The virtual twin is coming

At the latest with Industry 4.0, digitalisation is also coming to the machine tool. Already, control systems located in the cloud are being discussed. Big Data analyses are hungry for more and more data from the metal-cutting process. Will the machine tool develop to become a PC with a spindle, will software determine the success or failure of a machine? Professor Jivka Ovtcharova from the Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT) answers these questions at the AMB international exhibition for metal working in Stuttgart.

In metal-cutting production, in the near future it will be exactly like in many other Industry 4.0 sectors. By means of a virtual image, it will be possible to validate operational concepts in the value creation process for a machine tool in real time. An example is the manual and automatic operation and the configuration of the machine tool via intuitive human-machine interfaces such as web surfaces or haptic interaction devices. Comprehensive simulation of the actual movement of the machine tool will make it possible to create the virtual 3D machine tool model via the control system software. Furthermore, it will be possible to carry out a final validation before the machining, which will enormously reduce the time required for the trial runs on the real machine tool.

What will be the effects on productivity and economy?

Value creation is achieved only if the processes with all their data are considered as a whole. For this purpose, data such as energy data, fault messages and tool data from the machine are required. In addition, data from logistics and technical information such as the cutting data etc. The merging of real machines and virtual images works towards the vision of the automated, networked virtual operation of an entire company.

In metal-cutting manufacture, the IT system network is the heart of an Industry 4.0 solution. This network is orchestrated by the Tool Lifeycle Management as an interplayer at the interface between planning and real manufacturing. The data generated both in planning and in production can thus be compiled and made accessible for an analysis. The processes are continually improved "in the loop", so to speak. Open application program interfaces (APIs), with which third-party developers can access the opportunities provided by web services, are a driving force in the Industry 4.0 environment. I ascribe the comparatively low level of enthusiasm in the manufacturing industry for open interfaces to misgivings regarding data protection law and copyright, which are understandable but no longer relevant. Open interfaces are a long-term investment with which, in the short term, individual know-how is given away free of charge, but in the long term this leads to an enormous increase in scope, publicity and market potential.

DMG Mori (Stand 7A01) presented, together with Celos, an app-based user interface.  Celos stands for app-based user interfaces that can be used as simply and intuitively as with a smartphone. Overall, mobile applications within Industry 4.0 as HMI technology are more in demand than ever, because, firstly, they are based on previous experience in normal life and do not require any new training measures. Secondly, smart devices offer new possibilities for HMI solutions on account of their availability and effectiveness. For the realisation of apps suitable for industry, various approaches are available, which can be used specifically depending on the application scenario. However, the latest development shows that the content is increasingly being decoupled from its creation and origin, it is being "atomised" just like the services. What does this mean for the development of expensive apps? Will they disappear in the long term? How many more Celos apps will still be offered? In the long term, the trend towards "atomisation" will grow. Services will cluster around application scenarios in order to offer people context-sensitive and personalised information. As a result, the degree of intuitive operation will increase rapidly, also in the industrial context. The complexity of the machines will become invisible for humans.

If the entire product development process is depicted virtually, what must the software be like for manufacturing?

The trend towards the virtual image in the context of Industry 4.0 requires a functional, interoperative process and IT system infrastructure. The reference architecture model Industry 4.0 (RAMI 4.0) of the VDI, VDE and ZVEI is currently ensuring the location of rules, standards, use case content and relations. It forms the basis for the derivation of rules for Industry 4.0 implementations. The Industry 4.0 component in RAMI 4.0 makes possible the communication of real objects in production by means of virtually networked objects and processes. The virtual image occurs as an enabler for bi-directional associativity, which is responsible for the real-time-compatible handling and implementation of process steps throughout the life-cycle.

The best security software can be rendered ineffective by weak implementation at the customers. Encryption technology is of no benefit if users ignore it. Employees are often the greatest weak point in a company's security strategy. It is therefore advisable to invest not only in the protection of physical access to servers and network hardware in the company, but also in safeguarding the software, and in particular in staff training.