Stefanie Flaeper, General Manager of transfluid
How sensible is it to retrofit older pipe
processing machine to make them suitable for
4.0?
Old bending machines have essentially the ability
to be converted if they feature new controller
components and these permit connection and
controlling of processes. This is a basic requirement.
Conversion of old systems to this standard is very
questionable, and it depends completely on the
individual case. If an older system only completes a
rudimentary task in the process, an upgrade may be
sufficient. In any case, and regardless of suitability
for industry 4.0, new systems enable faster, better,
and more economical processes. Plus, this is much
more sustainable.
What does a sustainable machine application
involve, and what needs to be considered
especially during maintenance and upkeep?
It is important that service is easy to complete,
downtimes are avoided, and that a supply of
replacement parts are available to the customer
or manufacturer. The service intervals need to be
recorded, displayed, and acknowledged. Preventative
service activities, e.g. via maintenance contracts,
and predictive maintenance enable the life span
and processing ability of systems to be improved
significantly. I n particular, predictive maintenance
is more and more interesting for our customers to
ensure long-term production and long life for their
machines. 2017 has already indicated this trend.
.
www.transfluid.net
TUBE NEWS March 2018
9