The new Vision capabilities make it easier for manufacturers to integrate touchless triggers in their digital processes, and the cost-effective Edge MC reduces the barrier to entry for manufacturers looking to integrate the devices and machines they use in production.
Somerville, MA, February 25, 2021 – Today, Tulip announced two new products that further the democratization of manufacturing technology during the virtual event, Next Gen Manufacturing: The Rise of the Citizen Developer.
Tulip Vision
Tulip Vision extends Tulip’s approach to augmenting end-users with real-time feedback, accelerated workflows, and effortless data collection. Manufacturing engineers can now leverage change detection and jig detection capabilities in apps via the Tulip no-code platform and create production-ready vision systems with off-the-shelf cameras.
These new, intuitive, no-code Vision capabilities allow manufacturers to benefit from fault-reduction, real-time feedback, data collection, production visibility, and quality assurance use cases. Manufacturers can set up this functionality within a fraction of the time and without the capital associated with traditional computer vision solutions.
Tulip Vision is already in use at several manufacturing sites across the globe, with many sites using Intel RealSense cameras.
“To visualize and signal inventory flow in our warehouse and for shipping, we wanted to leverage computer vision,” said John Leahy of Laerdal Medical. “Rather than use expensive proprietary cameras, rigid configurations, and professional services, we set up and configured Tulip vision on our own in hours and with off-the-shelf cameras.”
Edge MC and Node-RED
The cost and the complexity of the setup of edge devices have long been a barrier for manufacturers wishing to incorporate machine connectivity for applications large and small.
The latest Tulip hardware, Edge MC, is a low-cost, low-profile device that enables wireless computing at the Edge. With accessible USB and ethernet connectivity, Node-RED, and more, Edge MC expands the capability of guided workflows and machine monitoring on the facility floor.
“We were looking for a fast, cost-effective way to build solutions that leverage sensor and machine data for a variety of applications,” said Audra Kirkland of Genie – a Terex brand, “Edge MC has allowed us to wirelessly transmit data to Tulip for interaction with the Human Interface so that we could collect information and use it to guide the team member’s next actions.”
With Edge MC, you can also now leverage Node-RED, a free, open-source flow-based programming language, to connect to even more devices and sensors and build powerful applications. Node-RED is also helpful for converting protocols, such as MTConnect and MQTT. Supporting these protocols increases the types of machines that you can monitor with Tulip. In addition, Tulip includes Node-RED nodes that directly communicate with the Tulip platform.
“From OPC-UA-ready CNC machines to serial screwdrivers, our many data sources are varied. To leverage everything, we must provide our Citizen Developers a way to transform the data into open protocol as REST API and MQTT and as close as possible to the source,” said Youri Regnaud of Cartier. “With Node-RED embedded in Tulip’s hardware, Tulip offers the Swiss Army Knife our teams need.”
The Vision capabilities are available now in Tulip under the “Shop Floor” tab and Edge MC is available for purchase on Tulip.co.
About Tulip
Tulip is empowering the world’s leading manufacturers to improve the productivity of their teams, the quality of their output, and the efficiency of their operations. With Tulip’s no-code platform, manufacturers can empower those closest to operations to digitally transform their shop floors and gain real-time visibility into the people, machines, and processes involved in production–all in a matter of days.
Contact
press@tulip.co