How to master the digital transformation in the plastics industry

In the age of industry 4.0 (I4.0), injection molding machine manufacturers (IMM manufacturers) face a number of challenges: The market demands a broad technology portfolio that must be integrated quickly and reliably. These systems must also be agile, sustainable and powerful. The automation specialist KEBA offers I4.0 solutions for the plastics industry that enable global connectivity with cloud-based data management as well as smart IT integration on a horizontal and vertical level. The KePlast systems are optimized for injection molding machines – both the hardware and the software – and offer numerous communication standards such as OPC UA and EUROMAP 77, data storage for predictive analytics and predictive maintenance as well as the digital upgrading of new and existing machines. For KEBA, the industry 4.0 age is not a fashionable phenomenon, but a living reality. The company provides impulses and shows what possibilities these new technologies offer and how they can be successively expanded. This can be seen above all in the user-friendly applications of the "KePlast Smart Industry" portfolio. For plastics automation expert Günther Weilguny, Industry 4.0 has become an indispensable topic: "Only very few people can formulate the concrete significance of digital transformation in the plastics industry. However, it is certain that the implementation of I4.0 technologies requires an automation partner with profound expertise in hardware and above all software. The KEBA technologies are based on a Linux platform that is backed by a strong community. This open and secure platform allows KePlast controllers to be upgraded from a basic to a high-end system at any time.

The conception of a digitized industry often starts from new machine generations and neglects already existing plants. Therefore, it is essential to consider these existing machines on both the horizontal and vertical networking levels. This technology integration is enabled by the open and secure Linux-based KePlast Flexcore platform. In doing so, productivity enhancing assistance systems can be implemented modularly using the latest standard protocols, such as OPC UA, and in combination with established fieldbus systems, such as Ether CAT. In addition to the handling of machines in the field, the further processing of large amounts of data is a challenge. With the scalable KePlast Edge Devices, all machines and plant equipment can be upgraded – from data collection and processing in the control system to the analysis of complex data volumes and predictive maintenance.

In addition to the scalable and open control platform – ranging from KePlast i1000 to KePlast i8000 – and Edge Devices, the company's Smart Industry solutions consists of: KePlast ServiceNet, which enables worldwide access to the machine for instant problem-solving. KePlast Easymold is an intelligent expert assistance system for fast and effective machine resetting. KePlast EasyNet serves to visualize machine productivity in the control station and sees itself as an MES for small to medium-sized companies. The automation expert Weilguny is convinced that IMM manufacturers who rely on future-proof platforms will gain a competitive advantage: "One of the greatest challenges for automation manufacturers is to equip all machine plants in a future-oriented way and prepare them accordingly for future market requirements so that industry 4.0 also becomes a reality for small and medium-sized companies – in the simple and cost-optimized implementation of I4.0 technologies for everyone is the true art of automation."

The KePlast system is a turnkey solution that can be upgraded at any time. In addition, the Linux-based platform enables individual adaptations in hardware and software as well as the simple implementation and smart integration of third-party applications.

This article appears in the October issue of the print magazine Plastverarbeiter and online at plastverarbeiter.de.