Machine tools will soon be referred as cyber physical systems (CPS). CPS regularly pops up in the IIoT discussions. CPS can be defined as an architecture where embedded and networked computers monitor and control the physical processes with a feedback loop.
Flexible machining environment where machine tools are equipped with in-process measurement and closed-looping structures are helpful for IIoT integration. Compressed air lines, hydraulic systems, chip conveyors can all be part of this integration marathon.
One of the crucial application that requires cyber physical systems is the energy management in factories. It requires to monitor and manage the power consumption by each device, machine and other equipment. This development can optimize the energy consumption and balance the speed. This way machine operations that are energy intensive can be scheduled during the day when utility rates are minimum.
Currently, the important and useful concept regarding cyber physical systems is control loop. Industrial IoT can help to implement the control loops from device level to the enterprise level in factories.
