Molex develops industrial automation solutions and new flexible automation modules

Molex, the global electronics industry leader and connectivity innovator, has announced significant developments in its ongoing drive for Industry 4.0 and digital manufacturing initiatives. These advances, along with the introduction of Flexible Automation Modules (FAMs), further extend Molex's Industrial Automation Solution (IAS4.0), enabling stakeholders along the supply chain to build software-defined machines, robots and production lines. To meet the growing need for connectivity, security, scalability and efficient operations.

John Newkirk, vice president and general manager of Industrial solutions at Molex, said: "Traditional manufacturing systems lack the flexibility, connectivity and distributed intelligence to effectively meet rapidly changing market demands and consumer expectations. "Our traditional strengths in industrial automation, combined with Molex's long-standing relationships across the factory automation ecosystem, are driving the evolution of open, modular IAS4.0 and FAM solutions that significantly improve efficiency while reducing complexity, cost and time to market."

According to the "State of Industry 4.0" survey conducted by Molex in June 2021, more than half of the respondents expect to achieve their Industry 4.0 goals within two years. However, almost all participants representing manufacturers of robots, machines/production lines and equipment or control systems reported significant technical challenges. The biggest barriers include: separate IT and OT network infrastructure, restrictive communication protocols, limited remote access, uncoordinated cloud infrastructure and data solutions, and inadequate security capabilities.

FAM functionality provides unprecedented flexibility

As a core module of IAS4.0, FAM provides highly configurable and customizable connectivity, distributed control and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications to accelerate the development of flexible, modular and connected manufacturing machines. Pre-certified and customized FAM capabilities include distributed control, embedded safety and security, multiway communication, configuration and device management, and remote configuration and programming services.

Critical manufacturing data can be collected and shared seamlessly from sensors or complex devices, as well as between devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) or to edge devices and the cloud. Feeding this data back into artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics solutions can help accelerate the realization of actionable operational insights. In addition, real-time data acquisition can help identify potential issues to improve predictive maintenance and reduce downtime, while ensuring effective decision making through seamless integration with critical business systems and services.

Eliminating manual steps and reducing hardware dependencies is expected to reduce overall costs, improve margins and flexibility to meet emerging digital manufacturing needs. The use of pre-certified and customized applications and libraries also help equipment manufacturers to speed up the development of individual machine control requirements, thereby shortening the design cycle.

Increasing automation has increased productivity

Molex IAS4.0 and FAM are ideal for transforming industrial automation supply chains in the automotive, food and beverage, and material handling industries. By reducing reliance on hardware, manufacturers can reconfigure production lines to support the manufacture of custom products. In the automotive industry, for example, this technology allows different models to be produced on the same production line while automatically converting different functions and finishes, increasing the resilience of the supply chain as materials and parts availability change.

For manufacturers of complex machines and production lines, the Molex IAS4.0 solution includes software-driven FAM distributed control and embedded functional safety to reduce overall cabinet requirements. With the transition to a more flexible architecture, industrial automation stakeholders can advance their digital manufacturing strategies while improving line innovation and operational efficiency.

Future applications of Molex's advanced industrial automation solutions include the deployment of enhanced IP67 equipment to improve reusability and portability while simplifying cabling; Advanced sensors needed to deploy collaborative robots, such as motion safety; As well as zero-touch services and asset management services that update equipment, machines and systems automatically or on demand.