Leading CAE provider EPLAN recently made an insightful and informative presentation at the well attended and enthusiastically received ‘Smart Machines for the Future’ seminar, raising awareness to the benefits of engineering design software in the context of Industry 4.0. Following the success of a previous seminar in December last year, the hosts – PP Control & Automation – organised this event as an ongoing commitment to spreading reliable and practical information about the Internet of Things and Smart Factories concepts.
Key points covered by Ken Christie, Director of EPLAN UK, included methods of increasing efficiency by putting integration and automation at the heart of design and manufacturing processes. He also touched on the availability of easily integrated software tools that can be adapted for industry-specific processes, from fluid and pneumatic engineering to enclosure design thanks to advanced CAE systems available today.
Ken Christie’s presentation also examined in detail the Industry 4.0 concept, explaining how it will help those who adopt it to develop intelligent manufacturing solutions that are flexible, efficient, cost-effective and future proof.
The EPLAN presentation was followed by a lively Q&A sessions where those attending the seminar discussed and received advice on their own design and manufacturing specific challenges.
The ‘Smart Machines for the Future’ seminar gathered speakers from high profile companies in the automation sector, including B&R, Comau, Lutze and PP Control & Automation, as well as EPLAN. In addition to Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), the seminar covered other cutting edge manufacturing technologies, such as robotics, virtual reality and more.
Automation technology specialist B&R discussed industry 4.0 in the context of adapting to new requirements from manufacturing machines and automation expert Comau echoed this idea with a demonstration of robotics technology via augmented reality and 3D technology. Industrial controls supplier, Lutze spoke about the opportunities of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) and how British businesses can profit from it. Organisers PP Control & Automation discussed strategic outsourcing and provided those attending with a factory tour showcasing the company’s newly extended manufacturing facilities.
