Mechanical engineering is characterized by many challenges today. Increasing digitalization brings an increase in the speed of change, while the lead time for the introduction of new products steadily decreases. The productivity rate of a machine should be as high as possible, flexibly convertible to other product lines, with reduced downtimes.
Using a modular machine design with a central control level and distributed I/O offers flexibility and future-proofing. Ensuring excellent connectivity of all machine components is crucial. Optimal communication must work across different protocols. Automation should accurately record and evaluate all production data, forming the basis for machine optimization. Diagnostic systems can support this, with integrated HMI devices transmitting results or instructions to operators. Ideally, all hardware and software components should be integrated and communicate on a single level.
Siemens offers components to achieve these goals at all levels of an automation solution: