Digital Throughout

The software industry led the way: Development, planning, introduction and manufacturing of products are considered and managed together from end to end (E2E).

Scientists at Fraunhofer IPK are researching how E2E digitalization in production can succeed in the project »From conventional production plant to resilient competence plant by means of Industry 4.0 (Werk 4.0)«. Together with 12 partners, including Mercedes Benz AG, TU Berlin and Werner-von-Siemens-Centre for Industry and Science e.V. (WvSC), they are developing flexible production solutions that enable manufacturers to react more quickly to technological developments and new market requirements.

The basic idea is that development, planning, launch and production are no longer regarded as organizationally separate units that operate sequentially or in parallel. Instead, they are designed and managed together as functions from start to finish (E2E). This should enable manufacturing companies to adapt processes more flexibly in future, develop products more quickly and make their production more resilient overall.

Translation work is required for end-to-end digital process chains of this kind: »Every simulation,robot or in-house software has its own language,« explains robotics expert Jan Kuschan. His task is to develop a language to describe process and operating sequences with clearly defined interfaces through which different software tools can exchange data and communicate with each other. The goal is to automatically translate orders into machine programs and thus enable more variant flexibility. »If a component is modified during the assembly process and the underlying programs are adapted directly, manufacturers can also produce smaller quantities in more variants without the need for a completely new setup each time,« says Kuschan.

Dr. Maiara Rosa Cencic and her team’s job in the Werk 4.0 project is developing an augmented reality assistance system to support workers with manual assembly tasks. The AR assistance system visualizes the individual steps and guides workers during assembly. »We are currently using expert surveys and focus groups to determine the optimal projection methodology for the AR application,« says the extended reality specialist. »Because whether AR glasses or table projection – employees should enjoy using the assistance system over a longer period of time without any strain.«