한국주조공학회

With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, the interest in the internet of things (IoT) in manufacturing is growing, even at foundries. There are several types of process data that can be automatically collected at a foundry, but considerable amounts of process data are still managed based on handwriting for reasons such as the limited functions of outdated production facilities and process design based on operator know-how. In particular, despite recognizing the importance of converting process data into big data, many companies have difficulty adopting these steps willingly due to the burden of system construction costs. In this study, the field applicability of IoT-based devices was examined by manufacturing devices and applying them directly to the site of a centrifugal foundry. For the centrifugal casting process, the temperature and humidity of the working site, the molten metal temperature, and mold rotation speed were selected as process parameters to be collected. The sensors were selected in consideration of the detailed product specifications and cost required for each process parameter, and the circuit was configured using a NodeMCU board capable of wireless communication for IoT-based devices. After designing the circuit, PCB boards were prepared for each parameter, and each device was installed on site considering the working environment. After the on-site installation process, it was confirmed that the level of satisfaction with the safety of the workers and the efficiency of process management increased. Also, it is expected that it will be possible to link process data and quality data in the future, if process parameters are continuously collected. The IoT-based device designed in this study has adequate reliability at a low cast, meaning that the application of this technique can be considered as a cornerstone of data collecting at foundries.

Centrifugal casting, Process data, Big data, Internet of things and Device