EMO Hannover will provide visitors with the opportunity and experience to benefit from ongoing digitalisation at a manufacturing level. The theme ‘e-F@ctory – pushing business further’ covers a wide range of technologies aligned to current challenges in the machine building sector.