Page 32 - Print21 Magazine May-June 2021

Business
Taking advantage of
smart factories in print
Smart factories are on their way, with print businesses set to benefit, reports Jan Arreza.
New advances in technology are paving the way for businesses to transition to widely connected and process-
driven organisations, and the print industry is no different, with many jumping on board with the concept of smart factories to automate traditional manufacturing and industrial practices.
This transition is the latest in the line of industrial revolutions which change the way the world conducts business – from the advent of water and steam-powered machinery (Industry 1.0), to the addition of electricity (2.0), and finally, to
the arrival of the internet and the
significant developments it brought about (3.0).
Now, the focus shifts towards Industry 4.0, which aims to establish the creation of a mass customer-oriented production line that can collect, analyse and advise upon data.
So what does this mean for the print industry? Quite a lot, as print service providers have several elements that
they can take advantage of, such as cloud computing, big data, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and autonomous robotics.
Another technology print companies can take advantage of is augmented reality (AR) for predictive services. With AR, the service engineers’ environment can be incorporated into an immersive virtual world.
This enables several benefits including giving users the ability to further sharpen their skills, to improve productivity and efficiency, reduce downtime, and improve machine performance.
Collaborative robots (cobots) and artificial intelligence (AI) are other solutions available to the print sector.
By taking advantage of smart factories, print companies can produce printing workflows that improve productivity, reliability and flexibility, at lower costs for all stakeholders of the operation.
Several print developers have already begun to take advantage of elements of the smart factory, such as wide format and label inkjet print system developer, Durst, which recently started a project to develop predictive maintenance and parts replacement on its printers through AI.
Durst has been steadily building 32 Print21 MAY/JUNE 2021
its workflow offerings in line with its end-to-end thinking for 360-degree business solutions aimed at the smart factory concept, in order to streamline its production and processes.
Already taking advantage of intelligent sensors and software evaluation on its printers, Durst says the move to AI was
the next step and will enable it to predict maintenance and parts updating in advance, based on individual machine situations.
“Durst is actively working towards AI and the smart factory. We already have end-to- end ecosystems and high automation, and this project is part of bringing that vision into reality,” says Matt Ashman, CEO of Durst Oceania.
“With the predictive maintenance developed in the project framework, the machine learning techniques used will
in future trigger the maintenance of the printing systems independently, in order to guarantee predictable and trouble- free operations,” adds Michael Deflorian, business and unit manager, Software & Solutions, Durst Group.
Imaging giant, Screen, and finishing solutions manufacturer, Horizon, are
two other companies also looking to take advantage of AI, announcing a collaborative partnership last year with the aim to further enhance the Horizon Smart Factory.
According to the two companies, the rationale for AI comes through the changing nature of the printing industry, which “calls for more diversity, small lot jobs and short turnaround times”.
Both companies will be developing an AI engine that is able to acquire their combined expertise in digital printing and postpress systems and use it to optimise their operations.
“AI is not about replacing skilled workers, it is about maximising their knowledge of processes so that future operators may work more efficiently, reduce waste, and deliver faster turnarounds to customers,” says Peter Scott, managing director of Screen GP for ANZ.
“Horizon is recognised as
the world’s leading finishing manufacturer and Screen as
the pioneer of inkjet colour web printing. Together with Horizon’s Smart Factory programme, and
capably supported locally by Currie Group, the new AI joint development is sure to take printers into the future full of confidence.”
Eijiro Hori, president of Horizon, adds to this by saying the transition to smart factories will be essential for print and binding facilities of the future.
“Since the latter half of the 1990s,
our company has been leading the way
in managing equipment operations
using numerical data acquired directly from systems. This new AI-based data analysis project is another step toward the realisation of our goal,” Hori says.
“Statistical analysis of numerical data enables the setup of equipment using a very fine level of adjustment that has so far depended on the experience of operators. It also offers the ability to prevent potential issues before they occur.
“By effectively using AI, I believe we will be able to present a system with the capacity to operate and manage the entire production process, from printing to book binding, without interruption.”
When fully realised, smart factories use fully integrated and collaborative manufacturing systems to help make a businesses’ operations more flexible, adaptable and optimisable.
And by identifying and reducing misplaced or underused production capacities, opportunities for growth can open up for businesses without the need for further investment in additional resources.
It’s no wonder smart factories have been taking off. 21