AI solution improves machine utilization, product quality, energy efficiency

Festo introduces the Festo Automation Experience (AX), a new artificial intelligence (AI) platform for predictive maintenance, predictive quality, and energy optimization. Using advanced analytics, Festo AX maps data to learn a component, machine, product, or energy system’s healthy state. Festo AX provides actionable information to correct anomalies when data begins trending out of normal.

This new solution from Festo improves machine utilization and quality, lowers waste, and ensures energy optimization. It provides a bridge between advanced analytics arising from operational technology and IT-based business intelligence. Festo AX gives companies a tool to be more competitive and sustainable. It also provides original equipment manufacturers with a notable differentiator for their machines and systems.

Festo finds that Festo AX can improve process transparency by 100%. It can lower waste by more than 50% and product rejection costs by more than 45%. Machine availability can improve by more than 25%. Unplanned downtime can fall by more than 20%.

In a predictive quality application for silicon wafers production, Festo AX provided early detection of wafer defects. It improved accuracy for quality assurance sample selection and delivered high positivity in quality observations. Festo AX lowered waste per machine per year by $100,000.

At a premium-segment auto plant producing 1,000 cars per day, Festo AX continuously monitored actuation data from the plant’s welding guns. Festo AX is credited with decreasing unplanned downtime by 25% at the plant.

Festo offers AX turnkey solutions for food and beverage packaging, pneumatic components, welding systems, and machine tools. Festo AX modules include predictive maintenance, quality, and energy. Proof-of-business value can be ascertained in weeks. Pilot projects, for example, typically take 6 to 12 weeks to complete. Once the business case has been made, rollout to machines, lines, and factories can be accomplished in three to six months.

Linking Festo AX to the Festo Smartenance or third-party maintenance management programs further enhances effectiveness and efficiency by giving the maintenance department a major new tool to keep the machines making quality products at optimum energy consumption.