Processing, June 2018
Cover Series Process Automation IIoT Internet of Things T h e n e x t i n d u s t r i a l r e v o l u t i o n Smart technology stands to drastically improve processes in the near future By Kyle Till Hapman e live in a truly remarkable age of technology In fact it is so remarkable that amazing technological advances have become commonplace Computers are so small and a ordable now that companies are using them to turn everyday W objects into smart tools Lightbulbs and thermostats that can be programmed from your smartphone tness trackers you wear on your wrist to monitor your physical activity throughout the day these are just a few examples of devices that until recently seemed possible only in science ction movies Now ction has become reality to the point where this type of technology has a name e Internet of ings IoT In basic terms IoT refers to millions of tiny devices collecting and sending data automatically across the internet In the consumer realm IoT is most evident in innovative smart products like the ones mentioned previously readily available devices that track our activity monitor our homes allow us to operate our appliances from remote locations and more e goal is to make our lives easier by giving us insight into and control over the things that a ect us on a daily basis However for process industry professionals this level of convenience and insight seems to disappear when they arrive at work After checking their phones one last time to make sure they closed their garage door and using the phone to close it remotely if they didnt they spend the next eight to 10 hours personally monitoring systems and processes to avoid maintenance issues and catastrophic failures that can bring their entire operation to a halt But a major change for the better is on the horizon When IIoT technology is fully implemented in the future it will provide real time monitoring for processing plants as well as the operational insight to measure track and interpret performance and wear in conveyors so they can anticipate and schedule corrective action All graphics courtesy of Hapman 10 Processing JUNE 2018
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