IIot or the Industrial Internet of Things is part of Industry 4.0, or I40. It's a concept of leveraging small, easy to deploy sensors, to gather real-time data from the machinery, tools, and equipment that are part of a production and otherwise do not emit any signals. The data gathered is not meant to be used in the traditional postmortem approach of surmising what caused production lost. Rather real-time data is used to be proactive and mitigate the pain of lost production as it's happening. We'll discuss this point in future posts but wanted to lay the ground work for what IIoT is. Machine Monitoring, Machine Tracking, collecting machine tool data is all part of IIoT
What Do You Need To Get Started with Machine Tracking
There are 3 key components needed to get started with collecting machine data. Two are tangible and the third is a mind-set.
Network connectivity needs to be on the shop floor. WiFi is preferred and it can be easily secured. Today's wireless technology allows you isolate groups of devices, like IIoT devices, from the main network offering isolation security. As an added layer of security, our Machine Tracking devices, are never physically connected to the controller of any equipment and there is no remote accessibility to the devices.
The 2nd item is 110vac outlet near the machine. This isn't typically an issue as most equipment is powered electrically.
This need might be a challenge. Some refer to it as 'coaching' but we like to call it collaboration. A Champion of the real-time data needs to be someone comfortable with collaborating with the team much beyond pleasantries. Let's face it, this is a new way to identify efficiency opportunities and if the Champion is not passionate about efficiency and not able to have candid conversations about change, then it will be difficult to take advantage of IIoT benefits.