Ewon in Action: ŽĎAS Demonstrates Intelligent Use of Industrial Routers

The most frequent users of Ewon industrial routers are machine and equipment manufacturers. The remote access capability of these routers enables them to communicate with the control systems of the machines they manufacture and sell, even if they are on the other side of the world. In addition, Ewon Flexy makes it possible to collect data from machines and make it available to customers via visualisation. One of the companines that cleverly use all the benefits of these routers is the leading Czech engineering company ŽĎAS.

ŽĎAS – a Traditional Czech Engineering Leader

ŽĎAS, a.s. is one of the leading Czech engineering companies. For more than 70 years it has been producing reliable and modern metal forming machines, equipment for processing rolled products, metallurgical products and pressing tools. The company's products are exported to almost 50 countries around the world.

The main reason why Ewon routers have become a standard part of many of the machines of this major Czech exporter of various equipment is the cost savings on trips for service, program adjustment and fault diagnosis. ŽĎAS uses connections via fixed Ethernet cables as well as data SIM cards. The only requirement is the availability of Internet in the region.

How Does a PLC Programmer Use Ewon Routers in Practice?

"We connect to machines mainly for service diagnostics," says Pavel Král, PLC programmer at ŽĎAS. "If a machine has a problem, we connect to its PLC via Talk2M and advise the service or maintenance technician on site on what to look for, what to check, what to replace, etc. This greatly speeds up the search for the fault and its elimination. In the same way, we can make program adjustments from our office or bring the machine back to life in collaboration with the staff on site."

The PLC programmer sees other benefits in the ease of use and configuration. He also appreciates the highly secure access to the routers, including password criteria and two-factor authentication.

Two Typical Examples of the Use of Remote Access

A typical example of a machine using the Ewon router is mobile scrap shears for metal scrap processing. These machines work outdoors and are not connected to a fixed network. A data SIM card is therefore used to manage them. This solution saves time and money for both the machine manufacturer and its customer, who can carry out diagnostics or maintenance directly from their office without having to move around the site unnecessarily.

"At the moment we're also monitoring a new production line via remote access that we have delivered to a foreign company," explains Pavel Král. "The line has already been in operation for several weeks and we're tuning it remotely according to the customer's requirements without the need for us to be present on site."

Talk2M: An Effective Data Management Tool

Using the Talk2M Pro service, ŽĎAS programmers can connect to 95 routers around the world, from China to the USA. The Pro account allows a programmer to work with 4 other users at the same time. The programmer can assign users access to individual routers and restrict their rights. "On some jobs we use the capability to give a subcontractor temporary remote access to a specific IP address so they can manage the supplied control system. They don't have to set up their own remote access," adds Pavel Král.

"Some customers allow us to connect to their routers at any time, while others connect us via Ethernet cable only on request. It's their choice and we respect that," adds Pavel Král.

Collection and Visualisation of Machine Data as an Additional Service for the Customer

In addition to remote access, ŽĎAS uses Ewon Flexy routers to collect machine data, which is then displayed on a web portal in the form of an interactive graph. This data is statistically processed and enables customers not only to monitor the operating parameters and performance of a machine, or to improve the planning of the machine's operation, but also to increase the efficiency of maintenance.

How does the data collection work? "We've developed a cloud-based service that can be accessed via a web portal. The machine's operating data is transferred to the portal via the Talk2M interface, which allows us to obtain structured data from the given machine equipped with an Ewon Flexy that has direct access to the machine's control system," explains ŽĎAS Mechatronics Engineer Tomáš Dufek.

For example, customers can access the following data and aggregations:

• Number of shearing cycles
• Maximum shearing cycle pressure
• Fault reports
• Equipment utilisation efficiency
• Operation prediction
• Maintenance prediction

"By collecting data from control systems, we can offer customers not only the machine itself, but also a service that increases the efficiency of their operation and saves costs," concludes Tomáš Dufek.

4 Ways Ewon Flexy Helps Companies Like ŽĎAS

• Reduces service and maintenance costs thanks to remote access
• Increases machine availability thanks to faster troubleshooting
• Increases flexibility thanks to remote program modifications
• Gives the manufacturer and the customer a perfect overview of production parameters and improves maintenance planning

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And if you haven't tried Ewon Flexy yet, take advantage of the great opportunity to purchase the Starter Kit at an exclusive price (only one kit can be purchased per customer).