Open Access Articles

The use of Digital Twins offers a wide range of applications and opportunities for optimized processes along the entire life cycle of technical systems. However, this concept encounters specific characteristics in plant industry within the development, the construction and operation phase of plants. This article describes these special characteristics and the resulting challenges for the creation and operation of Digital Twins in plant industry. The concept of “Digital Representation” as a basis for Digital Twins is presented together with its prerequisites and potentials.

Additive manufacturing, i.e. the printing of three- dimensional workpieces from different materials, offers the possibility of quickly producing functional prototypes. Digital optimisation is an important building block for the rapid implementation of functional product ideas. Based on digital models, the product is virtually optimised and continuously improved. Once the product has been digitally optimised in terms of its properties, it is checked and, if necessary, adapted for additive manufacturing. The product is then manufactured, reworked and finally tested. The article shows the optimisation possibilities using the example of a dispenser from the food industry. An existing component is digitised, a flow optimisation is carried out on the digital model and the improved product is additively manufactured.

The food sector is facing many challenges, including food loss and waste. To cope with those challenges, digital twins that create a digital representation of physical entities by integrating real-time and real- world data seems to be a promising approach. This article presents the results of a literature review on digital twin applications in the food industry and analyze their challenges and potentials.

Industrial robots are being used increasingly in machining processes. Here, the robots exhibit a significantly higher displacement of the end effector than conventional CNC machines due to their comparable low stiffness. This paper presents an approach to minimize such displacements of the tool by exploiting the rotational degrees of freedom at the milling spindle. For this purpose, the displacement of the end effector at different orientations of the milling spindle was investigated by means of a structural model.

In the first article, the reference model was already explained in its essential features [1]. In the second part, the further development to a flexible reference model will be shown. The focus is on the extension to implement different source systems, the implementation of further planning tools, and the implementation of AI tools to achieve dynamic production engineering in the form of holistic and integrated factory planning. This paper explains the development of a holistic demonstrator as a proof of concept.

The use of 5G technology o ers many companies enormous opportunities regarding their efforts to optimize processes. In particular, the intralogistics of a smart factory could bene t signi cantly from the use of 5G. The position of diverse mobile units can be determined precisely. Applications such as the control of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV ) or the precise localization of material come into consideration. If the potential of 5G technology can be fully utilized and integrated into the structure of intralogistics, production processes could be revolutionized.

In current times, heavier fuels such as oil and diesel are generally used to power merchant and passenger ships alike. International and national regulations are likely to increase pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and fine dust pollution within the global maritime shipping industry. Green fuels are one possible solution for emission reduction. Therefore, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) create the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), Annex VI of which enables the enforcement of designated (sulfur) emission control areas (ECAs or SECAs). Current research shows that hydrogen and LNG fuels can be safely operated and used to supply electric generating systems and drive systems. Today, cruise ships are often constructed with LNG main propulsion engines. Conventional hydrogen and LNG fuels are not CO2 free. However, green hydrogen, green ammonia and green LNG are based on ...

Today's business world is characterized by ever-increasing complexity in nearly every dimension. Supply chains can no longer be understood in a linear fashion, but form networks across numerous supply chain participants. Globalization and crises are straining existing structures, calling into question previously set priorities and measures, and demanding new solutions. How must supply chains be structured in this constantly changing environment in order to be successful? This article highlights fields of action for successful supply chain management.

Additive manufacturing processes are becoming increasingly important in industry and enable the cost-e ective production of complex components in small quantities. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular can bene t from the high customization potential enabling the development of new business models. However, the widespread use of additive processes faces high production costs and technological challenges. Meanwhile, scienti c research focuses on the optimization of individual process steps of additive manufacturing and does not o er su cient support for SMEs. Therefore, this paper deals with the development of a cross-process value chain of additive manufacturing for SMEs. Based on a systematic analysis of scienti c literature, relevant additive manufacturing processes were investigated, and a cross-process value chain was derived. The results were veri ed by expert interviews and central research and development requirements were extracted.

A considerable part of global greenhouse gas emissions is caused in the industrial sector. Its digitialization is often seen as a means to increase sustainability. At the same time, ecological and social risks emerge. Their exploration is still in its infancy, however, previous findings point out multiple challenges. These must be conceptually taken into account in order to realize a sustainable industry 4.0. Building on a literature analysis, the following contribution presents current developments in research, industry, and policy. We shed light on a number of selected approaches, which aim at a sustainable industry 4.0. Finally, practical design options are outlined.