3YOURMIND and Accenture IIOT Enable Machine Connectivity

Accenture Industrial Internet of Things Center is optimizing production flow across the entire AM shop floor.

Berlin, Germany, September 28, 2021 - Distributed manufacturing as a solution for supply chain disruption is at the heart of the post-pandemic debate. This model involves a digital network of decentralized manufacturing sites spread across multiple locations and connected by digital technology. This model leverages the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to drive digital transformation forward. Industrial IoT uses a network of apps or sensors to collect production data from machines and push it into software to turn that data into valuable information about the efficiency of manufacturing operations. When it comes to 3D printing, machine connectivity is at the forefront of IIoT. It enables the transfer of data across globally connected manufacturing networks. 

With machine connectivity, operators now have a complete view of the shop floor with live machine data, enabling production monitoring, performance analysis, and identification of predictive maintenance and machine status in real-time.

Accenture and 3YOURMIND decided to combine their expertise to implement a distributed manufacturing platform through machine connectivity at the Accenture IIoT Center in Garching, near Munich, where an experimental project aims to design the future industrial shop floor and build the basis of a successful distributed manufacturing model.

The center is part of Accenture’s Industry X Innovation Network, which helps companies harness, rapidly implement, and scale the latest digital technologies and services. It provides companies access to the creative energy of advanced technologies to drive ongoing digital transformation, new growth, and heightened customer experiences. Whether the goal is transforming operations, reinventing products, improving customer and worker experiences, or realizing new business models, Accenture’s Industry X Innovation Centers are the ideal place to explore new business opportunities—and make them a reality.

Key Challenges of the Garching Center Include:

• Collecting and analyzing all part requirements and data from different machines and different locations
• The ability to incorporate different print technologies and diversity of machines in one central platform
• Being able to prioritize, track and schedule parts for production in real-time from multiple locations
• Monitoring and analyzing the results locally and globally

Machine Connectivity – The Backbone of Digital Transformation

The foundation of the smart factory is based on data and depends on solid communication between devices that speak the same language.

That’s where 3YOURMIND comes into play, leveraging its expertise in software and machine connectivity to connect the entire IoT center shop floor to optimize production flow.

1. Collect and Analyze Data From Different Sources  in One Platform

• The Agile MES (Manufacturing Execution System) by 3YOURMIND is the platform at the heart of the digital factory, thanks to machine connectivity. It optimizes scheduling, transparency, and quality assurance tracking along the AM production chain.
• Machine connectivity isn’t just about pulling data from 3D printers. It’s about gathering the information engineers and designers need to make the impossible possible. It’s being developed so that the features within the Agile MES reflect the real-time production information coming from the floor. It’s configured to schedule and track complex AM workflows. Putting actionable information in the hands of the right technical experts keeps the customers up and running. That includes both automatic and manual steps from printing and post-processing to quality assurance, documentation, and shipping.
  
  

2. Provide Standardized Machine Data

• Machine connectivity connects technical production machinery with other hardware and software for bidirectional controlling and tracking of production. It provides a single IoT platform converting multiple languages, which the Agile MES can process. The data are gathered and collected for data analytics and shop floor intelligence.
• Since 2019, 3YOURMIND has been focusing on building strong partnerships with AM machine manufacturers to connect their data into the Agile MES.
  
  

3. Enabl Distributed Manufacturing 

• The Agile MES platform offers the primary value by delivering the data to different machines, production locations and at different times, in a single point of control for all of your machines so that you can gain complete visibility into the operations.
  
  
• Monitoring large production facilities at multiple sites from a single source allows for intelligent control, data automation and quality assurance on an AM shop floor.
  
  
• The real-time machine data allows engineers to track production progress, regardless of the technology or physical location. Specific data points are captured to provide documentation for an audit trail of a successful production. The machine manufacturers choosing to be part of this network will make it easier for their customers to use a smaller subset of software systems and increase production by streamlining processes.
  
  
• With better visibility to the additive manufacturing environment thanks to real-time data, management and operators can improve analytics through the entire process, from customer management until production, to improve decision making.

Conclusion

The collaboration between Accenture and 3YOURMIND proves that machine connectivity in the IIoT for 3D printing is at the heart of accelerating digital transformation. It allows building a smart factory in a distributed manufacturing model based on machine data.

About ACCENTURE

Accenture is one of the world's largest multinational management and strategy consulting firms, headquartered in Dublin. Accenture provides strategic, digital, tactical and operational consulting in over 120 countries. In particular, Accenture Industry X offers a range of proven methodologies and solutions for embedding digital intelligence in the enterprise across diverse industries. Learn more about Accenture Innovation centers.

About 3YOURMIND

3YOURMIND's unique end-to-end workflow software enables industry leaders to build on-demand distributed production models. 3YOURMIND offers Enterprise Software to automate additive manufacturing processes and workflows. Their modularized product suite standardizes every aspect of the Additive Manufacturing supply chain from the creation of digital qualified parts inventories to shop-floor processes automation. The Agile PLM analyzes historical part data to build a digital inventory of AM-ready parts. The Agile ERP automates AM pricing, production recommendations and routine business processes for order management. The Agile MES optimizes scheduling, transparency and quality assurance tracking along the AM production chain. With end-to-end transparency, traceability and flexibility, the software lays the foundation for Agile Manufacturing. 3YOURMIND is a global organization with headquarters in Berlin, Germany and satellite offices throughout Europe and the United States.

Press contact and resources at 3YOURMIND here.

Ready to learn more? Rewatch 'Why Monitoring Your 3D Printers Will Drive You to Success.'