b'By Christopher TateDESIRE FOR DATA E xperts, scholars and industrial leaders agreeAiding Engineersthat we have entered the Fourth Industrial Rev- Noticing trends also enables manufacturing engi-olution, which is characterized by interconnect- neers to find process failures that might not be evi-edness of devices and the ability to collect seeminglydent otherwise. Documenting and analyzing trends Connectivity will continue to advance industrial technology. unlimited amounts of data for analysis. provided by a good flow of data helps engineers bet-Internet of things is jargon that has emergedter predict the life of critical wear items, such as cut-since the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.ting tools. Analyzing tool wear and quality data al-IoT is driving new technologies, making connectionslows engineers to reduce variation in a process, im-and communication between devices commonplaceprove quality and lower costs.in industrial settings. Companies now have accessData from machines while in operation makes it to a volume and quality of data that were not avail- possible for manufacturing engineers to investigate able in the past. As machine tools advance, controlsmachine tool condition at specific times and ana-will be able to provide not only a stream of data butlyze things like power consumption of various mo-the software and apps needed to analyze the datators and drives. Understanding how much power a stream. machine uses gives insight into the efficiency of ma-Our society craves data, which has become an in- chining processes. Drives and motors operating near tegral part of the modern economy. It is thereforeor at full power can indicate that a machine is being easy to see why manufacturers want data from manyused at maximum capacity or that a machining pro-sources, including machine tools. Six Sigma, statis- cess is not optimized. High power consumption also tical process control and other lean manufacturingmay signify imminent mechanical failure.concepts rely on a good flow of data to drive im- More advanced data solutions allow engineers to provements, and advances in connectivity thanks toconnect temperature sensors, accelerometers, strain new technologies make it simple for businesses togauges and other instruments to machine tools. get data they never had before. These devices let engineers study the relationship between a machining process and a machine tool Helpful Data structure. Temperature changes in the structure of a High-volume manufacturers often survive on lowermachine tool and miniscule movements among ma-margins, so minimizing downtime is critical to profit- chine tool components indicate process severity and ability. A stream of data helps in a few ways. Beingmachine rigidity.connected to a machine tool allows real-time moni- When we can see how a machine tool reacts dur-toring, and current software lets a person assess ma- ing a cut, it is possible for manufacturing engineers chine condition from anywhere. Consider a shop liketo develop methods that put less stress on a system, ours where one worker tends to several machines.which improves tool life and part geometry. Machine Each of our EDMs is dedicated to a specific opera- tool builders use this same data to build more robust tion. If one stopped, it would disrupt the entire ma- components and structures, improving machine tool chining line. Remaining connected to every machineefficiency and longevity.enables us to monitor machine status from a sin- Adaptive machine tool control is the most advanced gle location. We immediately know when a machineform of data collection and analysis available for ma-stops, and it can be addressed right away, reducingchine tools. Adaptive control takes data from various lost time. sensors and adjusts cutting parameters in real time to Machines go down for many reasons, whethermaintain ideal cutting conditions. Adaptive controls because of machining processes or mechanical orovercome chatter, maintain part size by adjusting for electrical failures. In all cases, it is necessary to un- temperature changes and detect worn tools.derstand when, why and how frequently a machineData from machine tools already helps build bet-tool is out of service so corrective actions can be im- ter machines, develop more robust processes and plemented. Systemic issues may not be recognizedeliminate inefficiencies. At present, IoT delivers cut-without a useful data stream. Collecting, sorting andting tools that can be adjusted via smartphones. In charting data from machine tools lets us see patternsthe future, we will see cutting tools tuned for specific and trends. Finding those allows a maintenance de- machine tool brands. Connectivity will continue to partment to predict failures and plan maintenance in- increase across industry, and larger volumes of data stead of reacting to failures, which is the main tenetwill become available, resulting in a growing rate of of total productive maintenance. technological advancement.CTEctemag.com/cteguide.com41MachineMonitoring.indd 41 5/14/20 3:10 PM'