In partnership with Kirey Group, Milesight has provided an energy efficiency solution for a leading producer of plastic components.
The client, specialized in producing plastic components for the automotive industry, utilizes a wide range of machinery, including high-energy-consuming hydraulic injection molding presses. The company aims to enhance operational efficiency by reducing energy costs in the production of its plastic components.With a vast array of machinery, the client operates a large-scale production plant spanning 10,000 m². The plant comprises distinct areas dedicated to various stages of the manufacturing process, including production area, quality control, material storage and administrative offices. Within this plant, 15 hydraulic injection molding presses are strategically positioned, each with an average electrical power rating of 28 kW. Operating in three shifts, these presses contribute to a cumulative annual operation totaling 5,500 hours.
Solution
To achieve the customer's goal of improving operational efficiency by reducing energy costs, we proposed the integration of the Kirey IoT platform with the following Milesight devices:
- 15 Milesight CT10x: one for each injection molding machine, to monitor energy consumption in real time.
- 15 Milesight UC300: which act as remote control of the presses, to facilitate the implementation of corrective actions.
- 3 Milesight UG65 Gateway: This gateway device facilitates communication between the Milesight sensors and the Kirey IoT platform, ensuring efficient data transmission and management.
This integrated solution empowers our client with actionable insights and precise control over energy usage, paving the way for significant operational improvements and cost savings.
Milesight Devices Integration
CT10x sensors have been connected to the presses to monitor energy consumption in real-time. These sensors provide precise data on the electrical current absorbed by the machinery, enabling the company to identify potential inefficiencies and energy wastage. Milesight UC300 devices act as a remote controller for industrial devices, allowing the IoT platform to implement corrective actions through the integrated rule engine. Automatic startup and shutdown of machinery have been programmed based on production needs and energy consumption peaks, thereby optimizing overall operational efficiency. Additionally, Milesight UG65 gateways enables bidirectional communication with the platform, collecting data from CT10x sensors and UC300 devices, ensuring efficient data transmission.
IoT Platform Features
- Energy consumption monitoring: CT10x sensors collect data on machinery energy consumption with a frequency of up to 3.3kHz, providing a detailed real-time view of energy consumption.
- Calculating consumed energy: The IoT platform processes data collected by sensors to calculate energy consumed by each machinery, enabling accurate assessment of energy performance.
- Remote control: The platform offers remote control of machinery based on detected energy consumption data. Through the rule engine, custom rules can be defined to activate or deactivate specific machinery to optimize energy usage.
- Energy optimization: Through integration with company production data and the application of machine learning algorithms, the platform suggests optimal times for machinery startup and shutdown to maximize energy efficiency without compromising production.
- Customized dashboards: The platform offers the possibility to create customized dashboards, allowing staff to intuitively visualize monitoring data and conduct trend analysis, anomaly detection, and machinery performance analysis over time.
Benefits
- Energy Usage Optimization: By integrating data from CT10x sensors and UC300 into our IoT platform, it was possible to carefully monitor machinery energy consumption and identify areas of waste or inefficiency.
- Operational Cost Reduction: In the production area, the 15 presses, with an average electrical power of 28 kW each and operating on 3 shifts for a total of 5,500 hours annually, consumed approximately 2,310,000 kWh per year. The cost of energy consumed by the presses amounted to €346,500, representing about 71% of the total plant consumption. By implementing real-time monitoring and control solution for machinery, energy-related operational costs were reduced by 27%, resulting in a saving of €93,500.