Virtual Factory™ from Orbit Technology Corporation provides a flexible, virtual representation of manufacturing facilities that enables monitoring and control of machines and devices via the Internet
Virtual Factory™ enables shop owners, managers, and supervisors to monitor all aspects of their manufacturing and warehousing facilities from anywhere in the world via the Internet. The software can automatically send e-mails, pages, and telephone calls to designated parties whenever a pre-programmed event is triggered.
Virtual Factory™ also allows users to directly control machines and other devices.Sample Applications· Program Virtual Factory™ to automatically call your cell phone to alert you that a machine scheduled to run until 3:30 a.m. actually stopped at 1:14 a.m.· Access the Internet from your factory in Denver and call up live, real time images of machines in both your Shanghai and Bangkok factories to ensure they are operating properly.· Check in on remotely located workers via video link or digital monitoring device to be sure they are following proper safety procedures.· Run a report based on log data that lists all start/stop times for a particular machine over a two-week period in order to determine optimal usage patterns.· Set up Virtual Factory™ to automatically track and monitor the status of each stage of a laser cutting process for sheet metal - from nesting to scheduling to cutting - to ensure on-schedule operation.
Arrange for notifications about aberrations to be e-mailed to five key staff members so that immediate action can be taken.· Activate your factory alarm system and check for security breaches from home.· Have Virtual Factory™ send an alert to the cell phone of security personnel whenever someone is detected entering your facility without the proper RFID-equipped badge.· Program Virtual Factory™ to e-mail the shop floor manager with an MPEG or AVI file containing video footage of the machine immediately before and after an unscheduled stoppage occurred.· Program Virtual Factory™ to automatically activate the factory lighting and cooling systems each day at 7:00 a.m. in preparation for the day’s operations.How it WorksVirtual Factory™ gives users a complete virtual representation of their factory or warehouse on their computer screen.
The software treats each real-world machine, device, and worker in the facility as a virtual object that can be viewed using an ergonomic, tree structure-based user interface for easy data access. Data constantly flows between Virtual Factory™ and machines/devices/workers in the facility for real time operation. Virtual Factory™ can poll the current status of machines, PLCs, RTUs, HVAC systems, and workers every few seconds and then keep track of data about their activities in a data log for future reference. The data can be used to instantly trigger actions by other devices, alert managers about potential problems, and generate performance reports for later review.
The software can carry out video monitoring and recording tasks and can accommodate Ethernet or USB-based cameras with built-in buffering capabilities. Virtual Factor™ can interface with any number of external software modules, including scheduling and nesting programs.Objects in Virtual Factory™ can be controlled either with pre-configured events or by users directly. Users with no programming experience can easily set up events in order to mirror the inputs, outputs, and “if-then” scenarios reflecting the needs of the operation.
Communication links with machines and other devices can be configured easily using a number of widely available digital input-output products.For more information about Virtual Factory™, please contact Jed Jones at 949-981-7001 or at [email protected] .About Orbit Technology CorporationFounded by manufacturing industry automation experts in 1993, Orbit has made its name supplying factory automation, CAD/CAM and Web-based collaboration software solutions to its base of clients in the U.S. and Japan.
Orbit employs a staff of highly educated, multi-lingual software solution specialists. The company's innovations continue to give its clients the power to access, manage, and control the data essential to their manufacturing success. Orbit maintains close ties with private industry and leading universities.