IIOT Consortium to Optimize Manufacturing Process

Several leading suppliers are joining forces to develop a unique platform that delivers analytics to optimize the manufacturing process. FANUC is collaborating with Cisco, Rockwell Automation and Preferred Networks in order to develop and deploy the FANUC Intelligent Edge Link and Drive (FIELD) system.

The team is developing the FIELD system, a platform for the delivery of advanced analytics for FANUC CNCs, robots, peripheral devices, and sensors used in automation systems. The system is intended to drive improved machine reliability, quality, flexibility and speed.

In collaboration with Cisco, Rockwell Automation, and Preferred Networks,  FANUC will offer a complete solution including network and compute infrastructure, applications, and an enabling middleware platform. With this open platform application developers, sensor and peripheral device makers, system integrators, and others can build solutions that improve equipment efficiency, manufacturing output, and quality.

The FIELD system extends the success of the existing FANUC ZDT (Zero Downtime) connected robots project; ZDT is built with Cisco cloud, IOT data collection software, and end-to-end security capabilities.

One key area that the team is focusing on is automotive manufacturing. The companies are leveraging the Allen-Bradley Stratix Ethernet switches from Rockwell Automation to connect robots to a Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) – all of this running on FANUC and Cisco’s ZDT Data Collection software.

FANUC and Preferred Networks have established these new technologies for applications such as Bin Picking robots, anomaly detection, and failure prediction.

The FIELD system combines both artificial intelligence and edge-computing technologies. Data is generated from robots and machines and is processed in real time at the edge of the network. This allows those devices to intelligently coordinate and collaborate in a flexible manner.

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