Hannover Messe: The Mecca of High Technology

May 12, 2016 4:01 pm

Highlighting some of the innovative technologies showcased at Hannover Messe 2016 which are going to explore new directions for industrial manufacturing
Agile manufacturing solution At Hannover Messe 2016, Accenture and Dassault Système unveiled a proof of concept (PoC) that shows how digital technologies can improve efficiency and create more agile manufacturing in industries such as heavy industrial equipment and aerospace.
Working with a large industrial equipment company, Accenture and Dassault Systèmes are building and implementing a three-phase solution that harnesses digital technologies to create a link between engineering and the manufacturing shop floor for non-repetitive manufacturing companies. The adaptive solution provides a new level of continuity for product assembly including the sequence in which parts are built, and provides a better level of insight into the process for engineers and the assembly staff.
The first phase of the agile manufacturing solution creates the theoretical assembly sequence required to build a product such as a train, airplane or digger. Phase two helps create, optimise and re-plan quickly an operational plan and schedule for each worker on the shop floor. The third phase creates a digital display of the schedule for each worker so they are able to refer to it. These three phases use Dassault Systèmes’ solutions.
Replacing what has often been a paper-based process, Accenture and Dassault Systèmes are creating a solution that provides a new digital link between the engineering team and the shop floor, allowing for real-time changes in the schedule. The agile manufacturing solution can also provide insight and risk assessment into any proposed changes to a product or the assembly schedule before they are made, greatly reducing down-time and creating more agile manufacturing.
6D laser measurementLeoni Protec Cable Systems GmbH unveiled a laser sensor system that works in up to six dimensions – the new ‘advintec 6D laser measurement’ calibration system grippers, fixtures and locates parts in robotic applications in-line and thereby extends the range of options for machine perception. This is particularly useful in automotive, machine and plant engineering; in aviation and in the metal-processing industry. The challenges during part unracking lie in ensuring that bodywork components are correctly picked from containers and stacks; e.g. bonnets, side and roof panels etc. This is achieved by 6D part location, meaning that both translations and rotations are taken into account during the measurement process. Integrated precision laser or ultrasonic sensors are used in the gripper. The gripping position is adjusted automatically. The system is compact, lightweight, robust and integrated directly in the gripper; it can be easily installed for part picking and retrofitted to the production line without any costly modifications.
Putting people in the spotlight of Industry 4.0With networked automation solutions and digital assistance systems, Bosch Rexroth is putting the focus on people in Industry 4.0. At Hannover Messe 2016 the company showcased solutions for intelligent integration of assembly stations in the versatile production.
From real-time evaluation of all relevant production data, to an assistant for quickly handling faults, all solutions are based on manufacturer independent standards and programming languages in the world of automation, IT, and the internet.
The modular designed and flexible adjustable assembly system ActiveAssist from Rexroth simplifies the assembly of multiple versions. It links real-world assembly working stations with the virtual world of information technology, and leads the associate through the assembly steps using freely configurable sensors and assistants.
This software solution also integrates seamlessly into the Active Cockpit, a new production information system. This interactive web based communications platform detects all relevant data of the production line, updates it in a dynamic manner, and visualises it clearly in real time, directly on the line. This link between production and company IT facilitates integrated assembly under Industry 4.0 conditions. Associates can recognise deviations in production immediately and initiate optimisation measures. The availability of all relevant data forms the basis for making appropriate decisions.
Virtual employee German company Roboyo presented its intelligent automation solutions in the “Digital factory” where the connected enterprise plays a vital role. The company introduces its Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence solutions. It demonstrates how these can drive and enable the connected enterprise such as ERP and PLM, and can perform like a virtual employee.
Supercharging the IOTThe Internet of Things (IoT) universe can only develop fully in the absence of barriers. That is why Device Insight GmbH continues to back open standards for its CENTERSIGHT IoT platform. With the support of the OPC UA industry standard, the Munich-based company is putting the industry revolution into overdrive: faster data queries and manufacturer-independent machine communications. At Hannover Messe, Device Insight demonstrated how this will simplify the integration of machine data.
To understand the benefits of the OPC UA standard, it is best to go back to its origins: the OPC Classic (OLE for Process Control) predecessor was the first to make it possible to acquire machine and plant data across bus systems and protocols. The protocol accelerated industrial engineering processes tremendously. OPC UA, the successor technology, not only contains a modern communications protocol, but also represents a unified architecture. This gives IoT providers new areas of application which will soon be in high demand in the context of IoT and Industry 4.0.
OPC UA is a unified and extensible architecture which makes it possible to query historical and current data, identify and search machine topologies and send machine configurations and control commands. The standard provides modern security mechanisms and is also suitable for connecting to remote cloud-based systems, such as IoT platforms, thanks to efficient data encoding.
Thomas Stammeier, CTO at Device Insight, explains the opportunities offered by OPC UA implementation: “OPC UA is far more than a universal and flexible interface. We’re talking about a unified architecture which helps us to seamlessly integrate our IoT platform with Industry 4.0 applications. As market demands are rising rapidly, we expect demand for OPC UA to grow correspondingly. We want to be trailblazers and are integrating the open industry standard with our CENTERSIGHT IoT platform. As our architecture is standard-compliant, we can differentiate ourselves clearly from isolated solutions. The broad functionality of OPC UA, the unified data model and up-to-date security mechanisms enable us to implement high-performance Internet of Things solutions efficiently.”  
Merger of the real and virtual worlds Exhibiting at Hannover, Siemens demonstrated how it combines the virtual and real worlds to create a highly flexible, highly available and networked “eco system”: Process and discrete industries benefit from the integration of data from development, production and suppliers. This permits manufacturing companies to respond more selectively to individual customer wishes, to react more quickly to market requirements and also to more easily develop whole new business models.
“No matter whether we are looking at large-scale corporations or innovative medium-sized businesses: Siemens provides optimum support for customers as they move towards Industry 4.0,” said Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG Klaus Helmrich. Using a range of concrete examples, Siemens demonstrated ways in which companies can benefit by from the merger of the real and virtual worlds.
Fitness band for motorsABB unveils its smart sensing device that can be applied to the vast majority of low-voltage (LV) motors, whether new or already in use, making it possible to improve efficiency, reduce downtime and save money. The digital solution enables LV motors to be integrated into the expanding Internet of Things, Services and People (IoTSP).
ABB demonstrated how easy it is to attach the smart sensor to LV motors, enabling operators for monitor their condition and access cloud-based services. In this way, unexpected breakdowns can be avoided and energy consumption reduced.
“The smart sensor enables transcontinental industrial digitalisation,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, ABB CEO. “The sensor reduces the downtime of motors by up to70 per cent, extends their life span by up to 30 per cent, and cuts energy consumption by as much as 10 per cent. If all industrial electric motors worldwide were equipped with our smart sensors, the energy savings would be equivalent to the output of 100 large power plants.”
High output from a very small spaceDrones that are used for filming or photography, or for monitoring or inspecting buildings have to rely in particularly powerful yet lightweight light sources. At the 2016 Hannover fair Osram presented such high-power light sources for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the first time in the form of its Split Star S32 multi-chip and Zelion H LED modules. The particularly small and lightweight S32 multi-chip LED module features densely packed LED chips which produce an extremely high luminance of 140 cd/mm2 and a luminous flux of up to 15,000 lumen. With an output of 300 W the LED modules provide highly focused light and can be accommodated in the smallest of spaces.
Horizontal transfer of suspended carrier platesWith SupraJunction, Festo demonstrated the contactless transport of objects across enclosed surfaces and through sluice gates. Two carrier plates hover over the superconductors by means of magnetic rails affixed to their underside. They transport small glass containers through a round circuit by being transferred from one superconductor element of a conveyance system to the next element on a different handling system.
In the contact-free transfer from one cryostat to the next, an electromagnet attached to an electrical axis draws the carrier plate onto the next cryostat in the direction of attraction of the magnetic rails. Festo has realised automated transfer from one system to another in the horizontal plane and made suspended transport possible in long process chains and across system boundaries. Throughout this process, the plates hover over a flat basin of water. The carrier system and the automation mechanism are thus entirely separated from each other; this protects the components against soiling and greatly facilitates cleaning – ideal for applications in the packaging industry, laboratory automation, medical technology, or the food and pharmaceutical industries.New robots for general industryKUKA presented a new robot specially tailored to the requirements of the electronics industry. This sector is one of the world’s largest growth markets for robot-based automation in general industry. With the world premiere of the compact KR 3 AGILUS robot, KUKA is rounding out its product series of agile small robots. According to KUKA, this robot performs convincingly with its high speed and outstanding precision. It is even more compact, however, and thus an ideal solution for small cell concepts in confined spaces.