Industrial

Job roles within tech increased by 40% in the first third of the year thanks to a surge in-demand within the ‘hybrid tech sector’ – namely fintech, edtech, healthtech, and agritech – according to global recruiter Robert Walters.

The explosion of data has resulted in huge growth in AI and machine learning. Here, Arthur Sanio, Director of Product Marketing, SMART Modular Technologies, explains the role memory and storage are playing in the success and speed of their associated applications.

When an obsolete component or  automation part breaks, manufacturers might struggle to find a replacement. This is especially true in highly regulated sectors like pharmaceuticals or food processing, where alternative replacements are not an option and the exact same part has to be sourced.

KI-PREDICT, a project funded by the BMBF, aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) at various levels of the manufacturing process to enable condition-based, predictive maintenance for factory equipment and to monitor product quality on the fly during production.

When industrial product OEMs such as those in automotive, aerospace, and transportation need flash storage, it must be designed and tested to provide mission critical reliability despite regular subjection to vibration or temperature extremes in harsh environments. 

The days of the hard computer chip may be numbered with the growth in stretchable electronics. Covered in transistors and other semi-conducting elements, these rigid devices likewise render the devices in which they are found - our televisions, laptops and smartphones - similarly inflexible.

In the film Minority Report, the foreknowledge of three psychics is used to predict crimes and apprehend the future offenders, stopping the crimes before they occur. Predictive maintenance strategies are not too dissimilar to this, in that they stop problems before they arise, saving both time and money for the company.

Applying new technology to a physical process or manufacturing system is an essential part of progress, however the practical side of implementing the latest Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Smart Technology solutions is bringing its own unique challenges. That in turn is leading to new automation solutions.

“It works in practice, but does it work in theory” is a phrase commonly used to describe situations in economics. But the same can be applied to adhesives processes, where the datasheet may not always give the same insights as your practical observations and tests.

These smart technologies are extending traditional machine control architectures with more enhanced data processing, learning and decision-making capacity. They hold the potential of increased availability, efficiency and reliability through predictive and prescriptive maintenance, as well as improving productivity with the ability to make autonomous decisions.