The 4.0 Factory Becomes Real

Not a simulation of a 4.0 factory, but a real 4.0 factory with 11 companies involved in the “real” production of a ball valve. The heart of the plant is a control panel which can monitor production parameters and the state of every single workstation.
This is an important example, not just from a technological standpoint, but also regarding the extent to which we can and know how to create value thanks to cooperation: an example of Italian concerns which can and know how to create a system.

by Silvia Crespi

The latest edition of the MCE trade show hosted a real 4.0 Factory. The FACTORY4.NOW initiative enabled eleven companies, each specializing in one phase of the production process, to show how it is possible to work in synergy to create added value. Visitors were able to see a ball valve manufactured before their very eyes, starting from the raw material, a brass rod.
At one end of the line the production of the ball is started, while at the other end the valve body production begins. The two components, the valve body and the sphere, after different types of machining, converge to the robotised assembly, control and testing stations, which then unloads the finished product without any need for manual intervention.
All machines are connected and managed by means of a network in an Industry 4.0 framework. The line’s functioning may be fully automatic, with no supervision, excepting the presence of a qualified operator at the control panel.

The production process, step by step
Here are the work stations in order, from left to right. The first station, the CN Flexiball work centre created by Sala, produces the ball, that is, the element which guarantees the valve’s tightness. After being fed with the rod, a piece is cut off and undergoes the five machining phases necessary to form the ball. When it leaves the work centre the ball is clean and dry, ready for the assembly phase where it is transferred by a robot. The work centre with fourteen numerically controlled axes can run on three shifts with no supervision and may be managed by an external control centre, as in this case.
Let us now reach the other end of the plant, where the rod is fed into the production of the valve body. The first station is an induction oven manufactured by FarmBrass. Here the bar is heated and cut into chunks which are picked up by a robot in order to reach a numerically controlled press by Automazione Industriali,where they are forged. The forged valve body is then put through a cooling tunnel (manufactured by the same company) which it leaves to be transferred to Cogeim’s sandblasting/shot peening station.
At this stage the valve body, by means of a vision system, is oriented and led to a rotating table transfer with a horizontal axis (BTB Transfer) which machines it completely. From here it is automatically unloaded onto a conveyor belt to reach Eurofimet’s washing/drying station, which the item will leave ready for the assembly station.
The assembly and testing station, manufactured by Felp, is entrusted with assembling the valve body and ball and carrying out all the verification tests. Assembly requires three phases: mechanical assembly, testing and a finishing phase where the product is completed with its accessories, identification code, checks and so on. The assembly station also has the task of certifying the quality of the finished product, even in terms of security, a fundamental element for this type of component.
The complete and tested valve was manufactured during the trade show at a rate of one item every 4 seconds.

The control center, real heart of the 4.0 factory
The control center is the real heart of the production line. This is where the entire production process is started and controlled. By means of various monitors it is possible to check in real time the state and parameters of every single machine, thereby controlling the entire production process from a single position. XPLAB was entrusted with the creation of this “General Supervisor”. Paolo Lozzi, the company’s owner, commented: “This 4.0 Factory is the real implementation of the 4.0 concept. All machines are connected by a network to one another and to a control centre. A 3D synoptics allows the operator to have a synthetic and immediate vision of the state of the plant. The technologies which come into play are highly advanced, starting from the programming languages used, first of all PowerBerry, which allowed to develop applications for different types of boards. All of this reflects itself on FACTORY 4.NOW’s server on the tailor-made app. During the trade show anyone could connect using the app, see in real time the state of the machines and know when a production cycle was started.
From a technical standpoint the project implied a considerable effort… Without adequate software tools, it would have been insane. Cooperation with single manufacturers was essential. FACTORY4.NOW is an important example, not just technologically, but also as regards how much value we can create by cooperating. The value of each machine is multiplied… An example of how Italians can and know how to create a system”.

A zero-impact 4.0 factory
The entire line has zero impact from an environmental standpoint. It is equipped with a coalescence filtration plant for the oily fumes generated by the forging press, created by Sotec. “It is a technology which we introduced specifically for the brass moulding sector – the owner explained. Today we have hundreds of plants both in Italy and abroad. In this case a patented coalescence cylinder was inserted which can increase the efficiency of filtration in the case of highly lubricated automatic presses for large productions, as was the case with the press of this line”.

To conclude…
“The line was assembled as an example for the trade show – Gianfranco Sala, Managing Director of Sala Srl, the company which manufactured the Flexiball work centre, explained-. Actually we already aroused considerable interest especially form foreign operators for the complete line delivered turnkey. Of course we are willing to examine these requests and adapt the properties of the single machine to create a complete line or a partial one, depending on requirements. The synergy is there, we tested it and this is the most important thing. “In spite of the large number of companies involved, each with its own characteristics – Carlo Lonini, President of Felp, the company which manufactured he assembly station, concluded – the result was easier to obtain than what we thought. The trump card was the will to cooperate. After several months of preparatory work, the entire line was set up in less than a week”.