Mazak SmartBox

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2017-04-03 16:13:00

MANUFACTURING MADE SMARTER

With the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) leading the way into the next Industrial Revolution, manufacturers must consider the best way to secure the “big data” that will come from connecting their devices to the Internet.

Mazak SmartBox is a revolutionary launch platform for easy and highly secure entrance into the IIoT. It is a scalable, end-to-end solution that connects manufacturing equipment, including machines, software, and other devices, to a factory’s network and allows the free flow of information to management systems via MTConnect®.

Learn more about how we are using Mazak SmartBox to monitor, analyze and protect manufacturing data in our Kentucky-based Mazak iSMART Factory™.

SECURITY

Mazak SmartBox provides advanced cyber security protection that gives factory owners and IT-departments confidence to digitally integrate their manufacturing operations. It includes a state-of-the-art Cisco networking platform and Layer3 Managed Switch, industrialized for the factory environment that prevents unauthorized access to communications taking place between the machines and the equipment within the network.

ANALYTICS

Mazak SmartBox gives users amazing insight into their machining operations. Whatever their particular analytical expectations, from utilization of individual machines and entire manufacturing cells to error handling and cycle time validation, Mazak SmartBox allows users to capture and analyze data to achieve levels of productivity never before possible.

As a completely open standard, Mazak SmartBox works in conjunction with all of the popular third-party analytical software platforms. Such openness gives Mazak SmartBox users the freedom to choose any software based on performance levels and operational needs.

MONITORING

Mazak developed Mazak SmartBox to work with and monitor data from any machine regardless of make, model or age and offers it in various configurations/kits based on the scenarios and challenges in which the units will be used. The device physically mounts to the side of machines without having to integrate into a machine’s electrical cabinet.

With several standard input/output connecting ports, Mazak SmartBox lets users quickly and easily connect standard off-the-shelf sensors to the system for machine data gathering and condition monitoring. One Mazak SmartBox may connect several machine tools along with other associated manufacturing equipment, depending on the application.

MANUFACTURING MADE SMARTER

With the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) leading the way into the next Industrial Revolution, manufacturers must consider the best way to secure the “big data” that will come from connecting their devices to the Internet.

Mazak SmartBox is a revolutionary launch platform for easy and highly secure entrance into the IIoT. It is a scalable, end-to-end solution that connects manufacturing equipment, including machines, software and other devices, to a factory’s network and allows the free flow of information to management systems via MTConnect®.

Learn more about how we are using Mazak SmartBox to monitor, analyze and protect manufacturing data in our Kentucky-based Mazak iSMART Factory™.

WHAT IS SMARTBOX?

Mazak SmartBox is a revolutionary launch platform for easy and highly secure entrance into the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). It is a scalable solution that connects your manufacturing equipment to your factory network and allows the free flow of information to your management systems via MTConnect® for Overall Equipment Efficiency (O.E.E.).

WHY DO I NEED SMARTBOX?

SmartBox provides advanced cyber security protection and gives IT departments and factory owners’ confidence to digitally integrate their manufacturing operations. It enables manufacturers to access real time data to improve overall productivity and respond to customer/market changes.

WHAT MAKES SMARTBOX SO SECURE?

The Mazak SmartBox includes a Layer3 Managed Switch, which is state-of-the-art security hardware similar to that found in many IT server rooms, but industrialized for the factory environment.

IS SMARTBOX ONLY FOR MAZAK MACHINES?

No. SmartBox works with any machine regardless of make, model or age.

CAN I CONNECT MULTIPLE DEVICES TO ONE SMARTBOX?

Yes, but connections may be limited if you plan to add or use the sensor options.

WHO INSTALLS SMARTBOX ON MY DEVICE?

Mazak technicians will install SmartBox on Mazak machines; however, mounting the box or power connections to non-Mazak machines is not supported by Mazak technicians.

WHO CONFIGURES SMARTBOX?

SmartBox has a default configuration. Each customer’s IT department is responsible for verifying the configuration of the network gear and making the final connection to their network.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING SMARTBOX?

SmartBox offers many benefits that will likely increase as new technology emerges. It is designed to be a launch platform for anything IIoT — now or in the future.

• Secures the machine from the network
• Secures the network from the machine
• Enables Edge/Fog computing and analytics
• Uses MTConnect as standard supported protocol
• Enables easy monitoring of equipment status and utilization

• Follow @CNCTimes