automation

The networking between companies in a supply chain becomes tighter. This applies for manufacturing plants and the supply with manufacturing equipment as well. Hence, the complexity of the flow of information, in particular for tool management, increases. Currently the exchange of information is mostly paper-based and tool data is not available continuously along the supply chain. By using a digital and cloud-based tool management system, breaks in the flow of information along the supply chain for machining tools can be overcome. Herewith tool data can be called and updated ongoing and location-independent. Furthermore, after clearly identifying a tool, required tool data can automatically be transferred into the control system of the machine.

Information technology is one of the key enabling technologies of future manufacturing. In the two basic business processes manufacturing is located at the intersection point. However, for manufacturing and its value adding purpose, information technology has to be considered as a tool. In this paper the author describes an approach to the components of a new information model inside the future factory.

Automation is an interdisciplinary technology which has a significant impact on the industry in Germany. Especially in micro-production as a niche market, there are numerous applications that require highly automated production technologies. The biggest challenge is the control of size effects. Size effects occur in the production of micro components because the ratio of volume to surface forces shifts and adhesion appears. Furthermore, micro forming has batches with high volume, which require high flexible and ideally universal automated handling systems for efficient multi-stage manufacturing processes. This paper deals with the adhesion forces and their reduction by minimizing the contact surface. In addition, requirements and approaches to automated allocation of micro-components are discussed.

The future of manufacturing industries in Europe is currently a topic for frequent discussions. Competitors from Far East dominate the international markets with low-price products. Outsourcing of manufacturing tasks from Europe to far-east countries is a common practice in the case of commodity products. Will the European economy be able to absorb the resulting losses also in the near future? Experts don’t think so. A study conducted by the Institute for Automation and Control, Vienna University of Technology and the Society for the Promotion and Modernisation of Production Technologies in Austria shows new perspectives with the concept of Adaptive Production

Continuity and reliability in the fully automated unloading process are the greatest strengths of the new “portal robot”, a logistics system worldwide unique. Its task is unloading cubic goods out of containers or swap bodies. The robot is working with a stable process safety and high process speed. It may be used in combination with various logistic systems. When integrated early, possibly in the stadium of planning new centres of distribution, the realisation can become yet more profitable.

Assembly of micro mechatronical systems in small to medium volumes is missing economical solutions for automation. Due to a great variety of processes characterized by high requirements and complexity automation is realized only in specialized manufacturing lines for mass production. As a result an automated micro-assembly is usually capital intensive. Considering a mechatronical actuator as an example an approach is described which enables an initial assembly in small volumes at a small space. Due to the modular design a reduction of investment cost and the demand on economic entry in micro-assembly is accomplished.

The ultra-precise surface structuring by means of single crystal diamond tools can be applied for the flexible machining of optical components used in display or reflector-technologies, for light guiding elements or even for high precision mechanical or fluidical applications. By means of a sophisticated tuning of the machine, the tool and the process itself, an extreme precision in the sub-micron range, which is requested on behave of the applications, can be achieved on work pieces with a size of one square meter and more.