Siemens Automation Summit Goes Modern

Older production machines don’t have to retire when they start to become less productive–not when modern automation systems can give them a new lease on life. That’s one of the messages that emerged from last week’s Siemens Automation Summit in Orlando, Fla. 

Modernization has become one of the top issues facing manufacturers, according to Raj Batra, vice president of Siemens’ Motion Control and Automation business. "At one point or another, manufacturers have to grapple with how to upgrade their production machines," he says. 

A couple presentations at the event underscored this point. One involved the use of modern networking technology to eliminate a failing slip ring on one of Osram Sylvania’s light bulb machines. The other detailed Owens-Illinois’ on-going migration from costly customized motion control systems to off-the-shelf drive-based controls for its glass forming lines. Click here for a closer look at both applications: