manufacturing

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.

The ongoing development of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) opens up new possibilities to parallelize information and material flows. Manufacturing processes can be provided with real time information and new lifecycle services (e.g. definition of optimal cutting parameters, life cycle data, etc.) can be realized. In this paper the advantages of RFID on metal cutting tools are discussed. RFID on tools can support an efficient tool management and help to automate manual activities within the manufacturing process.

Beginning with planning and control of traditional manufacturing systems and covering new goals of manufacturing strategy requirements like complexity management, adaptability and robustness are articulated. The paradigms of bionic, holonic and fractal systems seem to fulfill these requirements and allow the creation of new production systems.