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Load bearing structures are typically designed with respect to relevant load cases, assuming static shapes and given material properties that are selected during design and material selection. An example of such a material is a particular class of polymers that are capable of changing their elasticity based on the influence of optical, thermal or electrical fields. One problem to be solved in terms of active intelligent cellular structures is the correlated and self-organizing control of cell response and control and the underlying information organization that must provide robustness and real-time capabilities. We propose a hybrid approach combining mobile and reactive self-organizing multi-agent systems (MAS) and machine learning. The MAS is the essential robust information communication technology (ICT). The agents are executed in material-integrated networks consisting of microcomputers. The simulation and implementation of such complex systems is a major challenge.

Wire ropes are used in different applications and human life often depend on their integrity. Therefore, technical personnel checks the tightropes on a regular basis but there are some difficulties in detecting damaged areas. Consequently, wire ropes are exchanged rather too early than too late causing avoidable extra costs. In this paper, the project MOBISTAR is presented that combines a magneto-inductive and an optical sensor to detect damages and a software based on Convolutional Neural Networks to evaluate those defects.

The application of digital work assistance systems is gaining practical relevance on the shopfloor. Experience shows that the use of a work assistance system orients itself on the individual capabilities of its user and the specific work requirements. This excludes standard solutions. To order the variety of assistive functions in an application context, the assistance systems are classified in the present article. It also discusses the design requirements and applications use from an ergonomic perspective, which places the working man and his individual capabilities, which vary during working life, at the center of consideration. The reader can better assess the potential benefits and application limits of digital work assistance systems in an operational context.

Requirements for efficiency in manufacturing processes are steadily increasing in global competition. Through digitization and data analytics, not only efficiency but also flexibility and quality are to be increased. Cyber-physical systems, which use smart sensors and communication with manufacturing systems to independently identify, document and control process steps, can help solve this problem. These can be attached to many types of tools and thus also capture manual work processes. This article shows how a smart object with communication and positioning functionality accompanies a product to be manufactured through the manufacturing process and how e.g. manual screwing processes are recorded and analyzed by smart sensors.

Digitalization changes industrial value-added processes as well as the expectations and requirements of customers, staff, suppliers and partners. For industrial companies, these changes bring risks and opportunities. They need to react and adapt their products and services to remain competitive and survive in the digital age. With service design and design thinking, companies can identify future-proof business areas to develop products and services that bring users added value. We will introduce you to the nature and effects of such design processes and outline the benefits for your company.

Industrial devices have virtual and physical components that interact with each other in a plethora of ways. We report on a system that enables operators to pose queries about physical, regulatory and functional relationships between components and visualizes responses as a holographic overlay, thereby enabling in-situ querying and rendering of information for “on-the-spot” decisions. Importantly, our approach is not only applicable to digitally integrated components but applies equally well to “simple” objects such as surfaces and workpieces, and the materials they are made of.

In process of digitalization the shop floor area, widespread potentials are given to design the form of the organizational process within. On the one hand a variety of opportunities between optimization and innovation are available as a score of the digitalization. On the other hand responsible managers have to create the most efficient form of organizational structure to support the transformation process itself. This article describes the necessity to evaluate the leading form of organizational structure related to efficient interaction of the commissioned implementing team. Based on published characteristics for evaluating the organizational structure which are relevant to design smart factories, a model with varying forms is visualized.

The targeted curing of glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRP) is important to ensure the advantageous material properties. The use of RFID for curing monitoring is a completely new approach. This paper presents an experiment in which an RFID transponder has been integrated into GFRP and the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) has been measured during the curing process. The result shows that the RSSI can be used as an indicator for curing GFRP. The advantages of RFID technology compared to conventional methods for cure monitoring are the wireless application as well as the benefit, which an integrated RFID transponder generates in the further product life.

Social media and the digitalisation of products allow a direct view into product and service use and customer experience. This Product Usage Information may be used systematically in product and service development. However, this requires its interoperability with relevant processes and IT systems. This paper presents an approach and its implementation as an IT platform which fulfils these prerequisites.

A complex process in sheet metal processing is multi stage deep drawing. Once set up, it can be considered as a black box. Usually, after the sheet metal has been processes the quality is assessed. In the research project Smart Press a system is developed, incorporating inline pictures of the processed sheet metal. Pictures of failures are related to the actual state of the machine. Neural Networks are used to model the highly complex relations between parameters and product attributes. Based on the assessed real time data, the process gets adjusted to suit the needs of each individual sheet.