Latin America. "The recovery of the manufacturing industry after the pandemic can be underpinned through the incorporation of technologies associated with Industry 4.0, whether robotics, analytics, artificial intelligence, cognitive technologies, nanotechnology and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others," explained José Luis Gutiérrez, Technical Support Engineer at Tripp Lite, manufacturer of energy and connectivity solutions.
The convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) that are required to achieve this, need solutions that allow them to increase their connectivity and energy protection.
For this, it is necessary to implement Edge Computing, through Micro Data Centers (MCD), that produce networks with greater bandwidths and speeds in the transmission and analysis of data, capable of supporting new technologies such as IoT focused on industry and remote work schemes, in manufacturing, storage and logistics environments.
To mention an example, the data collected by the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) of the collaborative robots (mechanical arms) of an automated industrial production line, decrease the latency of the network considerably to operate more efficiently, thanks to edge computing.
It should be noted that to select the appropriate infrastructure of an MCD to generate edge, Tripp Lite specialists carry out an analysis of the specific needs of each industry or each company.
According to José Luis Gutiérrez, for industry, factories, construction areas, utility plants, warehouses or warehouses, it is recommended to assemble MCD from cabinets sealed with filters against dust, humidity and splashes and of course, implementing protection and adequate energy support, is a priority.
An electric shock, an inadequate voltage or a power outage, even if the time it takes to turn on the emergency plant is very small, these intermittencies could damage, decompose, or shut down the production line of the collaborative robots, causing the deconfiguration of the PLC and generating problems in the continuity of operation that translates into great economic losses for the plant.
This requires installing a double conversion UPS system (On Line) from 6kVa onwards in the MCD, which includes a step-down transformer and a by-pass switch (manual bypass switch) in order to support the replacement of the power module, either by preventive or corrective maintenance, without interrupting the passage of energy to the collaborative robots so that they operate 24 hours a day.
In case you do not have an MCD in the plant facilities, Tripp Lite specialists advise the adoption of a three-phase S3M system, with capacities from 10 to 100 kVA, which can also be connected up to 6 equipment in parallel to generate redundancy. These are ideal for providing the PLC of collaborative robots with protection, backup and redundancy of energy, more powerful, more efficient and in less space.
"At Tripp Lite we know that industries face various challenges and seek to minimize downtime and lost productivity, so we have specialized in designing the right energy, connectivity and infrastructure solutions that allow them to ensure reliability in the operation of their production plants," said José Luis Gutiérrez.
