Industrial technology and processes have been under constant development since the invention of the wheel. From the potter’s wheel came the lathe, fire went from cooking to pottery to steam, and precision went from rough measurements based on body parts and other natural comparators to rulers and levels. The tools get better, then the processes get better, than the precision improves, then the cycle begins again.
Sometime that process of change and development is smooth, and sometimes it’s precipitous. Usually with every significant advance, there is a disruptive period of challenge and resistance. On rare occasions, that advance is a technology or procedure that the entire industry wants and needs, enabling growth with minimal pain. The migration to intelligent industrial systems is one of those developments.
Smart factories
The drive to smart factories, facilities, and systems has been an evolutionary one, as the primary disruptive aspects of the consumer marketplace are not as influential in the industrial space. Industry has different needs than consumers, so while some aspects of the consumer technology revolution strongly impact industry, they do so in ways differently than they impact consumer markets.
For example, the explosion in personal electronics and the resulting pressures on RF power, battery management, and device miniaturization have only peripherally hit industrial systems in the same manner. Areas such as control systems and portable test devices may shrink and become portable, but the real impact in industrial systems is the ability to insert logic into every powered subsystem in the facility and link them to central command and control through web-based communications infrastructures for enhanced performance and improved reliability.
Better tools
Improved motors and actuators enable more precise processes, improved sensors and microcontrollers enable precise measurement, and improved control systems allow the two to work optimally together for the best result at the highest efficiency. Even the most stubborn manufacturer can see the performance as well as financial advantages to upgrading a facility with smart automation and control solutions today.
This month’s issue has some interesting items on industrial systems for your enlightenment. From Linear Technology we have an article on powering low-voltage devices, dealing with properly handling the intermediate bus voltages commonplace in industrial systems where series-connected batteries may be a backup power source and 12V bus architectures tend to be impractical due to distribution losses. We’ve also got an item from Eaton on optimizing rack power distribution, and something from Exar on programmable power for industrial applications.
Anyone can do it
The beautiful thing is that the bar to participate in the evolution is pretty low now due to the availability of modular wireless solutions that enable a facility manager to completely retrofit an existing factory (or even just a single production line) without having to rewire a facility for power and data cables for the sensor and logic systems needed to upgrade their facility.
