Industry 4.0 and AI in the Spotlight for Shibaura

Aiming to display the transparency of a fully connected production cell, Shibaura Machine Company America has connected all the equipment in its NPE2024 machine displays via its machiNetCloud industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform.

The company says that all the equipment in each production cell — from the ECSXIII injection molding machines to the multiaxis robots to the various auxiliaries — is seamlessly connected by machiNetCloud. At the demo, attendees can see how machiNetCloud provides remote, real-time access to machine data, enabling users to control validated processes for molded components anytime, from any location.

“Shibaura wants to help our customers get to true Industry 4.0,” says Michael Werner of Shibaura Machine Company America. “We want them to be able to make data-driven decisions quickly and easily.”

Werner says that in addition to connecting to the machines in Shibaura’s booth, the company is showing the machiNetCloud connected to several satellite machines, showcasing remote monitoring and how verified users can access the press’ HMI and make process changes. “Our goal is to make smart cells that don’t just grab data from the injection molding machine and other auxiliaries,” Werner says.

In a medical molding cell, Shibaura is showcasing LSR molding of duckbill valves on a 110-ton press using a cold-runner system, four-cavity tool and cutting technology from M.R. Mold & Engineering. Star Automation is providing a robot for the cell, which also includes Elmet metering and Advantage Engineering temperature control. As an example of IIoT, Werner notes that in this cell machiNetCloud is accessing the Elmet metering system and enable users to read the pump pressure and dosing amount for any shot. “You can see the cushion, the temperature and the metering pressure of the A and B sides all in one platform,” Werner says.

Shibaura notes that the ability to tie into an LSR metering system made by an outside company reflects machiNetCloud’s broad capabilities. “The platform is powerful and can connect to all kinds of processes,” Werner says. “It was designed as a data-acquisition system for facilities, so it’s not limited to injection molding. It could tie into HVAC, whatever.” The machiNetCloud collects up to 700 data points every cycle and uploads that data to the cloud once a minute.

Power Monitoring and More

Shibaura is also highlighting various apps featured in machiNetCloud, including the new Sustain app, which enables molders to monitor power usage from machine, as well as apply an algorithm to determine the carbon footprint for each part.

Shibaura says that the software within machiNetCloud, which is web based, is provided to users for free for the first year, then requiring a subscription after that 12-month trial. Other apps track overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), preventive maintenance, downtime, scrap, quality and more. Werner notes that for small- to mid-sized shops, this is a managed system, with Shibaura handling security patches and firmware updates. “You don’t need a big IT department to utilize this platform,” Werner says.

April 2024 marked two years since machiNetCloud was launched, and Werner says interest has jumped substantially in 2024, with the company on pace to quadruple the number of users this year compared to the established base coming into 2024.

Shibaura says the new S-Concept enables molders to input all basic mold settings on a single screen for faster process setup, with the ability to automatically adjust for resin viscosity changes. One-touch, auto-set low-pressure mold protection is possible, and S-Concept also collects process data and can be monitored from anywhere via machiNetCloud. It can also monitor power consumption through the V70 controller. Shibaura is featuring S-Concept in live demos on four different manufacturing cells at its booth.