Though the Olympics have simply wrapped up, I nonetheless discover myself serious about the grace and precision of ice dancing. That’s most likely why this video of German producer SEW’s new manufacturing facility jogs my memory a lot of the game. Like skaters, the autonomous guided autos (AGVs) gliding by SEW’s plant in Brumath, France must comply with exact choreography. And on the manufacturing facility flooring as on the ice, a single misstep can have main penalties. Suppose line stoppages, collisions, and different questions of safety.
SEW is a number one producer of drive methods and automation know-how. For its good manufacturing facility in Brumath, the corporate wanted ultra-reliable connectivity for the AGVs that transport supplies all through the manufacturing course of. Whereas Wi-Fi performs nicely for manufacturing facility IT gadgets like tablets and programmable logic controllers, it isn’t designed to ship uninterrupted connectivity to cell robots roaming between protection zones. A short lapse whereas the connection is handed off to a special entry level may cause an AGV to cease in its tracks. That’s essential for security, however it may possibly deliver manufacturing to a halt. One other limitation of Wi-Fi for cell robots is that RF interference from metallic constructions, densely packed pallets, or equipment can block alerts.
SEW discovered its resolution for AGVs in Cisco Extremely-Dependable Wi-fi Backhaul (URWB), built-in into the identical Cisco entry factors that present Wi-Fi. SEW’s head of business IT, Michel de Hatten, says, “Cisco URWB manages roaming in a basically totally different approach than Wi-Fi, permitting our cell gear to remain linked with out interruption, even whereas transferring.” What are these variations? First, when a cell asset strikes to a brand new protection zone, URWB makes the brand new connection earlier than breaking the earlier connection.
Second, AGVs can talk round interference and obstacles due to URWB’s multi-path operations (MPO) know-how. Excessive-priority packets are duplicated as much as eight occasions and despatched over redundant paths, over uncorrelated frequencies, and at a number of occasions inside just a few milliseconds. With spatial, frequency, and time range, messages to and from SEW’s AGVs arrive reliably—a method or one other.
Bonus factors: Not solely does URWB join SEW’s AGVs extra reliably than Wi-Fi, however it gives protection with about 50% fewer entry factors.
Any approach you rating it, SEW is attaining gold-medal manufacturing facility efficiency with Cisco URWB.
To study extra, take a look at the case research
