Hybrid computing systems in Industry 4.0

Imagine the roaring hum of a factory floor, where raw metal is transformed into powerful agricultural machinery. This is the daily grind for manufacturers in the agricultural machinery sector, a world fraught with challenges that can stifle even the most robust operations.

The metal price index has gone up by over 20% in the last 12 months resulting in material shortages and large hikes in the cost of sheet metal. Stainless steel has seen even more dramatic rises due to the high cost of nickel.

Historically, different material cutting technologies have been developed for different sectors of the market, each with its advantages but also disadvantages and limitations. Usually they have been developed around a single type of cutting, but for some time now combined methodologies are being used, such as water and plasma, punching and laser or punching and shearing.