How Industry 4.0 Is Transforming Industrial Production

A wave of new technologies such as cloud computing, 3d printing, robotics, artificial intelligence and internet of things has brought forth what is widely addressed as the 4th industrial revolution. Industries are using these new technologies to become more productive and efficient. Industry 4.0 is changing the world economy as it enables production of personalized goods closer to market.

IoT and IIoT

Network of interconnected devices is known as internet of things. When each device and machine in an industry is interconnected through a portal, we have what is known as industrial internet of things or IIoT for short. One simple way to achieve IIoT is to provide each device an IP address and then interconnect the devices using this IP address. IIoT makes it possible to get wide range of data for efficient automation and control of plant machinery thus raise productivity while cutting cost.

Cloud Computing and Industry 4.0

Cloud computing makes it possible to access data and computing power from any suitable device with Internet connection. With cloud computing, workers can access information and execute control operations remotely. Cloud solutions make way for faster innovation. Cloud is more secure and saves money.

Artificial Intelligence and Industry 4.0

Machines with artificial intelligence are saving cost and improving production. More and more industries are employing intelligent machines in production lines for higher productivity. Algorithms derive meaningful insight from plant data. This insight is utilized to optimize processes. Machines capable of learning from experience are accomplishing many tasks that previously required human hands. Machines are now capable of facial recognition, natural language processing, obstacle avoidance, autonomous driving, autonomous movement and much more.

3D Printing and Industry 4.0

The process of additively manufacturing a 3d product or component using a 3d printer and a 3d digital model is referred as 3d printing or additive manufacturing. Different type of 3d printers can be used to produce different type of product. For example, a plastic printer can be used to make plastic products and a metal printer can be used to make metallic products. 3D Printing makes it possible to produce highly customized end products. Here is a short list of different types of 3d printers-

1) Fused deposition modeling (FDM)

2) Stereolithography(SLA)

3) Digital Light Processing(DLP)

4) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

5) Selective laser melting (SLM)

6) Laminated object manufacturing (LOM)

7) Digital Beam Melting (DBM)

Robotics and Industry 4.0

Robots have become a key element of modern industry. There are collaborative robots that work with humans and there are stand alone robots. Robots have taken over much of the work in a number of fields ranging from automotive to agriculture. AI Powered robots are welding joints, assembling parts and weeding farms. Robots with advanced machine learning algorithms are learning from past mistakes thus becoming more precise and efficient at their tasks.

Engineers are using augmented reality to visualize their designs in 3d, collaborate and communicate better. Industry 4.0 is present and future. With these new technologies industry is aiming to become more autonomous, climate friendly and sustainable, cut cost and waste while raising productivity and efficiency. In future we will see more inclusion of new technologies in production.

References-

1) https://interestingengineering.com/the-industrial-revolution-40-and-its-possibilities-revealed

2) https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rainer_Schmidt/publication/274894802_Industry_40_-Potentials_for_Creating_Smart_Products_Empirical_Research_Results/links/552beaa00cf21acb091ec04d.pdf

3) http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-76922018000400100

4) https://www.seebo.com/industrial-ai/

5) https://proto3000.com/industry-4-0/additive-manufacturing-perspectives-in-industry-4-0/