Industrie 4.0 represents the next major step in the development of industrial production – after mechanization, electrification and automation, manufacturing systems are now being digitalized and networked. Machines, systems and products are interconnected, exchange data in real time and increasingly make decisions independently. The goal:
Sensors are the basis of every smart factory. They record physical variables such as distance, color, pressure or movement and convert them into digital information.
Only with this data can a machine “understand” what is happening in its environment and react to it.
“Sensors are the eyes and ears of networked production. They provide the basic information on which modern automation, AI models and process optimization can be built in the first place. Without them, Industrie 4.0 would only be a concept – not a functioning system.”
A core element of Industrie 4.0 is bidirectional communication.
With IO-Link-capable sensors from wenglor, not only can measurement data be transmitted, but device settings and diagnostics can also be carried out remotely.
This reduces set-up times, facilitates maintenance and ensures complete transparency about the status of all sensors in the network.
While classic sensors deliver measured values, Smart Cameras and Vision Sensors analyze complex data directly in the device. The Smart Camera B60, for example, uses deep learning algorithms for object detection, text capture and quality inspection – without a separate analysis module.
This makes image processing an integral part of intelligent manufacturing and makes a decisive contribution to quality, traceability and efficiency.
Using laser distance sensors and 3D sensors, wenglor captures geometries and distances down to the micrometre range.
This high-precision data serves as the basis for digital twins – virtual images of real processes or systems that enable simulations, predictive maintenance and process optimization.
For Industrie 4.0 to work, sensors must also work reliably in demanding environments.
wenglor sensors are designed for this: resistant to dirt, vibrations and temperature fluctuations, with consistently high precision. This means that processes remain stable, safe and reproducible even under real industrial conditions.
Industrie 4.0 is no longer a vision of the future, but a living reality – and it doesn’t start with software, but with sensors. Sensors make machines alert, systems adaptive and processes intelligent.
With innovative solutions such as IO-Link sensors, Smart Cameras and Vision Sensors, wenglor provides the basis for the factory of the future: a production that thinks, communicates and optimizes itself – from the real world to the cloud.
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