FOCUS ON INNOVATION
We highlight some key Fraunhofer research projects ( in areas such as Industry 4.0 ; robotics ; detecting disruption in manufacturing ; supply chain integrity and additive manufacturing ) which will impact significantly on manufacturing today and tomorrow .
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The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft , headquartered in Germany , is a leading applied research organisation . With its focus on developing key technologies that are vital for the future and enabling the commercial exploitation of this work by business and industry , Fraunhofer plays a |
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central role in the innovation process .
Founded in 1949 , the Fraunhofer- Gesellschaft currently operates 75 institutes and research institutions throughout Germany . The majority of the organisation ’ s 29,000 employees are qualified scientists and engineers , who work with an annual research budget of 2.8 billion euros . Of this sum , 2.4- billion euros are generated through contract research .
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“ The world is changing , now more than ever . We can wait and see what comes – or we can take the future into our hands . Against the backdrop of the current pandemic , it is important to act decisively to emerge from the crisis with renewed strength . We are meeting this challenge by developing innovations that will make life easier tomorrow . With our commitment , we promote the preservation of expertise |
and contribute to securing technological leadership and sovereignty , competitiveness and prosperity ,” it told ISMR .
With this in mind , we highlight some key Fraunhofer research projects ( in areas such as Industry 4.0 ; robotics ; detecting disruption in manufacturing ; supply chain integrity and additive manufacturing ) which will impact significantly on manufacturing today and tomorrow . See www . fraunhofer . de / en . |
Detecting disruptions in manufacturing operations early
Automated assembly operations are a key to success . They enable stable , high-precision manufacturing and greater responsiveness to market demands . The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation ( IFF ’ s ) innovative digital instrumentation and information networks are increasing the transparency of aircraft manufacturer Airbus ’ s manufacturing operations and optimising collaboration between humans and machines .
Was the cabin door delivered on schedule ? Does it have the same temperature as the fuselage ? And did its installation go as planned ? The installation of a cabin door is just one of many assembly operations in the manufacture of an aircraft . It is so multi-staged and demanding , however , that Airbus focused on it as part of its Integrated Verification , Sensors and Positioning in Aircraft Manufacturing research project ( iVeSPA for short ).
“ We want to find out how we can automate and control our assembly in a more streamlined way ,” said Eugen Gorr ,
“ Founded in 1949 , the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft currently operates 75 institutes and research institutions throughout Germany .”
in charge of the development of innovative assembly operations at Airbus in Hamburg . “ The operations surrounding the installation of a cabin door are particularly well suited for ascertaining which data we collect how and where , how we process them and how we can feed them back into the assembly process in realtime . The cabin door is just one example . Other components can be tracked in exactly the same way .”
The solution for the cabin door centred on the material delivery unit ( MDU ) that transports a door from the supplier to the fuselage . It was equipped with diverse sensors and data storage systems supplying Airbus logisticians with relevant information anytime and anywhere during the entire operation .
Woitag and his team developed the AirBOX mobile sensor box to help infer
AirBOX on a material delivery unit or MDU .
Final assembly at Airbus in Hamburg , Germany . Image credit : © Airbus and Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation ( IFF ).
relevant information from the collected data without delay . It enables interconnecting sensors in a flexible network and infers events from the data , which are required for process monitoring and to ensure prompt action .
“ The AirBOX continuously tracks a multitude of manufacturing data from different sources . Logical connectives and rules produce the information needed on the cabin door ,” Fraunhofer pointed out .
Airbus and the Fraunhofer IFF are already testing other use cases . The AirBOX concept could play a role in the development of a visual assistance system for wing and fuselage assembly , for instance .
ISMR March 2021 | sheetmetalplus . com | 15