The Tough Task for Connected Tools

Twenty years ago, the automotive industry primarily used air tools to assemble cars. Today, 90% of tools are electric and 70% to 80% are connected. But when the connected tool market shifted from air to electric, tools still had to be corded for power, and to be connected meant connecting via industrial ethernet. Now, electric tools are increasingly battery-driven and wirelessly enabled. The tough task is figuring out how and where to start when deploying battery-powered connected tools.

There are two main challenges to solve when it comes to the deployment of wireless, battery-powered connected tools:

1. Stability and Uptime: There is a lot of value in the data and, in some cases, manufacturers are required to retain certain data for regulatory purposes. For example, the ability to feed data to and from the production system—Manufacturing Execution System (MES)—in real time to ensure that the right torque tolerance is applied to the proper part. Short-range wireless cannot support this level of service. For example, in automotive final assembly, technicians are often working inside the car, making the tools they use more susceptible to radio shadows (interference) on Bluetooth or WiFi.
2. Operator Freedom (Human Error): With the advent of battery-powered wireless tools comes operator freedom. Making sure the right operator is in the right car performing the right operations is critical. There are Ultra-Wideband (UWB) solutions to keep track of tools and achieve this, but they are expensive and cumbersome to install.

As a result, connected tool manufacturers like Atlas Copco and Bosch are being driven to cellular to connect their future products. Toyota Material Handling is having the same thought, but for connected forklifts. In all cases, the idea is to provide a new suite of capabilities for better track and trace, operational flexibility, and overall business agility; whereas in the past, it cost US$3,000 to US$5,000 every time you wanted to install or move a tooling setup.

When looking at a connected tool deployment strategy and where to start, there are several questions to ask:

1. Is the related task safety-critical? Safety-critical tasks often need traceability and therefore need to connect to the production system ahead of the other types. An example of a safety-critical task is making sure the wheels are properly tightened on a vehicle.
2. Is it quality-critical? Quality-critical tasks are linked to quality components, but if they break, there is no danger to the driver or passengers.
3. Is it customer-critical? Customer-critical tasks are those tasks deemed important by the customer, and do not present issues related to safety or quality.

Ultimately, the goal is to build a virtual, 3D model of the factory or warehouse to monitor, track, and trace the entirety of production. But it is a crawl, walk, run process. Connecting the tools used to make and move material is one key element (crawl), and obtaining real-time, item-level visibility into the “things” being manufactured is another (walk). Only after this can you begin to establish a true digital thread (run).

A good rule of thumb is that the less equipment you need to install, the easier it will be to move and rebalance assets to meet your evolving needs. For example, using virtual stations that centralize control of connected production tools has been shown to bring down the cost of new product introductions by 57%. Moreover, by integrating applications for part verification and documentation, operator guidance, and pick-to-light solutions, manufacturers can achieve a 15% reduction in defects and rework and a 30% reduction in training. This means that, down the line, because everything is connected and integrated, if there is ever an issue or warranty claim, tracking and tracing its source will become that much faster. If you are a manufacturer, the important action at this juncture is to identify which tasks are most critical to connect versus which are quickest and easiest…and get going. If you are a manufacturing solutions supplier, think about the tasks your customers are undertaking and work backwards to the tool (i.e., which to connect first and how).