Volume 119, Issue 9

Complex milling processes often require extensive preliminary checks in order to avoid collisions between the tool, clamping device and workpiece. The resulting costs can only be allocated to a few workpieces, especially in small series production, and represent a challenge in view of the increasing complexity of product portfolios. This article presents a method for automatic collision avoidance in milling. A process-parallel simulation is coupled directly with the machine tool in order to precisely detect collisions and enable dynamic reactions. The results show that the proposed method could successfully avoid 100 % of provoked collisions and thus can significantly increase the efficiency of machining processes.

The machining of components is usually carried out using specialized machine tools, which shift the stability limit towards high productivity due to their high rigidity and damping. An intelligent design of the end effector promises a positive influence on the stability limit in order to achieve comparable results with more cost-effective industrial robots. This article therefore investigates the influence of different milling spindles and tool concepts on the stability of milling processes on an industrial robot.

When developing and evaluating production routes, the focus is often on economic aspects. It is difficult to take qualitative product properties into account as they are difficult to quantify. Using the example of the development of a new production route for the manufacture of large-volume hydrogen pressure vessels, this article presents a methodology that makes it possible to identify new routes and evaluate them according to quantitative and qualitative criteria using a key figure. This should make it easy to compare different production routes.

The high investment costs in machinery for metal additive manufacturing (mAM) favor the emergence of contract manufacturers. This means that bundling several customer orders into one production order is particularly advantageous given the long production times for mAM. However, there is no order processing model that takes the special features of mAM into account. As a result, the requirements of a mAM for order processing are examined using as a reference the Aachen PPS model and process changes are presented.

The growing complexity of production processes coincides with accelerated changes in the environment and the workforce. The negative effects of inadequate complexity in production can be seen at the employee and the process level, and without complexity management they can threaten the existence of the company. A cross-company study with a tested evaluation methodology highlights challenges caused by overcharging or under-challenging complexity levels as well as their effects on employees and processes.

The consumption of electric drives in industry and manufacturing accounts for almost two-fifths of all electricity in Germany. Electric motors are thus considered to play a key role in energy savings. Energy savings are particularly high in the power range between 0.75 kW and 40 kW, since this is where most operating hours occur each year. At same time, in addition to energy savings, the maintenance of electric drives also plays a decisive role, as sudden failures can result in high costs due to production downtime or repairs. Against this background, a universally applicable condition monitoring system has been developed that allows electrical performance parameters to be analyzed in a simple and compact way in an industrial environment. The aim of this article is to show the added value of electrical power measurement for energy saving and maintenance planning in mechanical glass processing.

Cryogenic minimum quantity lubrication systems (MQL) combine the high cooling effect of cryogenic media and the resource-efficient lubricating effect of an MQL. However, for efficient use, the cooling and lubrication properties must be precisely matched to the respective application and the load case that occurs. This article presents a tribological approach that enables the quantification of the coefficient of friction and the thermal load in frictional contact. This has shown that the use of a cryogenic MQL can significantly reduce both friction and the temperatures that occur.

In an online survey, 154 decision-makers from the food industry were asked about resilience management, coping with disruptions, resilience characteristics, resilience dimensions and investment needs in their companies. This article analyses the survey, presents methods for assessing resilience and identifies potential for improvement. 84% of those surveyed responded that their companies had not yet implemented a resilience management system. Of the resilience dimensions, the impact of technology on ensuring the safety, quality and quantity of their products was rated highest, followed by finance. All respondents plan to invest in technology and digitalisation to increase resilience.

This article highlights the important role that strategy development plays in general and especially for industrial companies. First, the history of strategy development is shown and the challenges that industrial companies face are explained. It discusses how strategy development is structured and implemented in a professional way. Finally, the article summarizes the most important steps in the form of a structured graphic and outlines the importance of strategy development for industrial companies.

The production of compressed air is energy-intensive and involves heat generation. Therefore, connecting compressors to operational heating networks for heat recovery is now state of the art. However, an investing company should be aware that there can also be unnoticed disadvantages for the actual production of compressed air. For energy reasons it is important to avoid operating compressors with a higher final compression temperature than required. For example in order to meet the operating parameters of a heating system. Air-to-air heat recovery can be a cost-effective alternative to save additional heat recovery costs.

The concept of the “Maintenance-Free Factory” describes the transformation of the maintenance management systems to maximise value-added production time, and thereby generating positive impacts for production systems. Yet, concrete tools and methods for implementation have been lacking. This article reveals how the developed tools can be used to determine the initial situation and how companies can be supported with suitable methods to master the path to transform their maintenance to a value-adding partner. Finally, further areas of research and development are explained.

Montagelinien sind häufig sehr komplex und ihre Ausgestaltung hat direkten Einfluss auf Ausbringung und Margen. Die diskrete Eventsimulation (DES) gilt als ein leistungsstarkes Werkzeug zur Planung, Bewertung und Optimierung von Montageprozessen. Dieser Beitrag untersucht einen Ansatz für die Verwendung von DES für die Planung einer Montagelinien auf der Grundlage einer morphologischen Analyse. Im Fallbeispiel steht nicht die Qualität des Simulationsmodells im Vordergrund, sondern die Frage, wann dessen Einsatz sinnvoll ist.

In the age of the digital revolution and high global competitive pressure, it is essential for companies to identify and strategically exploit automation potentials. The Automation Potential Matrix evaluates the suitability for automation and the expected business benefits. Through this holistic analysis approach, groundbreaking strategic decisions for production can be made in a very short time, while simultaneously avoiding the most significant mistakes in the selection of the form of automation.

In order to ensure the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies, flexible automation solutions in production are required that are cost-effective and can be controlled intuitively. Personnel bottlenecks in the workpiece loading of machine tools, especially older existing machines, should be counteracted through automation. In the ZIM-funded cooperation project “AuRo-Toolbox” (16KN091730), a digitally configurable robot automation system was developed, that can be installed by the applying company itself and can implement pick & place tasks safely and efficiently. For this purpose standard modules were designed, which can be expanded with additional application-specific modules using the plug & play principle. A special feature is the development of a new type of communication interface between robot and machine tool, which completely eliminates the need of retrofit older machine tools and thus enables CE-compliant continued operation of these machines with an existing certification.

Autonomous navigation, pick-and-place applications, quality inspection – robots are already taking over many important tasks in the industry and helping to increase productivity. The use of AI in robotics also has the potential to make the value chain more flexible and resilient. But how can AI and robotics be combined efficiently? And where does this leave humans in the equation?

Solutions and products for the industry need to be highly interoperable to provide maximum benefit to users. Achieving this goal is primarily possible through common standards and interfaces. These also facilitate smooth collaboration between different manufacturers, leading to a lively exchange of know-how and enriching the market. Moreover, unified standards offer an added level of flexibility as they counteract the dependency on proprietary solutions. Standardization is particularly beneficial for machine vision applications, where many different components interact. Customers benefit from easy-to-use, seamless applications, reducing complexity and increasing process efficiency.