New-Tech Europe | Oct 2016 | Special Edition For Electronica 2016

Getting Connected to Increase Productivity in Industrial Applications

Mark Patrick, Mouser Electronics

Implementing wireless connectivity through pre- certified wireless modules could represent the simplest solution to joining the Industrial Internet of Things. Control, particularly when implemented in a programmable or ‘adaptive’ way, lies at the heart of automation; nowhere are the benefits of automation more apparent than in the industrialised world. Feedback is a fundamental part of control and bringing these two elements together is a concept upon which embedded electronics is based. As every engineer will confirm, feedback loops are essential to control; being able to quantitatively measureanoutputinaclosed-loopasa result of changing input(s) underpins control in many applications. Within

is still open to interpretation and so offers companies of any size a chance to be a part of it. Anything that can deliver productivity gains through harnessing the power of the IIoT will be attractive to companies where margins are closely monitored. In reality, fully exploiting an IIoT strategy requires much more than just using a sensor to measure the wear on a bearing or the flow of a fluid. It will require an ecosystem of hardware, software and services that, when brought together, will create a closed loop able to provide significant insights into industrial processes. This new landscape is likely to bring small, agile companies into close contact with larger incumbents, creating collaborations that will become commonplace thanks to the IIoT. An IIoT framework will comprise many elements; from gathering

electromechanical applications, sensors form an important element in feedback and control, and analysis of the data they generate is fuelling an evolutionary step in industrial automation. The benefits of data analysis in financial sectors is nothing new, but the fact that the analysis of industrial data can lead to significant productivity gains in all its sectors is now driving the rapid evolution of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Building an ecosystem Even as a subset of the much larger Internet of Things (or Internet of Everything, as it is also known) the IIoT still represents a massive opportunity; a market that is expected to be worth trillions of dollars within a couple of decades. While it evolves, its implementation

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