With updates to its Intu Line app, Yushin is among equipment manufacturers bringing its users further out into the data cloud. Reducing waste, meeting just-in-time goals and carrying out lights-out operations are among the benefits the company projects for users connected to the Internet of Things (IoT).
“Really, what we’re looking for here is to have that customer, who has that FRA robot, have remote access to his factory via the FRA robot,” he said.
Using a secure cellular signal, an FRA robot equipped with Intu Line capabilities can serve as a communications hub to handle data from as many as four other pieces of equipment. In all, the hub can serve one or more FRA robots, as well as sensor-equipped machinery supplied by a number of other specific manufacturers, including Nissei, Sumitomo and Sodick. The robots themselves have sensors for monitoring data such as the duration of their cycle times and the number of good or bad parts they handle in a particular time period.
Users can tap into Intu Line data with any web-enabled device via Google Chrome.
“This cellular communication creates a portal for the customer to review and monitor their production data on any device, anytime, anywhere, whenever needed,” Greenhalgh said.
Users can schedule automatic maintenance reports or set up notifications when any of the machine sensors detect a problem, such as a worn belt. This frees users from being tied to a maintenance schedule; rather, they can plan maintenance around the condition of equipment that’s tied into the Intu Line communications hub.
Error messages are sent to the cloud, where the data is accessible to Yushin. With its maintenance knowledge database, the company can provide support for problems involving its robots, by sending information back to its users via the cloud.
Using artificial intelligence, Yushin is able to track problems, as well as their causes, and predict when issues might arise.
Users also can set up alerts with the robot, so they know immediately when, for example, the robot has rejected a certain number of parts. Such notifications can help companies reduce waste and quickly resolve problems that might otherwise compromise their relationships with customers.
“It allows you right from your cell phone to stop the robot, to take that cell out of production,” Greenhalgh said.
He said the Intu Line functions independently of companies’ IT networks and requires no cables or start-up costs to integrate, making it an ideal solution for smaller molding shops that want to begin leveraging IoT data.
“I think people can sleep easier at night a little bit, knowing that that robot’s being monitored and that if there’s any kind of problem or alert, they’re going to get that notification,” Greenhalgh said.
Karen Hanna, copy editor
Contact:
Yushin America Inc. Cranston, R.I., 401-463-1800, www.yushinamerica.com
www.yushinamerica.com
