Application of sensors in production lines
Mar 22, 2024
Collecting data is a task that has been carried out since time immemorial in order to understand what ishappening around us; we measure parameters such as time, distance, temperature ..The same happens in the production lines, the unlimited capture of manufacturing, product and logisticsdata allows to take better decisions and add value throughout the production chain, The eauipment thatallows capturing all this data are the sensors. Sensors need to be reliable and robust when capturing dataon production lines in order to cope with diversity and potential changes in processes.
Some sensors that we can find in theproduction lines
There are many types of sensors that allow you to collect all kinds of data and measure differentparameters. Proximity sensors can be of different tupes capacitive., inductive, photoelectric or maaneticand detect movement, Temperature sensors alow the measurement of dearees in an environment, machine.product.. in addition, these types of sensors in production lines are used to guarantee optimal and safeoperation.
There are also sensors to monitor different manufacturing parameters that can be useful in differentprocesses. There are many of humidity, fat, protein, degree of roasting, thickness, grammage .. Thesesensors are based on different technologies.Other sensors that are widely used in industry are pressure sensors, level sensors, or vibration or speed sensors.
In addition to all these types of sensors, computer vision cameras are also sensors that provide data andinformation about processes. Computer Vision systems are intelligent sensors that capture images todetect actions, positions, defects, etc. They are intelligent since they are capable of generating responsesto the information theu obtain from the images.
Sensors for the improvement of productionprocesses
The application of sensors in production processes manages to provide a further degree of automationAutomation must be flexible to adapt to the different products and variants produced on the same ineManufacturing plants must be flexible and adaptable. There are a lot of products, more and more, factoriesproduce a great diversity of products, batches are getting smaller and more variable, This increases with thecustomization of the product for each client, so the sensors that allow automatina these productionprocesses must be able to adapt and adjust to each situation.Analysing the current production levels, four industrial challenges are presented to which the sensor canprovide more optimal automated solutions.
Improved quality control: more and more products are produced, and it becomes more difficult tocheck the auality of these products manually. Ouality requirements are also getting higher and there isa need to make them more efficient. Therefore, the automatic detection of failures and the obtainingof all the possible data of the products and their production is reguired. This is obtained by sensors ofall kinds.
More flexible automation: production and logistics management need to adapt quickly and profitabluto possible needs or changes that may arise in a production process. For this, intelligent sensors areused that, through data analysis, are able to adapt production to needs.
Safety in work environments: the interaction between people and machines must be carried out safely.taking into account the safety and ergonomics of the work environment. By making machines moreintelligent through sensors, they become one more collaborator who interacts with people and takescare of dangerous or repetitive tasks that do not add value to the final product.
Follow-up and traceability: the sensors allow to improve the way of identifying and tracking productsthroughout any production process. Traceability is important from production, through transport anddelivery to the customer. The flow of materials must be transparent to make decisions faster.
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