Background
The economic progress of any country ultimately depends upon its industrial progress. Manufacturing industry has, for decades, been a key element in the prosperity of regions and countries around the world – be it India, China, Singapore or any other nation. The competitive edge to a strong industry, which leads the global competition in diverse sectors, is grounded on its technological strength. New technologies and their application in industrialization are closely linked to the economic progress of the organization, and consequently the country as well. Disruptive technologies of today like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), machine learning, manufacturing process monitoring and diagnosis, product and process design and analysis tools, navigation systems for mobile devices, robotics, artificial vision systems, are all paving the path for a digital transformation. As the world recovers from the woes of COVID 19, digital transformation and in particular the tenets of Industry 4.0 are extremely crucial for future sustainable development of manufacturing. Digital Factory, or Smart Manufacturing, is one way of leveraging this new technology.
All about Digital Factories / Smart Manufacturing
So what exactly is a digital factory?
A digital factory is a production facility that uses new technology and paradigms like Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Big Data, predictive analytics, automation, and machine learning coupled with cloud and edge computing technology to connect people, machines, and raw materials. A digital factorya.k.a Smart Manufacturing allows instant sharing of all available product data in order to optimize production. For the purpose of this article, we will use both the terms digital factory and smart manufacturing interchangeably.
The digital factory represents a network of digital models, as well as simulation and 3D visualization methods for the holistic planning, realization, control and ongoing improvement of all factory processes related to a specific product. Its main goals are:
In terms of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), a digital factory or smart manufacturing covers the part of PLM cycle that deals with production planning and scaling and the actual production. Smart manufacturing thus is a link in PLM that enables the exchange of product-related information between design and manufacturing groups.
Let us take an example of an automobile industry that illustrates the use of smart manufacturing. A digital automobile factory connects its machinery to monitor the overall production process of the vehicle assembly. Numerous sensors that are embedded into the various machines of the assembly (such as CNC machines, robotic arms, conveyors, etc.) on the assembly line collect real-time data about the condition of the machines and cycle time. This Big Data, typically hosted on the cloud, is processed with advanced data analytics tools to monitor possible bottlenecks. Remedial action is taken and workers are alerted before anything that hampers production is noticed, helping predict equipment failures and enabling the factory to schedule maintenance operations well before any actual failures occur. Smart manufacturing thus keeps the assembly line working smoothly for longer stretches of time, increasing production.
The principles of digital factories can be applied across a wide gamut of industries; not only automobile. Most manufacturing sectors, especially those in highly competitive fields like electronics, chemical industry, FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods), industrial equipment, and many other such industrial sectors stand to gain from implementing smart manufacturing.
Advantages of a Digital Factory
Manufacturing companies are discovering that existing structures and processes have reached their limits – in terms of flexibility, the feasibility of complex parts and product customization. In addition, the COVID 19 pandemic has proven the need for automation. Industry 4.0, which takes automation one notch ahead, and digital factories, which is part of Industry 4.0, provides an end-to-end ecosystem that customers today demand.Digital factories / smart manufacturing is driven by the coming together of various technologies that include the principles of IIoT, Big Data, cloud and edge computing, smart machines, artificial intelligence, and predictive analysis. The primary aim of these technologies is to make real-time data instantly available across the entire manufacturing spectrum for anyone who needs it, and deriving meaningful insights from this data that smoothens production and decreases machine downtime.
What mass production and standardization are to traditional manufacturing, increased customization and collaboration are to digital manufacturing. Choosing the right technology and software is one of the most important aspects of digitization and smart manufacturing. Efficient assimilation and analysis of machine and sensor data plays a pivotal role in the success of digital factories. To leverage this data and gain intelligent insight, proper and real-time data analytics software tools are extremely vital.Digital factories encompass the digital model of most of the technical and business processes of physical production systems. Running such a model in parallel with the real-world factory can help decrease the time required for the realization of products as well as production. An integral part of digital factories is the modelling of planning and scheduling activities, as they are largely responsible for meeting customer’s deadlines, and minimizing production costs. Therefore,software tools that are capable of obtaining suboptimal production plans, and schedules are fundamental components of digital factory solutions. PTC is one such market leader that provides software for digital factories, with solutions like CREO software for CAD, Windchill for PLM, ThingWorx for IoT, and Vuforia for Augmented Reality.
The Way Ahead
While benefits of embracing newer technologies like digital factories, IIoT, Industry 4.0 are manifold in principle, it is not easy to implement them unless you have enough experience in digitalization. There is no easy answer to questions like whether an industrial process needs to be fully automated, or only partially, which software to opt for, which IIoT platform to chose, and so on. Successful implementation of smart manufacturing requires varied technological skills, lack of which can result in failure even before digitalization efforts begin. Professional and expert advice regarding appropriate technology to be adapted is the key for digitization to succeed. This is where consulting a competent engineering services provider, well versed in newer technology like AR / VR, Big Data, etc. play a pivotal role.