Machine Integration

Eliminate touches, decrease errors and downtime, and instantly collect data by connecting HiFlow’s sensor interface directly with your shop floor equipment.

Does your shop floor have legacy machines? Are all your machines efficiently integrated into your MIS?

Our MES device interface enables any Management Information Systems (MIS) and virtually any shop-floor equipment to share accurate, real-time information allowing visibility of shop floor processes. Information is being driven directly into your MIS where it is visible and in real time. HiFlow’s Machine Integration Device is a workflow solution connecting existing and/or legacy equipment with MIS applications for machines that do not provide information on production status using the JDF protocol.

Any legacy equipment with an electronic counter can be connected in real-time via HiFlow’s Machine Sensor. HiFlow provides the bridge that can connect with machine counters and weigh scales to automate count control and job costing and then integrate with existing MIS and estimating systems.

Machine integration is based on a few simple steps:

1. Mounting sensors on the machine.

Place industrial sensors on the machine in a way that makes it possible to detect the value sought. This part of integration is based on the knowledge and experience of people involved in production on a given machine. The basic information we want to get from the machine are:

● beginning and termination of a production activity based on:
○ positions of machine components
○ rotation speed
○ product flow rates
● quantity of produced products:
○ quantity of sheets
○ roll length.

2. Connecting sensors to the PLC controller

Connecting sensors to dedicated SIEMENS PLC controller. An MIS system has a module for PLC controllers communication that allows information to be downloaded directly from the controller's memory.

3.Connecting PLC to the local network.

Connecting to the local network via the ETHERNET interface.

4. Assigning signals to the machine in the system.

An MIS system, after configuring and assigning signals to appropriate machines, performs an analysis of the received signals and automatically records the work process of the machine.

Real-time benefits.

In practice, the operator of the integrated machine does not record "WORK" operations on SCADA panels, but is started and stopped automatically based on the analysis of data from machines. Reporting on products is also automatically added to the registered work. Use of archived data.

An overview
can be provided for reports

Data downloaded from controllers are archived in a database, which allows to make any analysis of the production process and gathering statisical data from the machines.

Machine Integration