Connectivity example

The product line of e-ManufacturingNetworks Inc. (2001) provides asuite of shop floor connectivity solutionsdesigned to optimize informationflow from the factory floor and CNCcontrolled machines. Their productsinclude an open architecture platformto provide communication betweenCNCs and from CNCs to managementby directly accessing operationalinformation from machines on the floorthrough hardware and software upgradesproviding Internet capabilitiesfor each machine tool.

E-Manufacturing contends thatmachine monitoring should providetimely information to managers,maintenance workers, and operatorsenabling effective productivity decisionsto be rapidly to meet higherproduction requirements. Machinemonitoring is provided by software andbrowser-based reports. During softwaremonitoring information is automaticallycollected at the CNC, forwardedto the server, and saved in an SQLdatabase. Routine data is readilyavailable to programs capable of SQLdatabase calls. Data indicating criticalproblems immediately triggers email orpager notification.

Browser-based reports are createdfor non-critical notification and can bedistributed as appropriate. Browserreports can be accessed from anywherein the world providing less downtimeand higher productivity as events occurthat managers need to be aware ofduring travel.