02 / MACHINES + DATA
Making a machine’s process visible.
A production line can generate information without making it available for analysis. I worked on that first step: capturing process data while keeping the machine’s existing control system in place.
Understand before connecting
The work started by observing communication between the operator interface and the PLC. I then mapped machine registers to the values shown on screen and to the behaviour of the line.
An observation layer
I implemented process-variable readings from an edge device, with Python logging and alerts. Acquisition was added as a second reader, preserving the line’s existing control system.
What this foundation enables
Diameter and temperature records make it possible to study changes over time. The implemented work focuses on acquisition and logging: a foundation for developing traceability, historical analysis and drift identification.
The lesson
Before thinking about a model, we need to know what is measured, what each value means and under which conditions it was collected. That infrastructure is part of the engineering work.