| Factories where expanding connectivity and maintaining security are becoming increasingly important
Semiconductors, the Center of New Era Industrial Automation Equipment
| Process adjustment to meet demand, possible through SDI/O

The widespread use of sensors and cloud connectivity is accelerating the pace of change in factory systems and equipment.

Today's factory operations are rapidly changing, driven by growing economic power and technological advancements. In this rapidly evolving environment, only the most agile factory equipment manufacturers will thrive, developing more connected and intelligent systems that not only make factories more flexible and safer, but also contribute to expanded connectivity and security.

As the use of automated and autonomous systems increases, factories are increasingly relying on labor to perform repetitive and complex manual tasks. Semiconductors are at the heart of this new era of industrial automation equipment, providing the processing, control, and sensing capabilities necessary to efficiently operate connected environments.

Semiconductor manufacturers must leverage their expertise in sensing, signal conditioning, digital signal processing, wired and wireless connectivity, and software to understand the challenges industrial customers face and develop application-centric solutions that enable OEMs to accelerate time-to-market. We must also provide long-term supply of industrial components to enable customers to achieve technological innovation and prepare for the future, while ensuring the continued use of existing systems.

The future will bring tremendous transformation to humanity, a transformation that will contribute to the spread of abundance worldwide.


The spread of economic prosperity
One of the most striking features of the 21st century is the remarkable rise in income levels in countries and regions previously considered developing. Consequently, as global demand for manufactured goods increases, manufacturers are faced with the need to expand production and offer a more diverse product mix to address regional and national differences.

At the same time, global economic growth has reduced the pool of low-cost, unskilled labor. As labor costs in these regions rise and the workforce becomes more educated, manufacturers are losing the influx of workers to perform repetitive, manual tasks that were once performed for low wages, meaning they can no longer expect the short-lived economic booms they enjoyed over the past three decades by offshoring production to low-wage regions like China.

Going forward, manufacturers should pursue a strategy of increasing competitiveness by adopting automation technologies rather than moving to new locations with lower labor costs.


Connected Smart Factory
The potential of new technologies allows manufacturers to gain additional value from their investment in factory automation equipment.

The proliferation of ultra-small, high-performance semiconductor sensors generates a tremendous amount of data during machine operation and process execution. This opens up unprecedented new and rich application possibilities for data analysis, including machine condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. At the same time, the increasing use of electronic functions defined by hardware and software enables rapid reconfiguration of factory processes and tools.

The factories of the future will be more agile, responsive to demand, more automated, and more reliable. At the same time, reliance on human workers will further decrease, and downtime due to unscheduled maintenance will become increasingly rare.

So, let's look at which technologies from the analog and digital semiconductor worlds are enabling this new model of factory automation.


Sensors; the core of machine condition monitoring
MEMS sensor technology enables the development of new types of sensors that are small, robust, and capable of precisely measuring vibration and motion.

For example, accelerometers with low noise and wide bandwidth provide the superior precision and accuracy needed to identify subtle changes in a machine's vibration characteristics. When combined with sensor analysis software, these devices can identify potential causes of failure long before they occur, allowing for timely preventative maintenance.

Machine condition monitoring isn't limited to traditional factory settings. Mobile or remote industrial equipment can use wireless connectivity to report diagnostic information and operational status to a central controller. These types of applications operate on intermittent power sources like batteries or solar energy, requiring ultra-low-power sensing solutions.


High-speed connection between workplaces
As the number of sensors installed throughout factories and plants increases, the flow of real-time data increases dramatically. As traditional communication methods between PLCs and sensor nodes, such as 4-20mA control loops, are being replaced by various industrial high-speed Ethernet protocols, the integration of a factory's operational technology (OT) infrastructure and a company's information technology (IT) is increasing.

To meet these new demands for high-speed data transmission in factories, OEMs must implement future-proof systems. This requires support not only for today's industrial Ethernet protocols, but also for the emerging Ethernet-based Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) technology, a promising standard wired networking technology for real-time industrial communications.

Robust wireless sensor network technologies are also needed to connect sensor nodes in locations where physical wiring is difficult. Wireless network technologies such as SmartMesh and WirelessHART are designed to operate in harsh IoT applications and offer proven, high-performance methods for connecting industrial automation equipment without wires.


Safety systems for autonomous machines
Autonomous vehicles and collaborative robots, or cobots, offer a wide range of opportunities to expand automation applications in factories and warehouses. However, the industry's challenge in this regard lies in ensuring safety by ensuring that autonomous machines can fully perceive their surroundings.

Advanced radar and LiDAR technologies raise the bar for accuracy and precision in object and proximity detection and 3D mapping applications.


Protecting your factory from online attacks
As a side effect of connectivity, the risk of hackers stealing workers' wages or state-sponsored online attacks disrupting high-value industrial systems has also increased.

As more and more factory nodes are connected to the cloud, these nodes can become new entry points for hackers.

Semiconductor-based connectivity systems require robust security optimized for embedded systems.


Configurable production process
The factory of the future must be able to quickly adapt to new demands and workflows. The key is to build flexibility into industrial automation technology products at the architectural level.

One way to support this flexibility requirement is to use software-defined I/O, which can be configured as analog or digital, input or output, without changing the wiring.


Integrated solutions for analog, digital, and software
The development and production of industrial automation equipment is becoming increasingly high-tech. This is due to end-user demands for higher productivity, more configurable features, more secure operation, and enhanced cloud integration. At the same time, pressure to get to market faster with new, more sophisticated designs continues to mount.

ADI addresses these needs by providing market-focused, integrated solutions for a wide range of applications, including machine condition monitoring, high-speed connectivity, and safety and security systems. These ADI solutions combine analog, mixed-signal, and digital components with firmware and software to solve customers' most pressing development challenges and enable them to respond quickly and effectively to current and future technical and economic challenges.


This article is a summary of "How Real-Time Control, Safety, and Security Are Driving Technological Innovation in the Factory of Tomorrow," written by Brendan O'Dowd, general manager of the Industrial Automation business unit at Analog Devices.