An overview of smart manufacturing
IoT plays a foundational role in enabling smart manufacturing; however, there are a few additional or complementary technologies (which we will discuss later in this chapter) that play an equally significant role, as shown in the following figure:
Figure 7.1 – IoT and related technologies that are smart-manufacturing enablers
Readers must be aware of certain terms that are used frequently in traditional and smart manufacturing. Let’s discuss these in detail.
Key terms/definitions
In this section, we’ll discuss some of the key concepts in the smart manufacturing domain:
- Digital threads: Digital threads connect disparate manufacturing processes or systems and provide an integrated view as they traverse through the different stages of their life cycles (conceptualization, production, usage, service, repair, and decommission). A digital thread is enabled by installing sensors across the...