Oliver is a highly talented violinist. And although he has enjoyed an excellent education, his career is not really taking off. He therefore decides to join an ensemble. And lo and behold: little by little, the progress he had hoped for comes about. Together they are stronger than alone. The compositions become more demanding, the concerts more varied, the audience bigger. But the more complex the pieces become, the more the instrumental groups clash. Although there is harmony within the strings, they don't speak the same language when playing together with the winds, they „play past each other“. The percussion tends to play itself to the fore. In short, the musicians are unable to develop their potential. Until the missing piece of the puzzle is found: a conductor. She sees the big picture, not only assigns the musicians their roles, but also gives the ensemble a common idea. Works by new composers can now be internalized more easily and new instrumentations integrate more quickly. As a result, international concerts with other orchestras are no longer a rarity. Conflicts are no longer forbidden in this process, in fact they are much more welcome. What is not wanted, however, is self-promotion. Because ensemble means together.
Those who know their strengths have an advantage. Those who strategically combine them with others will be successful. A principle that can be found in all areas: in music, sports, business – and also in automation. In Industrial IoT, production landscapes merge with the digital world across the entire value chain. Companies that define themselves through an open ecosystem will therefore be successful. The goal is to increase internal and external connectivity and to connect with organizations, companies, and experts. To an interplay of ideas and knowledge, human and machine.
This vision is reflected in fpt robotics„ control philosophy. It enables simple communication between all industrial components. The approach: each tiny unit can be assigned its own intelligence, which the control system recognizes and orchestrates depending on the task and process. This means that individual assemblies can be combined with complete flexibility, regardless of the manufacturer. This in turn enables industrial companies to individually adapt their automation systems to new conditions. From the smallest unit in production to various peripherals and the entire production environment. Processes such as pressing, sorting, conveying, packaging and testing all have a standardized interface and can be added to as required. The special feature: With an icon-based user interface and intuitive touch functions, the integrated systems can be easily parameterized and programmed. A technology that allows absolutely everyone to become the composer of their own production. With the control system as conductor, companies can set the pace themselves. The individual participants combine individually to form an optimum production ensemble. In this way, even complex ”compositions" can be accomplished with ease. Because in an orchestra, as in a company, one thing is crucial: the interplay of all disciplines. The control philosophy is the result of decades of experience in automation and sophisticated IT. And last but not least, a fundamental understanding of what offers industrial companies real added value and equips them for future challenges.
This simple programming and operation of components from a wide range of manufacturers, right down to the smallest unit of a plug-and-play robot, means one thing above all for users: future-proofing. There is no need to write software during commissioning, as ready-made software modules can be easily linked to the overall process. This means that robot cells can be individually supplemented and controlled with peripheral components for an existing production line. A holistic communication architecture records and visualizes all required production data in real time and centralizes control over the entire production process - including the integration of third-party systems. Standardized interfaces in both the hardware and software enable fast set-up processes when changing variants, which results in the optimization of part costs. The basic costs only have to be invested once, while the product-related costs are significantly reduced due to shorter throughput times and planning efforts for follow-up projects. Universality is the real game changer here: thanks to reuse at assembly and module level, cost-effective production can be achieved even for small quantities.
fpt robotics is already cooperating today with system suppliers, component manufacturers, and other technology companies to realize this vision. Through the concept of networking, individual strengths and competencies combine to form a greater whole. Because only through interaction do individual bold players create the symphony of the future.
