ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. unveiled Illuminate™ Manufacturing Intelligence, a next-generation factory optimization Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform solution.

Easy ain’t easy. Sounds like something said by cultural catchphrase artist and legendary baseball player Yogi Berra, but it sums up a conversation I had at a recent tradeshow in Atlanta.

If you talk to anyone in manufacturing today about the future of the industry, you’re likely to hear a quizzical, “Do you mean Industry 4.0?”

A modern, SPC-driven quality management software solution can help you capitalize on advances in automation, IIoT, and cloud computing.

Machine vision sensors in today’s factory produce massive amounts of data. Edge computing through acceleration is a smart solution to handling these large datasets.

Change is scary, but failing to keep up with the times could be even more detrimental. With so many competitors vying for the same market share, the smallest advantage could make a big difference.

Digital transformation is creating smart factories that collect data from across the supply chain. This data reveals intelligence that drives quality improvement, process optimization, cost reduction, and regulatory compliance on the factory floor.

Manufacturers typically use two different techniques to assess part conformance and process control: either in-process gaging or final inspection. In-process gaging is measuring the part while it is still in the process of being manufactured and using that data to, sometimes, adjust the process, other times for part conformance.

Like many others, the word trend has evolved and changed in meaning over time. Some 400 years ago trend meant “to run or bend in a certain direction” and pertained to natural occurrences like rivers, coastlines and mountain ranges. 

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the growing network of physical objects that are embedded with sensors to enable connection with each other and exchange of data.