The following tips will increase the efficiency and flexibility of your future modular automation concepts and solutions.
Choose technologies that offer clear cost savings thanks to low energy consumption and lower maintenance costs. Consider both pneumatic and electric options to identify the most cost-effective solution for specific automation tasks.
Use concepts that enable you to opt for solutions with a completely modular structure or use simpler variants with fewer interfaces, depending on your requirements. This saves you unnecessary complexity and therefore costs. You only pay for what you really need. At the same time, you have the freedom to adapt your systems to changing requirements.
Make use of standardised components and interfaces to benefit from economies of scale. Standardised parts are often cheaper to procure and maintain, and also simplify warehousing.
Choose concepts that are quick and easy to maintain, such as the ability to replace individual modules without shutting down the entire system. A clear, intuitive design with component categories that are easy to understand simplifies work for your service staff. All this minimises downtime and maintenance costs.
Look out for solutions that are designed for high energy efficiency. In pneumatic systems, for example, particularly short tubing lines between the valve terminal and pneumatic drive lead to significant energy savings.
Make sure that your concept is open for the subsequent integration of future technologies such as artificial intelligence. With AI, you can use predictive maintenance to identify faults at an early stage and avoid costly repairs.