REDMOND, Wash. — May 10, 2011 — Modern manufacturing facilities are home to some of the most technologically advanced and precise machines today. And many factories around the world are equipped with devices hard at work helping manufacturers weigh, count and measure industrial and consumer-packaged goods — from cereal and cookies to pet food and soft drinks.
What you may have not known is that Microsoft’s Windows Embedded technology is behind the scenes and on the ground floor of modern-day manufacturing facilities. Many of today’s manufacturing and industrial automation devices that keep the production line running smoothly are, in fact, running on Windows Embedded platforms.
Italian company MPB provides one example of how the manufacturing world is taking advantage of Windows Embedded platforms on the plant floor. The company’s C1 Series Multihead Weigher, running on Windows Embedded CE, counts the precise number of goods — such as cookies, crackers, hard candies, cereal, pasta and even pet food — for packaging. The weigher can be controlled remotely, which helps ensure that manufacturers are meeting their set requirements without overfilling and losing money on production costs.
Olivier Bloch, Windows Embedded’s very own technical evangelist, recently highlighted MPB’s weigher on his embedded blog, and even shows the machine in action.
Foods and solid materials are not the only items being calculated on the manufacturing floor. Windows Embedded is helping to measure and weigh liquid products — even aerosols and sprays. The RADWAG Rotational Scale, based on Windows Embedded software and SQL database server, was chosen by Poland-based RADWAG to keep things running efficiently during the production process, ensuring projects are completed on time and on budget. This scale serves numerous companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, distilling and food-processing industries.
So next time you’re eating your favorite cereal or using a household air freshener, take a minute to ponder the intricate manufacturing process, often fueled by Windows Embedded platforms that help bring that perfectly packaged product to your home.
Be sure to check back on the Windows Embedded News Center for all the latest news, and get up to the minute information by following the @MSFTWEB Twitter handle.
