Digital Factory is a term that’s often thrown around frequently, and mostly related with concepts of Industrial Ethernet, IoT, and Machine Automation. However, it is vital to realize that the foundations for a Digital Factory are laid by solutions that aren’t judged by their magnitude but by their ability to improve the efficiency of the plant floor.
One such solution is UHF-RFID technology which plays a decisive role in lowering costs, upheaving reliability, and reducing response times. Siemens offers a range of RFID solutions for the several applications that exist in and around the plant floor, including the Simatic RF600. The system seamlessly reads transponders, and integrates within automation schemes and IT environment without much hassle.
The primary motivator behind for RFID technology is increasingly tough competition and the need for companies to have a mechanism to monitor the flow of their materials. Knowing the latter can help engineers better plan and optimize the production process. RFID proves itself as a reliable way to meet these requirements, providing uninterrupted tracking and tracing of goods, products and finished work pieces.
Benefits
All in One
The Simatic RF600 packs the necessary commissioning and diagnostic tools, eliminating the need for installing PC software. The results are preprocessed and there is very little effort required during the integration phase.
Traceability
The RF600 works well in many different situations, whether used for individual pieces or for mass detection. This is due to the use of UHF waves that allows it to overcome fluctuations and movements of the materials that need to be tracked. In addition to having a high-end radio processor, the use of sophisticated algorithms ensures adaptation to different ambient temperatures.
Fast Results
The interface for RF600 can be accessed through either the web browser or the TIA portal. From thereon, configurations can be such as alignment of antennas, initializing tags, and rectifying errors.
Flexible Operation
The RF600 is fit for a number of applications, from high-end access control systems to harsh production environments. In addition, this is the first RFID system that’s connected to Siemens’ cloud based IoT OS, MindSphere, providing you a solid platform to grow your operations in that direction.
Applications
Production Control
For production control systems, the RF600 brings a number of benefits. First and foremost, the system is rugged and works reliably in challenging radio environments, thus providing a higher RoI. Also, thanks to distributed control, RF600 provides higher availability and greater efficiency by bringing harmony within automated processes.
Asset Management
The ability to track and trace the plant’s assets gives on-site engineers a sharper edge during the design processes. The RF600 ensures increased rate of inventory turnover, higher availability, and assisting managers devise business models based on service life.
Supply Chain Management
The RF600 RFID system brings with it greater transparency by providing users a clear view of the flow of their hardware. The system can be coupled with the existing HMI/SCADA system and programmed to bring automatic data entry for bulk quantities, freeing up human labor to carry out more creative tasks.
Being an industry leader in the world of automation, Siemens is constantly improving its products so that global manufacturers and logistics providers always have greater productivity, reliability and durability.
