Siemens presented ready-to-use digital applications for the metal-forming and additive manufacturing industries recently at Fabtech 2019, enabling companies of all sizes to improve availability, performance and efficiency of their machines. These applications address some of the most pressing challenges these industries are facing such as advanced data analytics of their production in real-time.

Led by a team of digitalization experts, Siemens demonstrated and discussed the many ways small fabrication shops and global manufacturers can begin or continue their individual digital journey and gain a competitive advantage with the Internet of Things (IoT).

“Whether you’re a small fabrication shop, a global production company, a custom equipment builder or a major machine line supplier, digitalization will decide about your success in the future. You don’t have to invest in a new machine fleet to get ready for the digital age. With our ready-to use MindSphere applications you can instantly reap the benefit of the IoT data for your individual business, no matter what size,” said Siemens digitalization consultant Steve Fruehe.  

MindSphere is the cloud-based, open IoT operating system from Siemens that connects products, plants, systems, and machines, enabling users to harness the wealth of data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT). The MindSphere application Analyze MyPerformance /OEE-Monitor calculates Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), availability, performance and quality control and provides important indicators for developing measures to increase efficiency. Through the automatic recording of data and conditions of assets, as well as through user dialog entered data, the app provides the information required for production optimization.

“Our goal is to maximize the productivity of a machine by highlighting arears of improvement. KPIs directing a company’s operations are nothing new, but the way you get there has changed dramatically,” said Fruehe. “You can establish predictive maintenance schedules and plot the performance of a globally installed base of machines or a series of production lines, for further analysis or even future design modifications.” 

The application Manage MyMachines provides immediate visibility and monitoring of machines across multiple systems and physical locations. This application displays critical machine data, the status of machines and machine history in a transparent way. The use of this information enables increased availability of your machines, reduce downtime and develop new digital offerings and revenue streams.

“Our MindSphere application Manage MyMachines can visualize the status of a single machine in a manufacturing shop or a globally installed base of machines located on factory floors around the world. Comparisons of machine run vs. idle time can be made by the week, the shift, the entire plant or the production monitored in a similar fashion. The machine and alarm monitoring overview enables users to act fast,”  Fruehe explained.