Siemens New Analyze MyDrive Edge Allows Users to Control and Analyze Drive Data
Siemens recently released Analyze MyDrive Edge, an application for users to perform high-speed data transfer and analysis across large industrial networks.
The Analyze MyDrive Edge is used with Sinamics Drives and the Drive System Framework to allow users and machine builders to control, manage, and analyze drive data.
Edge Computing, Cloud Capabilities, and IIoT
Edge computing is a way to handle the rapid increase of IoT and IIoT devices and the bandwidth they use. It is a way to offload some of the communication and processing load from cloud computing into servers nearer to use or data collection sites.
Siemens graphic showing how the Analyze MyDrive Edge works. Image courtesy of Siemens.
In cloud computing, all data must go to the main servers in the cloud. Still, with edge computing, some intermediate servers can handle data so that only specific data must be transmitted back and forth to the cloud. This speeds up data transfer speeds and allows for more IoT and IIoT devices to work together in a network.
The Analyze MyDrive Edge and AI
Rather than storing documents and data files on the cloud, the Analyze MyDrive Edge application will allow AI to look for trends and patterns in data collected and stored in the cloud.
Then, processed data, anomalies, trends, and data can be stored in the cloud. The rapidly collected data from drives are analyzed in an edge node instead of being sent directly to the cloud, which lowers bandwidth requirements and increases network speeds.
It is like having another group of engineers analyzing data. A group without suspicions, biases, and hunches can provide an additional scan of data. The extra set of eyes is handy when learning when and how machine maintenance is needed.
Siemens Mindsphere application has many similarities to the Analyze MyDrives Edge application. Image courtesy of Siemens.
While engineers and technicians may not be able to peruse every piece of data collected, the Analyze MyDrive Edge system can sweat the small details and find patterns before they cause shrink of saleable product or a mechanical failure.
In the early days of automation, the lack of sensors was the limiting factor for making control decisions. Now, sensors are affordable and plentiful in the manufacturing environment. The engineer’s job is to figure out which nearly-continuous streams of data need to be weighed against each other, all in an attempt to predict when a product will go out of specification or when a machine will fail. If they are successful, preventive maintenance becomes predictive maintenance, and machines can be optimized for longevity and reduced downtime.
A New Way to Handle Data
Siemens Analyze MyDrive Edge is a way to treat data differently. It is a way to handle data from the increasing number of sensors at high sampling rates. The Analyze MyDrive Edge can reduce the processing load on both the engineers and the facility’s communication infrastructure by flagging certain data sets.
The Analyze MyDrive Edge will become more useful in manufacturing and industrial environments as the amount of automation, and thus the amount of data being collected, increases.
