MES solution that enables middleware-free IIoT manufacturing

As a result, any manufacturer on the FactoryLogix platform that purchases a CFX-compliant device, machine or system will consume, interpret, and leverage the mission-critical information from those devices without the need for any middleware or custom integration. The emergence of CFX combined with an MES that natively understands the data streams ushers in the era of true IIoT, which is an enterprise that is free of the need for custom middleware to get data from the factory floor.

Now manufacturers of all sizes will be able to fast-track the actual realisation and transformative benefits of Industry 4.0. Aegis Software will be operating in the live demonstration of the IPC CFX standard at IPC APEX EXPO 2019, San Diego, California at Booth #4420 and also showcasing their FactoryLogix solution at Booth #2921.

Jason Spera, CEO of Aegis Software, stated: “Until now, for manufacturers to truly capitalise on the promise of IIoT and Industry 4.0, middleware was required to reside between the device layer and the upper system layer. The use of middleware always meant additional costs and complexity. Additionally, as soon as a factory introduced a new machine or upgraded existing machines, more development resources and time would be needed to update existing adapters to leverage the machine information.

“By updating the entire architecture of the FactoryLogix platform to fundamentally ‘understand’ IPC CFX data from acquisition up to analytics and process control automation, we have enabled FactoryLogix to natively support any CFX-enabled machine, device or system instantly and without the need for middleware or custom programming.

“What makes this FactoryLogix design unique is its ability to not just consume the data but rather to immediately interpret, analyse and act on that information in real-time to transform manufacturing into a truly adaptive environment capable of automatically controlling material flow, eliminating downtime, increasing yield, operating at the lowest inventory levels, and ultimately enabling new business models and revenue sources. We are the only total MES/MOM solution provider that can deliver this revolutionary capability today.”

As with the previous two CFX demos at IPC APEX EXPO, metrics and analytic reports streamed live from machines across the entire show floor into a cloud server (provided as a courtesy to the industry by Aegis Software) and available to every visitor through their mobile devices by merely reading a QR code.

In this year’s global live manufacturing demonstration, additional CFX data will be exchanged between many machine vendors on two live production lines as well as the show floor machines, showing how CFX data enables Industry 4.0 closed-loop feedback systems and critical decision-making. FactoryLogix, using CFX, will virtually bridge the IPC APEX EXPO show floor and the two demo lines into a set of ‘virtual factories’ that become visible and live through dashboards throughout the show. 

For visitors, this delivers a powerful experience at an assembly line level, illustrating how the IPC CFX standard is working and enabling Industry 4.0 and Smart Factory solutions. To date, there are more than 400 support members that are actively involved in the IPC Consortium and more than 50 companies already actively supporting the CFX standard.