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The company is also well connected along the valueadded chain.
“Optimized ordering, quality, and logistics processes are essential to
enable us to act quickly and flexibly and supply our customers with
high-quality products within a short period of time,” explains Weber.
“Horizontal networking is the keyword here. Large parts of it run within
our ERP system – for example, in the supply lines of external and
internal suppliers, but also in order taking or deliveries.”
The product itself contributes to networking processes: An IO-Link
interface is integrated in all R100, R101, and R103 series. IO-Link
enables communication all the way down to the sensor level – the basis
for Sensorik4.0
®
. In the future, the small photoelectric sensors can
be a networked participant in an Industry 4.0 production plant. (Read
more on page 8.)
Limit Value Exceeded: Information via E-mail
Another example of the use of future-oriented solutions in production
is provided by the pearl powder filling machine, whose fill level will, in
the future, be monitored in the cloud. The machine fills housings, such
as monitors of human-machine interfaces, with small glass pearls to
isolate the electrical components for explosion protection (protection
type q). “Using an ultrasonic sensor, we can measure the fill level in
the system and therefore know when new glass pearls need to be
added,” says Benedict Rauscher, Development Group Manager at
Pepperl+Fuchs. “The special feature here is that we want to connect
the sensor to the cloud via IO-Link using SmartBridge
®
technology.”
SmartBridge
®
technology is based on an IO-Link master that can either
communicate directly with the sensor or log an existing IO-Link connec-
tion between a master and the sensor in transparent mode. SmartBridge
®
allows data to be transferred securely and seamlessly to the cloud.
Pepperl+Fuchs is working together with the start-up connectavo, which
offers a cloud solution for industrial sensor data. Using the cloud-based
portal, additional limit values can be set, in this case a particular fill
level. In the example of the pearl powder filling machine, the designated
employee receives an e-mail when the limit value is exceeded.
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