Future Manufacturing Initiatives

Keeping Engineers and
SME Manufacturers informed of Trends & Future Opportunities

Inc. The Internet of Things & Industry 4.0

Smart, connected products in the Internet of Things enable 6 new capabilities for manufacturers, but also disrupt the status quo. Learn how manufacturers capitalize on the IoT opportunity. (Courtesy of PTC)

Factory 2050 is part of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), which in turn is one of the 7 UK High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centres.

Factory 2050 undertakes collaborative research with private sector businesses big and small. As part of the AMRC’s Integrated Manufacturing Group and drawing on the post-graduate academic expertise of the University of Sheffield, the collaborative research undertaken provides inspirational concept demonstrators. These illustrate the art-of-the-possible to businesses, and inspire the next generation of engineers and technology leaders. The building's stunning architecture certainly compliments the futuristic technological engineering solutions inside.

Digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0 are central themes to many of the activities undertaken in this future manufacturing factory. Core areas of collaborative research undertaken include….

• Digitally assisted assembly techniques
• Advanced component manufacture
• Machining technologies
• More...

The Internet of Things is revolutionising manufacturing. Intel provides the foundation for intelligent factories with silicon that scales from factory floor to datacenter, comprehensive security, API management and pre-integrated hardware and software solutions. These technologies enable vital new capabilities, such as predictive maintenance, improved yields, higher quality and remote manageability. From silicon to services, factory floor to data centre, see how today's smart factories are built. (Courtesy of Intel)

Industry 4.0: In the factory of the future, both work piece and machine will be intelligent. They will be completely networked and control production autonomously and in a way that is more efficient and uses fewer resources than ever before. Possibilities are so vast and ground-breaking that many experts refer to it as a fourth industrial revolution: Industry 4.0. (Courtesy of Die Elektroindustrie)

Industry 4.0: The world is facing a technological revolution, which will also change society. Due to a new value-added chain in factories, today's machine no longer „blindly" processes a workpiece, rather the workpiece tells the machine what to do. The workpiece knows its configuration and its recipient. It causes orders of material, just as it conducts itself to the respective customer. Sophisticated software works with high-tech machines, together they make decisions and minimize human sources of error. Worldwide all signs continue to point to growing productivity and flexibility -- this applies to both humans and machines. (Courtesy of Kann Technical & Ulla Herbst)

Airbus - Factory of the Future 

Today’s aerospace factory floor is nothing like the hectic, noisy production facility of the past. The latest techniques, designs and equipment mean that modern manufacturing is highly efficient, organised and structured.

And what of tomorrow? Exploring a new aircraft in virtual reality and using advanced digital technologies on the shop floor, production lines where computer-suited personnel and robots work side by side; 3D printers producing prototypes and series components – Airbus Group is making huge inroads in this area, turning ideas into reality. More...

 

Track and Trace Testbed - Industrial Internet Consortium

The Track and Trace testbed brings the Industrial Internet onto the factory floor. The goal is to manage handheld power tools in manufacturing and maintenance environments. This "management" involves efficiently tracking and tracing the usage of these tools to ensure their proper use, prevent their misuse and collect data on their usage and status. 

Today's factories are highly sophisticated and require exacting work - down to the precise amount of force used to tighten a screw. The tools in Track and Trace will be able to determine its precise location and use and, therefore, will be able to determine the force and work needed to complete a task. In addition, if a tool recognizes that it is being misused, it will promptly power down to avoid accident or injury. More...

Keep Tabs on Your Tools
The internet of things could ensure that shop-floor tools never again go missing, boosting productivity
and quality (courtesy of the IMECHE)

Imagine a factory where all handheld power tools are connected so that their locations can be identified at the touch of a button. Then think of the possibilities that would be offered if those tools were clever enough to work out the immediate task at hand, ensuring for instance that shop-floor workers could only ever tighten bolts with exactly the force required.

It’s a world where employees wouldn't waste time hunting for the equipment they need to do their job. And it’s a world where guaranteed repeatability would mean costly production errors were avoided.

This futuristic scenario might sound a bit implausible, but it is being brought to life by a collaborative project involving some of the biggest engineering and IT firms in the world. The Track and Trace testbed, which includes the likes of... more

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http://www.slideshare.net/ptc/impact-of-the-internet-of-things-on-manufacturers?qid=f3b64ce8-bab4-42c0-a58b-9e2eeb44077d&v=default&b=&from_search=50

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