Everyone who works in manufacturing knows that the industry is changing fast. Those who understand how to leverage new technologies, processes, and partnerships to their advantage will thrive in the coming years. Those who don’t risk being left behind. The Rockwell Automation Integrator (RA Int) is an emerging technology that has the potential to disrupt traditional automation practices by fundamentally changing how manufacturers design and implement control systems across a variety of industries. If you work in manufacturing, you need to know about this game-changing technology. Here are five reasons why you should invest in the Rockwell Automation Integrator now:
Integrators will become the focal point of manufacturing automation
The most important thing to understand about the Integrator is that it is a controller. Controllers are the brains of automation systems, and they’re what most people think of when they think about automation. They’re the systems that control machines, run programs, and make decisions based on inputs from sensors and data sources. For decades, automation controllers have been the central piece of any automation solution. They’ve been at the core of every automation project and have been the focal point of all design and implementation decisions. When manufacturers decided to implement a new piece of equipment, they selected the right controller, installed it, and connected it to the rest of the system. Controllers have been the driving force behind automation, but they also come with a significant drawback: they’re difficult to design and implement. They have to be programmed, tested, and interfaced with sensors and other devices. It’s a complicated process that often takes weeks to complete.
You’ll know exactly what your system can and cannot do
Traditional automation systems are designed to provide flexibility. They come with generic I/O modules, network connections, and programming languages that allow manufacturers to plug in whatever devices and sensors they want. This flexibility makes it easy to plug in new devices, but it also leaves open the possibility for serious problems. As an example, let’s say you’re using a traditional automation system to oversee a conveyor system. The system you choose comes with a slew of I/O modules that can be used to monitor and control the conveyor. It also comes with a communication interface that enables you to connect your system to any device on the network. It’s a flexible solution that makes it easy to monitor and control the conveyor system. But what happens if you add something to your network that interferes with the conveyor system? What if it causes a problem with the system? What if it completely disables the conveyor? What if you don’t even know that it’s happening? On top of that, what happens when you want to make changes or add new devices to your system? You have to re-program everything, which can take weeks. You also have to be very careful about the new devices you select, to ensure they don’t cause the same problems.
You’ll find bugs before they become a problem
As we discussed above, traditional automation systems are very flexible. They allow manufacturers to plug in literally any device, sensors, or modules they want. This is great for maximizing flexibility and making it easy to integrate new equipment, but it comes at a cost. Traditional automation systems are designed for maximum flexibility, but they aren’t designed for optimal performance. When manufacturers select a flexible automation solution, they often find themselves dealing with significant issues down the road, especially when they start implementing real-time applications like machine vision and AI. The problem is that manufacturers often discover these problems when it’s too late. They’ve already installed their system, connected it to other devices, and implemented it on the shop floor. Now, they’re stuck with a system that’s buggy, unreliable, and hurting their company’s bottom line.
The development process will be much faster
Traditional automation systems are flexible, but they aren’t designed for optimal performance. As we just discussed, this can cause serious issues down the road when manufacturers try to implement real-time applications like AI, machine vision, and more. The good news is that integrators are highly optimized for performance. They’re designed with real-time applications like AI in mind, making it much easier to implement these technologies. On top of that, integrators are pre-packaged and pre-configured systems that are designed to work together. They use common communication protocols, standard programming languages, and pre-installed modules and sensors. This makes it much faster and easier to design, implement, and test an automation system.
It will change how you find and implement partners
Traditional automation systems are designed for manufacturers to select the pieces they want and build the system themselves. They come with a wide variety of I/O devices, programming languages, and network protocols that allow manufacturers to mix and match device types, modules, and sensors to build the system they want. This makes it easy for manufacturers to select the parts they want and build exactly the system they need, but it also makes it difficult to find integrations with other devices. Traditional automation systems are also designed for manufacturers to build everything themselves, which makes it difficult to find partners who can help with design, installation, and support. Now, while this is changing in the world of traditional automation, integrators are being designed with partnerships in mind.
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