Manufacturing Execution Systems
Development of product-centric control
Rigid production control systems can often no longer meet today's requirements. Decreasing product lifetimes and increasing individualization up to single-unit production require a flexibilization of production plants and thus at the same time of their control technology. New developments in computer science, the modern possibility of modeling production plants as well as products, and powerful computer technology make new product-centered, decentralized control approaches possible. Within the framework of several projects, control systems are being researched at the WZL in order to meet the current challenges.
Within the project "Institution for Battery Cell Production" uniform information models are developed for the standardized connection of production plants to control systems. This intends to ensure the interchangeability of different machines in the context of battery cell production. In addition, the virtual integration of production plants, by utilizing IoT-platforms, is being researched. The initial virtual simulation intends to intercept the emergence of load peaks and mitigate the risks that arise during the commissioning of new plants. The control system in the iCellFactory requires a complete digital twin of the plant to handle the dynamics of a flexible production system and a highly sensitive product simultaneously. With the help of semantic technologies, solutions to enable a fully adaptive process execution are developed.