Why Monitor Your Shop Floor - My July 2012 Modern Machine Shop

This blog post is for those readers of Modern Machine Shop who saw the article I wrote in the July 2012 edition called:   Why Monitor Your Shop Floor 

The main page for MTConnect is here at MTConnect.org

MTConnect is a set of open, royalty-free standards and open source software intended to foster greater interoperability between controls, devices and software applications by publishing data over networks using the Internet Protocol.

 

MTConnect is a basic first step in linking shop floor technologies and moving towards the goal of seamless manufacturing operation. By establishing an open and extensible channel of communication for plug-and-play interconnectivity between devices, equipment and systems, MTConnect allows sources to exchange and understand each other's data. That common communication is facilitated by using widely accepted XML and Internet Protocol technology to provide managers with near real-time data from throughout a factory. 

Below is a great white paper on shop floor monitoring that compares a number of solutions:

MONITORING YOUR EQUIPMENT - APPLICATIONS

This is a study outlining currently available applications that utilize the MTConnect standard for interface protocol.  The MTConnect Institute conducted this study as part of the "Sustainable Aerospace Manufacturing Inititative" for the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) and The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT).  We are happy to say that both NCDMM and CCAT have allowed MTConnect to post this study for your review.

To review the study click Here.

I included a variety of information that you will likely find helpful as well.

GETTING STARTED WITH MTCONNECT - CONNECTIVITY GUIDE

The MTConnect Institute is pleased to announce the availability of a new document entitled "Getting Started With MTConnect - Connectivity Guide." This guide was created by the MTConnect Connectivity Working Group that is made up of members of the Technical Advisory Group of the Institute. The purpose of this guide is to answer the question, "How do I get started with implementing products in my manufacturing facilities that take advantage of the MTConnect standard."  This guide addresses both new and older manufacturing equipment and provides a very well thought out framework for getting stated on implementations.

You can download this document by signing in and going to the Download section of the web site then clicking on 'Instruction and Guidelines'.

To review or download this guide click Here.

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Below is a mixture of videos, podcasts and articles on MTConnect.  The videos are mostly from the [MC]2 MTConnect Connecting Manufacturing Conference we had in Cincinnati, Ohio in mid November this past year as well as information on MTConnect membership.   The videos that list the individuals below the titles are of special interest and well worth watching as these are the industry thought leaders who spoke at [MC]2.

This is an MTConnect video is about 7 1/2 minutes long and it does a great job with the history of MTConnect and detailing exactly how we got to the first release.

History of MTConnect (article)

Introducing MTConnect (article)

What is MTConnect - A Business Perspective (video)
Dave Edstrom, President & Chairman of the Board, MTConnect Institute

NOTE:  If only have time to read and or watch one video, please watch the one above as it lays out all the fundamentals of MTConnect.

I wrote an MTConnect article for PRECISION Magazine that is titled MTConnect: The Holy Grail of Manufacturing and Why This Time is Different.  The article is in the May/June version.   My article is on pages 20 and 21 of the May/June edition.  
  

Getting Started with MTConnect (video)
David McPhail, President & CEO, Memex Automation Inc.
John Turner, Director of Technology, FA Consulting and Technology

Expert Panel: Monitoring Your Shop Floor Using the MTConnect Protocol (video)
 Panel Host: Mark Doyle, VP of Sales, I/Gear Online, LLC

Panel: How Do I Make Money and Save Time with MTConnect? (video)
 Dave Edstrom, President & Chairman of the Board, MTConnect Institute

MTConnect in Real Life - MTConnect Users Panel (video)
 Panel Hosts: Ron Pieper, Program Director-MTConnect Solutions, TechSolve, Inc.
Paul Warndorf, VP - Technology, AMT-The Association For Manufacturing

[MC]2 Videos at MTConnect.org  NOTE: There are close to 23 hours of videos on MTConnect.   There are lots of interesting videos here, including six hours on how to write MTConnect applications.

Thanks and Best Regards,

--Dave

Dave Edstrom

President and Chairman - MTConnect Institute 

  MTConnect: Different Devices, Common Connection

  MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know