Regardless that the Olympics have simply wrapped up, I nonetheless discover myself serious about the grace and precision of ice dancing. That’s in all probability 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. Assume line stoppages, collisions, and different issues of safety.
SEW is a number one producer of drive programs and automation know-how. For its sensible 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 effectively for manufacturing facility IT gadgets like tablets and programmable logic controllers, it isn’t designed to ship uninterrupted connectivity to cellular 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 could actually carry manufacturing to a halt. One other limitation of Wi-Fi for cellular robots is that RF interference from metallic constructions, densely packed pallets, or equipment can block indicators.
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 commercial IT, Michel de Hatten, says, “Cisco URWB manages roaming in a basically completely different method than Wi-Fi, permitting our cellular gear to remain related with out interruption, even whereas shifting.” What are these variations? First, when a cellular 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 instances and despatched over redundant paths, over uncorrelated frequencies, and at a number of instances inside just a few milliseconds. With spatial, frequency, and time variety, 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, nevertheless it offers protection with about 50% fewer entry factors.
Any method you rating it, SEW is reaching gold-medal manufacturing facility efficiency with Cisco URWB.
To study extra, take a look at the case research