Preparing for the Digital Transformation of a Production Shop Floor

Small and Midsized Manufacturers (SMM) face challenges as they adopt digital technologies to transform their production environment. A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) requires timely accurate data from shop floor processes to efficiently control production operations. An Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform of sensors provides MES software with operational information through a communications network to enable data-driven decision-making. A midsized manufacturer in southeastern Pennsylvania provides comprehensive thermoformed and injected molded products for diverse markets. Their production equipment includes light and heavy gauge thermoforming, polymer calendaring, and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) part trimming equipment supported by air compressors, vacuum pumps, and water chillers. This project partnered a manufacturer with researchers to deploy engineering and information science students to access, catalog, and characterize shop floor Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) inputs and outputs. Utilizing this critical PLC data, the expert lead team determined quality-critical parameters, machine counters, and fault codes essential for process optimization.