INSPECTION AND MEASUREMENT
METROLOGY & INDUSTRY 4.0
Metrology provides the data to fuel the systems in a smart factory , or Industry 4.0 environment , for true data-driven production .
By
Dr . Peter J . de Groot , Chief Scientist
and Michael Schmidt , Market Development Manager , Zygo Corporation .
When looking at the place of metrology in the “ Fourth Industrial Revolution ”, it is interesting to ponder whether Industry 4.0 is being driven by developments in metrology or metrology developments are being driven by Industry 4.0 .
Today ’ s most sophisticated metrology systems drive quality assurance ( QA ). QA has become a fundamental digital task which facilitates efficient and cost-effective production processes . In a very real sense , QA data today controls how products are made , and drives the bottom line and repeatability in production which is vital in all pan-industrial manufacturing scenarios .
From this perspective , it is a short leap to advocate that QA drives Industry 4.0 . The dynamic growth of non-contact 3D optical metrology solutions in recent years reinforces this argument , as image processing and vision systems easily fit into Industry 4.0 processes .
And so we begin to shift preconceptions . For a long time , metrology for production QA has been seen as ‘ a necessary evil ’, a part of the product development process that ticks boxes but doesn ’ t directly add value . From this angle , it can be argued that metrology serves no other purpose than to catch failures within a production process . If the failures or shortcomings were not there , then the role of metrology would be redundant .
But in the modern world , metrology is the source of bucket loads of data which can be used to fuel the systems used in a smart factory , or Industry 4.0 environment , promoting true data-driven production .
Drilling into Industry 4.0
A key competitive driver for manufacturers today is efficient production , which is why Industry 4.0 solutions using digital technologies to stimulate innovation and improve production processes are gaining traction across all key industrial sectors . As these technologies are enhanced and become less expensive , as a trend , Industry 4.0 will become more and more important .
The underpinnings of the concept of Industry 4.0 requires that businesses interrogate their competitive model and focus on increasing capacity to deliver more costeffective products through the digitisation of the entire production process .
Today , this requires that these businesses
ISMR July / August 2021 | sheetmetalplus . com | 59