FABTECH 2015: Stringing a digital thread through the manufacturing supply chain

Wouldn’t it be great is a laser cutting machine recorded not just the parts it just cut, but also the quality, drawing from any changes in cutting characteristics detected during the nest, then feed that information to a system that can interpret the data?

Actually, some machines can.

Wouldn’t it be great if a welding power source connected directly to the cloud and, again, recorded not just arc-on time but also any deviations from the optimal voltage and amp settings, along with other in-process monitoring?

Actually, some machines can.

Wouldn’t it be great if a factory had most of its machines connected directly to an organization-wide software platform that could interpret the data and pinpoint areas for improvement? Also, wouldn’t it be great if this “industrial cloud” extended up and down the supply chain, so that engineers need not email CAD drawings or worry about revision control? One version of “the truth” would reside in the industrial cloud shared by everyone who touches a particular product—again, up and down the supply chain.

As made evident by a multitude of exhibitors at this year’s FABTECH, which took place last week in Chicago, big data is getting into its stride in metal fabrication. And one keynote speaker certainly drove the point home. Karen Kerr, director of advanced manufacturing at GE Ventures, spoke of collaborative design tools, the need to connect machines in the factory, and create what she called a “digital thread” in the manufacturing supply chain.

“For a company like GE, [this concept] could provide $18 billion in savings annually,” Kerr said.

That’s not pocket change, even for GE, and it’s that kind of savings that may ultimately drive the industrial cloud forward.