Digital Machine Shop Series: Blog #2 – The importance of new technologies
I would like to share more with you about our concept of the digital machine shop. We all talk about a revolution in the machining space. We talk about Industry 4.0 – the future of manufacturing — and a lot of people think that this is only for the big enterprises. Yes, a lot of this is valid for the big enterprises but Industry 4.0 technologies can be applied to any small or medium sized machine shop business too.
Let me show you how we can apply new technologies to any size machine shop. These are available now so there is no reason to wait to take advantage of their capabilities. Keep the concept of using simple, new technologies in mind while I will take you on a digital trek of a machine shop. In this blog series, we will go step-by-step from the design and planning department, all the way down to the shop floor emphasizing our digital twin concept.
Watch this short video to learn how Siemens has implemented Tecnomatix Intosite software, a cloud-based web application that maintains a 3D representation of a production facility, in our factories around the world. Using Intosite we can virtually fly over factories to see all the equipment and machines. We click on any machine to see what’s running, do statistics, or view manuals, for example. This is not a heavy enterprise solution. This can be used in any machine shop. It is a very simple, current technology. There is no reason why you can’t use this today too.
More about Intosite
Enables collaboration and knowledge sharing between departments and factories using geographic information system (GIS) capabilities Tecnomatix Intosite software is a cloud-based web application that maintains a 3D representation of a production facility, presents it in its geographical context, and allows you to navigate through the facility in the simple and familiar way you navigate Google Earth™. Intosite supports cooperation and collaboration on the shared information in your enterprise, and harnesses the “wisdom of the crowd” by enabling the sharing of best practices, tips and tricks.
Intosite provides intuitive access to information from any IT system. You can view IntoSite design, manufacturing and facilities information managed in Teamcenter, as well as the geographical location of your assets.
Intosite deploys as a Software as a Service (SaaS) application, with the software and the associated data hosted on the cloud, that you can access via a web browser. This way, you do not need to invest in hardware or manage the software installation and ongoing maintenance.
In case you missed it, read “Introducing the Digital Machine Shop” Blog #1.
To learn more, listen to our on-demand webinar, “A digital machine shop can unlock your part manufacturing potential.”
Written by Armin Gruenewald, Vice President Business Development MBG, Manufacturing Engineering Software, Siemens Digital Factory.
