Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCVExperience digitization in assembly
Learning factory for networked production
Experience and understand industry 4.0
The learning factory for networked production creates an understanding of cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) and demonstrates their potentials for application in practice. Guided tours, seminars, and courses teach everything about "networked production" with close reference to practical and everyday applications. Based on a scenario from gearbox production, the implementation of CPPS in mounting systems or production processes becomes alive and concrete. Different formats are used in this context, such as for instance a simulation game for result-based planning and multi-modal mounting assistance and robot systems. The general aim is to integrate CPPS into real industrial environments at industrial partners and to enable companies to use CPPS successfully at their sites.
Networked systems - The future of industry 4.0
With the aim of intelligent control, flexibility, and resource efficiency, networked systems play a key role for applications in an industry 4.0 context. Such cyber-physical systems (CPS) as the next evolutionary stage of embedded systems for instance offer innovative functionalities with respect to ad-hoc networking, self configuration, and decentralized data processing. By using these CPS as products and resources, so-called cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) are created. The great potential of digitization is both in the networking within a production system and in the creation of production networks on a technological and organizational level. The virtual representation of production resources and systems as well as an increasing use of simulation technology and tools are also promising aspects of the fourth industrial revolution. Faster commissioning and also improvements to continuous engineering process chains will be a result of the evolutionary step. In addition, assistance and control systems are created that enable the efficient organization of complex production processes and will also deliver a benefit for humans through simplifying the transfer of information by means of animated graphics or voice output.
Objectives
- Reproducing a real production scenario based on the example of gearbox production.
- Mapping common production steps from logistics, quality inspection, manufacturing, mounting, to storage.
- Establishing an open platform for integrating current and future research projects.
- Networking all components and mapping in production IT (SAP ERP and SAP ME).
- Integrating current auto ID technologies, e.g. RFID.
- Linking real production and process simulation.
Digital workplace: connection and acceptance of assistance systems
Digital assistance systems for assembly often meet with a lack of acceptance. In order to sustainably increase acceptance, a demonstrator was developed at the Fraunhofer IGCV, which shows the current systems and makes them tangible by means of an exemplary assembly.
This approach allows an active involvement of future users in the introduction process. This integration increases the acceptance of digital support and brings added value to both the installers and the companies.
The demonstrator is available for research purposes and will be continuously expanded. We are always looking for interested companies to work together on future-oriented solutions within the framework of public research projects.
Digital assembly table in the learning factory for networked production
Augmented Reality: Assistance for production processes
In networked production facilities, manual tasks are becoming more diverse and complex. In addition, available resources must be used flexibly.
Assistance systems can help to adapt the qualifications of employees to the increasing requirements. One of the technologies examined in our learning factory from this point of view is Augmented Reality (AR).
AR systems can be used to flexibly enrich employees' environments with artificial content and thus support them in specific situations. We develop prototypical Augmented Reality assistance systems that support manual assembly or assist in maintenance tasks of production plants.
Augmented reality in the learning factory for networked production