Unlocking the potential of AI

EDITOR’S NOTE: This report is an amalgam of several recent industry events attended by CTE Editor & Publisher Dennis Spaeth during his travels in April and early May.

I have to admit, when I recently set out on a series of industry related trips — both far and near — the subject of artificial intelligence (AI) was not on my radar for this June issue. Then I attended CERATIZIT Open Days 2024 in early April for a media event highlighting the toolmaker’s newest technologies and facilities located throughout Germany and Austria. When the subject of AI came up during a panel discussion the first day, an idea for this report began percolating.

The following week, I heard more about AI during a day trip to the “Efficient Manufacturing of Orthopedic Implants” seminar held at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. Organized by GF Machining Solutions, Lincolnshire, Illinois, the seminar presented the latest advances in orthopedic implant manufacturing. Among the participating companies presenting was ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions, Maple Grove, Minnesota, which outlined the potential for AI to overcome technical limitations related to quality assurance analysis of orthopedic implants. Not only can AI improve orthopedic implant productivity and process reliability, it would be particularly helpful meeting federal regulatory requirements for an audit trail of the entire manufacturing process.

Siemens presented the first generative artificial intelligence (AI) product for engineering in an industrial environment at Automate 2024. Image courtesy of Siemens

Then, about a week later while attending the MFG 2024 meeting in Orlando, Florida, I noticed the first keynote presentation, titled “ChapGPT, AI and beyond: Game-changing technologies that will impact your industry.” The keynote presenter was Gene Marks, an author and the owner of the Marks Group PC, which provides technology and consulting services to small- and medium-sized businesses.

The chief takeaway from the keynote presentation was this: “Clean up your data in 2024,” Marks told the audience. Cleaning up your data now, he said, is the best way to prepare for the next step, which will be to invest in AI beginning in 2025.

While attending Automate 2024 in Chicago early last month I heard a good deal more about how AI integration is already underway within manufacturing. At Automate, Siemens Digital Industries, Nuremberg, Germany, announced that its SIMATIC Automation Workstation connects internet technology workflows to operational technology environments.

With the SIMATIC workstation, manufacturers will be able to run an expanded variety of modular applications for motion control, sequencing and safety. Deployment of the technology is already planned for a number of Ford Motor Company manufacturing facilities.

Given all the AI-related information collected during my travels, I turned to ChatGPT for help sifting through hours of recorded notes. Here’s how ChatGPT summed up all the information I fed into it.