When most people hear the term “edge computing,” they picture something really
complicated. They envision a cloud infrastructure or AI performing tasks like computer
vision or predictive maintenance. For many manufacturers, such applications
are a big leap from their current technology infrastructure. But the truth is that edge
computing is accessible to everyone.
Edge computing just means running a computer somewhere in your factory — at the edge
of the network and likely outside traditional PLC and HMI use cases. It doesn’t have to be
expensive. In fact, you can use tiny computers for edge computing that cost a few hundred
bucks or less. This makes it easy to invest in edge computing on a smaller scale and helps
you gain momentum toward your digital transformation and Industry 4.0 goals.
And if you select the right edge computing use case for your operations , you’ll see value
right away. Focus on the business value and the rest will follow.
The benefits of edge computing
Why run more computers on the plant floor? It’s all about getting the processing power
closer to the source of the data. Instead of having to shuttle information to and from the
cloud, edge computing keeps it close.
This leads us to some of the classic benefits of edge computing:
- Reduced latency;
- Better cybersecurity through a distributed architecture;
- Lower throughput that decreases network load and costs; and
- Improved reliability.
Just like smartphones brought digital into our daily lives, edge computing promises to bring
it into the factory on a flexible and scalable basis.
A simple edge use case for manufacturers
If you’ve read anything about edge computing, you’ve probably heard about using AI to
train a model in the cloud and then run it on the edge. Another popular example involves
using a distributed architecture for geographically dispersed assets.
But you also don’t need to do anything this complicated to reap the benefits of edge
computing. Here’s an alternative that provides the value of digital trends at a lower cost of
entry. By writing a small software application on a small computer, you can solve problems
in a much cheaper way than a traditional plug-and-play PLC, HMI or SCADA.
A purpose-built application for monitoring and control can simplify operations and
improve uptime. It can start small and then scale. This setup also has the capability to
connect to a larger distributed system as the solution grows.
While a larger, all-in-one SCADA system starts in the range of tens of thousands of dollars, a simple edge device can be procured and programmed for a fraction of that cost — cheaper than a traditional touchscreen HMI.
It may not have all the features of a traditional industrial automation product, and its use
might be confined to a single machine or process, but for manufacturers who don’t have a
lot of internal resources or ability to invest, this can be an advantage. That’s because thids
small computing program is easier to prove out and less complex for machine operators to
learn.
With computing hardware so affordable today, manufacturers can use digital technologies
to solve their problems with custom solutions. While the possibilities are boundless, there
are certain classes of problems that we see repeatedly:
- Need for better real-time visibility into a machine or process;
- Communication between machines or enterprise-level systems; and
- Data collection and analysis.
To give you an example, one project we recently worked on involved using a single-board
computer and Node-Red to take data from machines and push it to the cloud. We worked
with our customer to define a standard data set that was common across a series of
machines. Our device then collected that data and pushed it to Siemens Insights Hub.
Users could then access a custom dashboard that connected to each machine. The upside is
that their maintenance staff gained better visibility into the machines and were able to
optimize their maintenance scheduling and resources.
Start with value
Manufacturers who want to adopt edge computing should start small and focus on value.
Demonstrate a win, and the rest will follow as momentum builds.
Integrating a couple edge devices into your operations is also a great proof of concept for
software-defined automation, an approach to industrial automation that combines IT and OT, decouples control systems from the physical hardware, and leads to greater flexibility and modularity.
Software-defined automation and edge computing work hand in hand. Start small with a
pilot project, see the benefits for yourself, and then scale out. The great thing about this
approach is that it’s easy to expand to different types of hardware.
As your business sees the effect on the bottom line and your technical staff gains
experience working with digital technologies, you can continue to build up your systems,
piece by piece.
Even if you’ve taken some small steps toward Industry 4.0, you might be struggling to make
progress. A small edge computing project could be just the solution you’re looking for.
G Brooks-Zak, P.E. is Co-Founder of Outlier Automation, an integrator member of the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA). For more information about Outlier Automation, visit its profile on the CSIA Industrial Automation Exchange.
