How Edge AI is Delivering Real Results in Material Handling Automation Today

Traditional manufacturing and material-handling automation processes work well from shareholders' and business owners' perspectives. Employees are already trained. Equipment is already in place and paid for. However, the workers operating those machines have valuable insights to share.

Your plant has several machines that run well until they suddenly fail, and you might not know when something will fail. Emergency repairs require the maintenance team must rush to diagnose and fix the machine component. Manual inspections are a key part of your business, but maintenance may miss early signs of problems. When something fails, it's costly.

Instead of waiting weeks or months for the part you need for a repair, make the shift from reactive maintenance to self-aware machines with predictive maintenance capabilities. Production and material handling automation run smoothly when you embrace Edge AI.

How Edge AI Is Going to Change Your Business

What are your perceptions of AI and what it entails? Some believe AI requires massive data centers, which they don't have room for on their plant floor. They imagine the yearly subscription costs are out of reach. There are also concerns about data transmission and any lag in sending and receiving data.

Edge AI is not what you expect. Instead of having AI accessible from a center in another state or even another country, the AI's brain is in your plant. It's embedded in the devices you choose. This allows for:

• Lowered Business Expenses: Cloud-based AI may incur subscription and storage fees, but Edge AI reduces your costs. It doesn't rely on the Cloud.
• Lightning-Fast Decision Making: Edge AI makes decisions in just milliseconds. The conveyor is jammed because a package got caught on something. Edge AI acts in real time, enabling immediate action and preventing equipment damage by making on-the-fly corrections.
• No Model Training: The Edge AI is already configured for your plant's products and needs, so there's no time or additional labor wasted on model training.
• Secure Data: Protecting your company's data is essential. When AI is handled within your company, it's not sent outside your plant's network, reducing the risk of data theft.

At Mitsubishi Electric, our AI approach starts right at the machine. Through our brand of AI technology, called Maisart, we embed intelligence directly into automation systems so they can think, adapt, and respond in real time, without waiting on the cloud.

That’s where Compact AI comes in. By building smart features directly into components like drives, controllers, and servos, Compact AI helps equipment spot issues early, fine tune performance, and keep operations running smoothly. The result is faster insights, more reliable machines, and edge level AI that works quietly in the background to make everyday automation simpler and more efficient.

Understand the Seven Different AI Solutions

AI solutions revolve around two types of data: Variables and Waveforms.

• Variables are discrete (countable) values, such as item counts, minutes, pressure, temperature, and torque.
• Waveforms represent signals that don't end, such as electrical currents, pulses, sound waves, and vibrations.

Using that data, there are seven different AI solutions:

1. 1.Feature Extraction (Clustering): Group data points to find patterns.
2. 2.Mahalanobis-Taguchi (MT) Method: Monitors for even the slightest shift in changes in current, temperature, vibration, etc., to look for abnormalities or changes.
3. 3.Multiple Linear Regression (MLR): Use input to predict what a single output will be.
4. 4.Process Control Limits: Use statistics to create safety guidelines or controls.
5. 5.Similar Wave: Take a master waveform and use that as the standard for other waveforms to conform to.
6. 6.Spectrum Analysis: Convert signals using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to reveal issues with machine health by analyzing frequency spectrums.
7. 7.Waveform Variation: Examine signals to find extraneous noise, motion, or other signs of problems.

Using these solutions enables AI to detect minuscule changes in the automation flow before they cause problems. Instead of waiting for a part to break and knock a machine out of service for weeks, problems are diagnosed early enough to make changes that keep your lines running.

Real-World Examples

We have a couple of case studies that demonstrate the power of a thoughtfully designed material automation system.

Hamrick Manufacturing

Family-owned Hamrick Manufacturing needed an automated packaging solution for a protein powder pick-and-pack operation with minimal floor space requirements. The company reached out to Mitsubishi Electric Automation with a short list of must-haves:

• Exceptional precision
• Gentle touch
• High power
• Small footprint

Our team developed a 17-axis automated pick-and-pack machine using compact MR-J4 Servo products with EtherNet/IP integration, HG-Series Rotary Servo motors, and FR-E800 micro-drives.

What happened next delighted Hamrick's management. Product changeovers were taking half an hour, but the new automated pick-and-pack machine completed the same task in just 40 seconds.

Material Handling Systems

Material Handling Systems (MHS) wanted safer, more efficient overhead cranes, so they reached out to Mitsubishi Electric Automation. Using FR-E800 variable-frequency drives, the team improved productivity and enhanced safety with anti-sway technology.

With this technology, crane operators could press and hold the button to increase speed without vibration. Best of all, the anti-sway technology was 10% cheaper than laser systems.

Our Hardware is a Game-Changer

Your factory is full of essential components, but material handling is a key factor. Think of it as your plant's main throughways. Materials are retrieved from shelves and storage areas. Conveyors, forklifts, and pallet jacks move materials from one location to the next. The finished product is then transferred to shipping for packaging and loading onto trucks.

Two specific Mitsubishi Electric products help you reach your Edge AI goals for efficient, cost-effective material handling automation.

FR-E800:

Our VFD and FR Configurator2 software ensures your system's operation is tailored to your company's needs. If something's wrong, you'll know before it's a costly, frustrating headache. The FR-E800 allows you to change control methods as needed:

• Advanced Magnetic Flux Vector Control (Speed/Induction motor)
• PM Sensorless Vector Control (Speed and position/PM motor)
• Real Sensorless Vector Control (Speed and torque/Induction motor)
• V/F Control (Speed/Induction Motor)
• Vector Control with Plug-In Option FR-A8AP (Speed, torque, and position/Induction motor)

When materials handling automation requires delicate items like glass bottles, positioning controls can be set to specify acceleration/deceleration time, speed, and target position.

MR-J5:

The MR J5 servo portfolio delivers exceptional reliability, safety, and performance for material handling automation. Designed for high-speed processing and real-time analysis, it comes standard with the functionality needed to maintain precision and responsiveness where it matters most. Because torque doesn't vary in high-speed ranges, work efficiency remains constant. Increase speeds and get the same quality output.

Key benefits include:

• Built-in AI algorithms: Machine learning based predictive maintenance and vibration suppression optimize performance and reduce downtime.
• Multi-network compatibility: EtherNet/IP™, EtherCAT®, and PROFINET supported on a single amplifier for integration with third-party controllers and EtherCAT masters; CC Link IE TSN available via dedicated amplifier models
• Familiar programming: Pre-tested Add-On Instructions for Studio 5000® Logix Designer
• Functional safety: Fail-Safe over EtherCAT (FSoE) with advanced safety monitoring functions
• High-performance motors: 26-bit battery-less absolute encoders for precise motion control
• Space and cost efficiency: Multi-axis amplifiers and compact motor designs

Not sure where to start? Mitsubishi Electric Automation works with you to evaluate your goals and budget, helping you select the right equipment for your material handling applications. Contact us online or by phone to learn more about installing equipment that brings AI directly into your plant.

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