REMOTE MACHINE MONITORING SYSTEMS AND SERVICES

1 . A system comprising:

an injection molding machine including a controller communicatively coupled to a network; and

a remote data center comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled to the network; wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

receive data from the controller representing the operation of the injection molding machine over time; and

based on the received data, automatically generate one or more predictions representing the future operation of the machine.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

provide data representing the operation of the injection molding machine to an expert remote from the machine;

receive a diagnosis of the machine from the remote expert; and

provide the remote expert diagnosis to a user of the remote data center.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide the received operation data to a user of the remote data center located remotely from the injection molding machine.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

automatically generate overall equipment effectiveness analysis based on the received operational data; and

provide the overall equipment effectiveness analysis to the remote user.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more predictions are generated based on a applying a statistical analysis of operation data from a plurality injection molding machines to the operation data received from the injection molding machine.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor deployed on the injection molding machine configured to provide data to the remote data center;

wherein the one or more predictions are further generated based on the sensor data.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to accumulate and store operational data for the injection molding machine for later retrieval by the remote data center.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a firewall deployed between the controller and the remote data center configured to prohibit control of the injection machine through the network.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a plurality of the said injection molding machines each having a controller, the one or more processors configured to receive operational data over time for each machine from its respective controller.

10 . A computer-implemented method for remote monitoring, comprising:

storing a measurement taken of an injection molding machine to a machine controller associated with that machine;

receiving operation data for the injection molding machine including the stored measurement from the machine controller; and

remotely displaying the received data including the stored measurement to a first user at a location distant from the machine.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

remotely determining a status of the machine based on the received data;

determining one or more remedial actions in response to the status of the machine; and

communicating the one or more remedial actions to a second user located with the machine.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

providing data representing the operation of the injection molding machine to an expert remote from the machine;

receiving a diagnosis of the machine from the remote expert; and

providing the remote expert diagnosis to a second user located with the machine.

13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

automatically generating overall equipment effectiveness analysis based on the received operational data; and

provide the overall equipment effectiveness analysis to the remote user.

14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

generating one or more predictions representing the future operation of the machine based on a applying a statistical analysis of operation data from a plurality injection molding machines to the operation data received from the injection molding machine.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

deploying a sensor on the injection molding machine; and

receiving data from the sensor;

wherein the one or more predictions are further generated based on the sensor data.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to accumulate and store operational data for the injection molding machine for later remote retrieval.

17 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

deploying a firewall between the controller and the remote data center configured to prohibit control of the injection machine through the network.

18 . At least one non-transitory processor readable storage medium storing a computer program of instructions configured to be readable by at least one processor for instructing the at least one processor to:

store a measurement taken of an injection molding machine to a machine controller associated with that machine;

receive operation data for the injection molding machine including the stored measurement from the machine controller; and

remotely display the received data including the stored measurement to a first user at a location distant from the machine.

19 . The medium of claim 18 , wherein the at least one processor is further instructed to:

remotely determine a status of the machine based on the received data;

determine one or more remedial actions in response to the status of the machine; and

communicate the one or more remedial actions to a second user located with the machine.