Testing new technologies in operational production? Of course not! In the application laboratory »Digitally Integrated Production (dip)«, companies can test new technologies without jeopardizing their ongoing production.
What do we need a dip laboratory for?
Geisert:
Companies have to react more and more frequently to unforeseeable events, for example when supply chains are disrupted by armed conflicts. Digitalization can help here: It makes production more flexible, more resilient and therefore less susceptible to disruptions. We can demonstrate this in our dip laboratory, using examples of modular, flexible production processes for single-item and small-batch production. The twist: Instead of the conventional stand-alone solutions, we are offering a complete production scenario for the first time – from incoming order to finished product.
You are using the production of customizable fuel cells as an example application. Why fuel cells in particular?
Geisert:
We wanted a product that offers many variants in terms of performance and geometry – after all, customers in all sectors increasingly want items that are individually tailored to them. Additionally, the production of fuel cells involves tasks that are common to all manufacturing processes, such as milling, transport, labelling and assembly. Using the example of a fuel cell produced by our cooperation partner balticFuelCells GmbH, we can demonstrate how digitalization supports processes, and we can make it clearly understandable.