Use Cases

Making Industry 4.0 a practical reality—Schmalz’ intelligent products reduce downtime and allow for predictive maintenance in automated handling processes. Our products can be used in a wide range of industries. See the practical examples from the automotive and pharmaceutical industries to learn about the potential savings offered by our Industry 4.0 products.

Automotive Industry

 

Scenario:

Application

  • Tooling in a press line for the production of car body panels in the automotive industry

Task

  • Transfer of components between individual presses
  • Automated handling with minimal cycle times

Solution:

The Schmalz compact ejector SXMPi with intelligent energy and process control has a very high suction rate of up to 220 l/min and a power blow-off function for minimal cycle times. The ejector can communicate with all field-bus systems via the IO-Link interface. The SXMPi records, analyzes and interprets all process data, including:

  • Energy monitoring function to monitor energy consumption
  • Condition monitoring function to increase system availability
  • Predictive maintenance function

Customer Benefits

Function Compact ejector
SXMPi
Conventional vacuum generators without IO-Link
Air saving function Some
Power blow-off function for minimal cycle times Some
IO-Link interface - bidirectional communication in field-bus systems -
Optimization of process parameters during operation -
Condition monitoring  -
Monitoring of process parameters that influence function (leak tightness / operating pressure) -
Monitoring and recording of energy consumption -
Measurement of flow resistance and leak tightness in the gripping system -
Leakage detection -
Monitoring of contamination levels -

Potential Savings for a Press Line in the Automotive Industry:

The user can initiate scheduled predictive maintenance even before the system ceases operation. The SXMPi continuously monitors the tooling status, detects subtle changes or imminent malfunctions and reports them to the system's controller. Just by reducing downtime by a minute per day, yearly savings of up to EUR 300,000 can be achieved in the above scenario. The actual savings will vary according to the particular cost of downtime in the system.

Pharmaceutical Industry

 

Scenario:

Application

  • End-of-arm tooling within a fully automated production line in the pharmaceuticals industry

Task

  • Predictive maintenance and easy troubleshooting in difficult to reach areas
  • Easy access to service information from a smartphone using NFC

Solution:

Schmalz' vacuum and pressure switch VSi is an ideal solution for fully automated production lines with complex tooling in difficult to reach areas. The electronic switches are modular in design, simple to integrate in the automation environment and visible throughout the entire process thanks to the use of innovative communication technology. The VSi from Schmalz represents a tremendous advancement for troubleshooting and maintenance tasks:

  • Device and process information is available in real time because the switch performs direct measurements during the process and communicates with the respective controllers via IO-Link
  • Device and process information can be parameterized and read out on a smartphone using NFC
  • Current vacuum or pressure level can be seen on the display and the status indicator (LED)

Customer Benefits

Maintenance procedures Without VSi [minutes] With VSi  [minutes] Benefits of VSi
Identifying the source/cause of an error and possible solutions 10 1 The VSi can prevent downtime: Real-time measurements are made available directly at the vacuum switch, in the controller via IO-Link or on a smartphone via NFC. The app suggests possible solutions 
Identifying the faulty product using status messages and user-specific localization 10 1 Various IO-Link parameters can be used to query the current switch status, the installation and storage location or the installation date
Adjusting settings 5 1 Operating instructions can be accessed using NFC; setting values can be copied directly from the switch, using NFC or via IO-Link control
Leakage measurement, energy monitoring and predictive maintenance -
Total 25 3

Potential Saving for a Bottling Machine in the Pharmaceuticals Industry:

The user can enter and read out important process and device data in real-time via the controller, easily access service information and display detailed error descriptions on a mobile device. Just by reducing downtime and minimizing maintenance time − by an average of 22 minutes per day − yearly savings of up to EUR 30,000 can be achieved in the above scenario.