Should you switch to smart sensors?

The latest smart sensors communicate detailed data and diagnostics, allowing machines to operate more effectively and operators to work more efficiently.

Sensors are essential in capturing basic diagnostics from industrial machines and equipment. However, as the people maintaining these machines near retirement, a new, younger workforce is emerging. Although this new generation is comfortable with rapidly evolving manufacturing technology and the data that comes with it, these employees aren’t necessarily as in tune with the equipment as seasoned staff.

Capturing contextual data to provide more predictive diagnostics and leveraging data across the manufacturing enterprise will be key to meeting these workforce and technology challenges.

Smart sensing technology is fulfilling this need, bringing deeper insight into the health of industrial machines to help current — and future – generations of operators optimize plant processes. While smart sensors offer key insights into a manufacturing operation, not all sensors need to be equipped with this technology. It’s important to know where and when to implement smart sensing capabilities.

Smart sensors can help streamline flexible manufacturing operations that involve frequent line changes with different-sized products.