Memory matters. Getting in right in Automation

The tech talk looks at Automated systems and the different facets and what the memory and storage requirements could look like. What to avoid, innovations in memory and storage.

The shift from automated physical manufacturing to automated cyber-physical systems is referred to as Industry 4.0, Smart Manufacturing or IIoT. Todays automated systems has seen a huge shift in connectivity and autonomy between systems, machines, collecting vast quantities of data along the way and analysed in the fraction of a second with little or no human intervention.  Automated systems improve productivity, efficiency and gives business owners to manage data better to continuously improve.

Automation has many branches, depending on where you are engaged. Memory and storage are at the very beating heart of any automated processes, otherwise nothing would function. Systems need to think, communicate, adjust and store data. 

The knock-on effect of any system crashing could be; loss of revenue (for you and your customer), delays in manufacturing / line shutdown, engineer call out time (troubleshooting and fix) not to mention potential PR damage and company reputation within the supply chain. Something so small such as memory plays a vital part in system uptime, so getting it right can make the difference between production lines running or standing still.

Automation covers a vast array of sub sectors such as; robotics, artificial intelligence, sensors, security, machine vision, autonomous vehicles, cloud and big data – there are dozens of automated sectors, but this tech talk will look at memory and storage which is geared towards Automation and answers some of the most commonly asked questions the team get asked.

Why does my memory card fail?

Probably because the wrong type of card is not being used. Cards are vastly different from how they are made, the types of components used, the controllers and the NAND Flash. Understanding the differences may help but we always advise in speaking with our technical team to ensure the right card is being used. We also offer a dual source option.

Is the type of NAND Flash important?

100%. There are many different types of NAND available and selecting the wrong type can have detrimental effect on your data.

I lose my data if there is a sudden loss of power.

Power loss protection is a more common feature on Industrial Grade storage. If there is a sudden loss of power the SSD for example will store a small amount of power to ensure the SSD shuts down safely without losing data. This feature is not available in consumer grade devices.

Below are a few brief examples of how we have helped customers in the automation space.

Card failure - dual source option

A Simms customer involved in the printing and coding sector approached us as their current microSD card kept failing. Our experts sat down with them to fully understand the requirement, the data being written to the microSD card and why the current product kept failing. From intensive testing of multiple microSD cards tow were approved for use, from ATP. including a 4GB MLC and 8GB MLC microSD card. Over 250,000 cards have been supplied with a zero failure rate.

Real time production monitoring

A customer involved in real time monitoring contacted Simms because they were using consumer microSD cards without any issues until they randomly stopped booting their applications and witnessed a chain reaction of 40+ failures. They didn’t understand why but when Simms investigated, they were simply using the wrong type of card and the issue was endurance related.  After discussion and sample testing they now use an 8GB ATP microSD card in SLC mode (pSLC) for extended endurance with over 30,000 programme erase cycles.  Over 1,800 cards have since been supplied with zero failures.

Fulfilment Centre - Wide temperature solution. 

A company that funs multiple fulfilment centres were having issues with 2.5" SSDs in their picking bots, specifically for the freezer sections. After speaking with the design team and understanding their data and endurance requirements, the bots now use wide temperature Innodisk 3TE7 SSDs with 128GB capacity ensuring they can cope with the cold temperatures and perform 100%. To date over 6,000 SSDs have been supplied with zero failure. 

As a result of our expertise, they now use Simms for the supply of 64GB Industrial grade microSD cards to the tune of 10,000 units a year.

This customer also opted for Project Registration on the 3TE7 ensuring they receive the same solution time and time again. Project registration over the lifetime of a project can help you get preferential pricing and allocation. Read more about Project registration

Recovery from Sudden Power Loss  - at the push of a button

InnoOSR - On Site Recovery.

InnoOSR from Industrial manufacturers Innodisk, is a range of SSDs that provide system recovery with a push of a button. Great for sudden system failure or the dreaded blue screen. The reboot process is simple, and data is not lost.

InnoOSR’s unique architecture allows operators to restore the SSD drive to a working state with a single push of a button – or through other innovative ways depending on how the operator integrates InnoOSR in the application.

Read more on InnoOSR

Remotely monitor every SSD in a facility

Innodisk have devised a programme called iCAP, the Innodisk Cloud Administration Platform, which is a browser-accessed management platform that allows you to monitor the status of solid-state drives (SSDs), memory, and other components in edge devices. iCAP accomplishes this by gathering data from all connected devices and storing it on a central server, either in the cloud or on one’s intranet. From there, the data is easily accessible from internet-connected cell phones, tablets, or laptops, below. This gives real time data with any potential problems being flagged and can then be actioned for maintenance, repair or reboot.

iCAP is a perfect companion for out-of-band-enabled devices, allowing operators to seamlessly manage and restore edge devices that have broken down. With convenient out-of-band management from anywhere, iCAP reduces maintenance costs and downtime for devices everywhere. Watch the iCAP video

As an upgrade option, or even a new installation iCAP can save crucial engineering resource – time and money.

Factors to take into consideration when selecting memory and storage for Smart Manufacturing.

• Speed. Measured in MB/s The Read and Write speeds of flash devices measured as MB/s The higher the numbers the faster the transfer speed. SATA SSDs top out at 600MB/s although many rarely reach these speeds. PCIe, however is very different with speeds often starting around 900MB/s and as fast as 3000MB/s
• Security AES-256 – do you need it and why it matters. AES-256 encryption keeps your data secure. Its so secure it has been calculated that it would take a supercomputer a billion, billion years to crack it.
• Customisation – Such as firmware and power settings can be customised to improve efficiency and endurance. Industrial grade modules are highly customisable ensuring that it works at it’s optimal level.
• SMART monitoring. You monitor systems, so why not monitor your storage systems as well. By using SMART Technology which comes as standard with most SSDs you are able to monitor the health of an SSD. There is even software that enables you to monitor multiple SSDs across a network, iCAP from Innodisk (more below).
• Endurance. Flash does wear out, so getting the right type of NAND Flash can mean the difference between system failure and operation. Our tech talk article explains this in more detail
• Power Protection. Unexpected power loss causes all kinds of issues to electrical devices and systems. Power Protection ensures your SSD shuts down safely and does not lose data because of unexpected power loss.
• Through life cost. Buy once and buy well. There is a good reason why industrial grade memory and storage is more expensive, and different than commercial grade.  Read about the differences.
• Conformal Coating. Factories can be noisy and dusty places. Conformal coating is a protective coating of thin polymeric film applied to printed circuit boards, Components, SSDs etc. The coating is named conformal since it conforms to the contours of the internal components, so no dust or moisture can contaminate the sensitive circuitry of the SSD.

Investing in vast automation systems and applications is a huge outlay for any business. As time progresses systems can see a change or a dip in performance, so an upgrade in components may be in order – memory and storage included. Upgrading to newer more efficient technology can be a straightforward process if you have partnered with the right expert in this field, such as Simms. In every upgrade we ask the questions that matter to ensure the right fit, form and function, first time.

Need units to evaluate? Not a problem for Simms with our close working relationship with the manufactureres we can get customised samples quickly for you to test and approve - it's all part of the service.