Machine Information Solutions

As manufacturers of high-volume precision equipment, HARTING understands the everyday challenges and demands manufacturers face. Such needs include:

• Minimizing the risk of unplanned downtime.
• Maximizing productivity and efficiency.
• Ensuring high-quality products by reducing errors.
• Eliminating unnecessary expenses.
• Improving workflows by reducing the extra time for tasks such as searching for materials.
• Optimizing material flow around machines.

Meeting all of these demands is a complex balance of information and people: machines running at maximum capacity, adjustments made as soon as they are needed, and all the right information at the hands of the operators.

The foundation of these systems are simple data points that are aggregated and visualized to provide insights and information. Such data points include:

• State of the machine (e.g., on/off/idle).
• Power consumption.
• Environmental data (such as temperature, humidity, pressure, etc…).
• Vibration and acceleration.
• Noise.
• The type of material being produced or the type of tooling currently installed.

Many machines have this data locally, but there is no way to easily collect and use this data in a meaningful way. In the past, specialists needed to build complex and often inflexible information management systems.

For many companies, spending a lot of resources on specialized systems was impractical, so data was handled manually. However, humans are not computers, so these manual systems were often inconsistent as well as difficult and expensive to manage.

HARTING believes that there is a more practical and cost-efficient way of collecting data from machines. The solution is an edge computing device - the HARTING MICA® - that boasts a dynamic and open-source architecture. Due to its versatility and ease of use, the HARTING MICA® was quickly integrated into HARTING’s manufacturing systems worldwide.

All machines produce data, but where that data comes from and how it is stored, varies from machine to machine. Some machines do not store any data natively, but it is readily available through interfaces such as PLCs. Other machines have a wealth of data available, but it is trapped behind legacy protocols, such as with EUROMAP in Injection Molding machines. For machines that don’t produce any form of digital data, it may only be available through separate external sensors that are retrofitted to the machine. 

It is common to retrofit machines with more data-gathering or data-providing technologies during their life cycle. For example, adding new multi-variable sensors to the machines can offer data that was previously not available. It is also possible to correlate machine information with materials or tools using automatic identification RFID systems.

Without an edge computing device such as the HARTING MICA®, coordination and measurement of this type of data is not practical or feasible – it generally must be manually recorded, which is time-consuming, expensive, and highly prone to errors. HARTING edge computing devices allow data points to be collected, visualized, and acted upon right at the machine level.  This ensures complete and accurate overview of a machine or system, both historically and in real-time.

Collecting data is just phase one. The next step is to visualize that data into something meaningful. A simple pie chart or graph can show so much more than 1,000 lines of information in a spreadsheet.

The HARTING MICA® comes with pre-configured dashboards that provide graphical representations of data without any programming. The system automatically stores machine data in standard formats so that it can be analyzed with the tool of choice.

It is also easy to combine multiple data sources into a single system, which allows for the development of dashboards that provide insight beyond the individual machine to the entire production facility.  These dashboards can be viewed directly from an HMI, on a desktop, or even on a mobile device.

The open source Linux architecture means there is no limit to the types of applications and software tools that can be incorporated into the HARTING MICA® – all without the expense of proprietary licensing fees or data restrictions.

Every HARTING MICA® system comes pre-configured with a set of HARTING MachineFlow diagrams, designed to display the most frequently requested information. This reduces the amount of setup time and does not require programming.

HARTING MachineFlow is built on the industry-standard Node-RED system. Node-RED makes it simple to modify diagrams to fit unique requirements without programming. In addition, the graphical user interface of the HARTING MICA® is easy to install, start and stop, or modify low-level applications.

This means you can focus on your manufacturing operations and not on computer configuration.

HARTING’s Machine Data Solutions are powered by the HARTING MICA® and includes everything needed to collect and use data in machines.

A typical HARTING Machine Data System includes the following components:

• HARTING MICA® Edge Computing Device.
• Industrial Enclosure.
• Power Supply.
• Ethernet Switch.
• Sensors.
• Pre-configured Dashboards and Containers.

The integration of all components is rigorously tested prior to shipment, so installation on site is simple.  HARTING also staffs experts who can travel to a facility to make integration seamless. Every HARTING Machine Data System is supported by HARTING, the leader in industrial connectivity worldwide - known most famously for the invention of the rectangular connector.

HARTING is not just a supplier of hardware - we have experts and integrators all over the world. This means that if help is needed building this system, HARTING is the perfect partner. Our process is simple - it will start with a short briefing process to understand the unique characteristics of the equipment and the needs of the system. Next, our engineers will provide  a proposal that matches the requirements.

Get started today! Contact us at micaUSA@harting.com or via phone at +1 (847) 741-1500.