Connecting it right!

The cable is the backbone of Industry 4.0, since nothing happens at all without an efficient cable solution that connects countless components in an automated factory

Industry 4.0 or the fourth industrial revolution is the current trend in automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. Over the last few years, Indian manufacturing has come a long way by having automated factories with robots and computers. As factories are turning smarter and moving beyond the traditional methods, many repetitive and high precision works in large factories are being taken over by industrial robots. Today’s industrial robots have high computing capabilities, to scale up production and precision vastly improved vision systems, and increasing operational degrees of freedom. Therefore, they can essentially be considered tools of long production runs. Apart from that it also allows the manufacturer to deliver in a world where radically shortening production cycles and a high degree of product variation and personalization are fast becoming nuts and bolts of the industry.

For instance, to improve product quality and efficiency in production, automobile makers are investing a large amount of time and money to improve the manufacturing process, by adopting robotics. According to the International Federation of Robotics, robot installations globally will increase by 12 per cent a year on average, between 2015 and 2017, thereby promising to deliver better quality products and increase productivity gains. The future of manufacturing shall witness a series of products being manufactured rapidly and efficiently by means of intelligent and inter-communicating machines.

Robotics is preferred by manufacturers today to:

• Maintain consistent quality
• Maintain precision and accuracy
• Rapid payback
• Maintain short cycle time
• Keep the manufacturing cost as low as possible

In smart factories, the manufacturing process has to be dynamic, flexible and organized in different ways as compared to the traditional set up. Every individual step included in the production process has to be fully connected and integrated in these futuristic factories. Some of the processes to be impacted are factory and production planning, logistics, product development, enterprise resource planning and manufacturing execution systems.

An efficient cable solution is required

The cable becomes the backbone of Industry 4.0, since nothing happens at all without an efficient cable solution that connects countless components in an automated factory.  Complex automated industrial systems such as manufacturing assembly lines require an organized hierarchy of cables to function productively. Thereby, in automated applications, cable flexibility, compatibility and durability is important to consider since, the cable must follow the robot’s movements. Sometimes even a small electrical loss can lead to poor quality, precision and accuracy. So, when it comes to smart factory automations, cable manufacturers’ today work towards manufacturing cables which ensures smooth and reliable operations.

However, there exists many different types of cables and not all of them are suitable for robotic applications. Hence, power and control cables for robotic applications are manufactured keeping in mind:

• High resistance to torsion, reverse bending and continuous flexibility
• Slim in construction and light in weight
• EMC and Loss less transmission
• Plug and play / complete connectivity solution
• Application specific and long lasting
• Composite cable solution

Manufacturing intelligent Cables

Torsion resistant, reverse bending and continuous flexibility
Machines perform way better with customized torsion-resistant cables instead of standard control cables. These modified cables are specially designed to withstand the torsion and repetitive motion of their particular application. The cables are manufactured in a way that it can provide the smallest bending radius possible within the machine. Specifically designed cables for power chain, cable-track configurations and torsion applications can help overcome the challenges that are presented when designing automation machines. This can also reduce the amount of cable failure during operations.

Cables need to be highly flexible, have a very small bending radius and be able to withstand high torsion loads. To ensure durability of components, there is a strong need for high quality cables. Today, for example, stud welding machines are used by robots for automotive manufacturing. The machine is automatically positioned by the robot and sets the studs for wiring harness assembly in the body shells. This requires the highest levels of efficiency and precision in terms of the executed movements and system productivity. Cabling would need to be laid over all of the robot’s axes and would therefore need to be able to follow all of its angular movements and rotations.

Slim in construction and light in weight
To avoid restrictions to the robot’s movements, various cables are usually laid over the robot axes in the smallest of spaces. This is to avoid any confusion with other cables such as the welding cable, the data network and signal cable as well as the air and protective gas conduits. The cables need to be slim in design and light in weight which would ensure that cables occupy a small cross-section, among the rest.

EMC / Loss less transmission
A common challenge faced by cable manufactures is electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in relation to the copper cable, resulting electromagnetic interference. The data network and signal cables need to be protected with additional copper/aluminum screening for this. When using suitable insulating material, it is particularly tricky to achieve both electrical and mechanical requirements. Combining all these components in complex hybrid cables shall offer loss less transmission, robot-compliant flexibility and torsion strength, with a durability of more than two million bending cycles.

Composite cable solution
Machines used in smart factories require data/networking for greater bandwidth with power control cable. This is one reason for installing customized and composite cable solution mix of single/multi-mode fibres with power and control conductors of different gauges and types are assembled under one sheath in these cabling solutions. Hence it takes up less space and reduces installation cost.

Application specific and long lasting
System component suppliers need to be able to supply high-quality standard products while also being able to primarily develop individual customized products. The use of standard ware in complex areas, in cases of doubt, leads to unwanted compromises, which in practice can lead to problems with using the machines and production systems. System cable division takes on the often time-consuming development of individual solutions that can involve intensive consultation, and they do this in cooperation with the customer.

One of the most important sectors that the specified customer groups serve is automotive manufacturing. All components in this sector must meet strict requirements in terms of quality and durability. If, for example, a cable fails, the entire production belt will come to a standstill and trigger losses running into the millions within a very short space of time.

Plug and play / complete connectivity solution
No system is complete without connecting all the individual components, and for this a reliable partner who lives up to the really very high demands, is essential. Customised solutions are often required in order to implement new ideas to meet the top line growth requirements of an industry: cables and connectors that you cannot simply buy ‘off the shelf’. These futuristic factories represent the absolute pinnacle of technological expansion and manufacturing development, which is here to stay and grow. Greater intelligence will be required to manufacture cables for automated machines in near future.  Therefore, manufacturers have to be more focused on the quality and service life of the cables, while making cabling decision for automation. Thus, it is important to select appropriate power and control cable for smooth and reliable operations.