The Internet of Things (IoT) has arrived in the textile machinery industry too. At the ITMA 2015 in Milan, Rieter showed the SPIDERweb mill control system with six new modules. Two of them are linked with the Internet.
The Internet of Things is a network of physical objects or simply things that are linked to a network via electronics, software or sensors. This enables the objects to collect and exchange data.
The Internet of Things is no longer a thing of the future and has also come to stay in the world of yarn manufacture. Rieter has taken the first steps in this field with two SPIDERweb modules – the Alert and Cockpit modules – as well as the Client module.
The mobile app with the Cockpit module (Fig. 1) enables mill personnel to monitor important spinning mill data in real time. Data are transmitted to the smartphone every two minutes. At any time, an overview of the efficiency of all machines of the current production can be retrieved.
Also data are available on production and efficiency of the last 5 shifts. With the view, differentiation can be made between an overview of the process stages and an overview of the spun articles.
The mill management defines the threshold values. If these are exceeded or undershot, the user receives a message in the Alert module (Fig. 2). There is always a possibility to compare it with a machine used for the same lot, as is the case with the link to climatic data such as temperature and humidity changes over the period. The user can then break down, extend or delegate the alert so that personnel can take appropriate action.
Client module – access when on the move
Industrial enterprises around the world are retooling their factories with advanced technologies. This allows them to boost their production flexibility and speed and at the same time achieve an unprecedented level of overall equipment effectiveness and customer satisfaction. This renaissance reflects the pressure that players in industry face today.
The Client module allows flexible access to SPIDERweb data. The customer can define several computers or tablets so that multiple users can access the same data pool. The client system is currently based on the Windows operating system. As the client, computer, laptop tablet or mobile phone can be used. In this way, the spinning mill can be continuously monitored and a decision taken at any time (Fig. 3).
SPIDERweb increases economic viability in spinning.
With a total of six new modules, SPIDERweb opens the door to an Internet-based spinning mill control system. This offers the customer the following advantages:
Mobile alert for quick action, energy monitoring for optimised consumption, quality control for constant yarn properties, climate monitoring for optimal production, assistant modules for know-how at the touch of a button, Cockpit module for highly productive quality spinning, and Client module for flexible access to mill data.
SPIDERweb is the only mill management system that collects, displays and analyses all relevant data from the spinning preparation to all four spinning systems. Working with the SPIDERweb Mill Control System ensures transparency and constant yarn quality, increases efficiency and ultimately lowers the mill costs.
By Nitin Patil, Head Product Management Systems, Rieter