• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Your Membership
    • Edit Your Profile
  • Services
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsored posts
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Events

Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

  • News
  • Features
  • Video
  • Webinars
  • White papers
  • Press releases
  • Featured companies
    • AMD Xilinx
    • BlueBotics
    • Elite Robot
    • RGo Robotics
    • SICK Sensor Intelligence
    • Vicor Power

Festo and SAP combine to offer insight into the future of manufacturing

September 5, 2017 by Sam Francis

Companies say their Open Integrated Factory is designed to help people understand Industry 4.0 concepts

What will manufacturing processes of the future look like, and what will be their defining features?

Festo Didactic and SAP created the Open Integrated Factory giving an example on how shop floor and a Manufacturing Execution System can be linked successfully in the era of Industry 4.0.

Work pieces in Festo Didactic’s CP Factory “tell” the machine how they should be processed. 

Today there is an increasing demand for products that match customer expectations precisely. At the same time, companies face growing pressure to manufacture at ever more competitive prices.

To adapt to these new conditions, the fields of systems engineering, production IT, and business systems will need to fuse to a higher degree than ever before, creating new means of production in the process.

The Open Integrated Factory in SAP’s Experience Business Center in Paris impressively demonstrates the integration of manufacturing and IT.

What makes this smart assembly line of just 8.60m length special are its work pieces: They “tell” the machine how they should be processed.

Not only is it capable of producing two completely different products – a remote control or components for smart meters, one of the two can actually be built in up to 16 variations.

SAP product development and the SAP Co-Innovation Lab developed this scenario as part of a co-innovation project with Festo Didactic providing the systems technology.

The scenario demonstrates that this production line can be run using SAP software.

The work pieces contain information in the form of production parameters.

Frédéric Puche, head of SAP’s Experience Business Center, says: “The parts know what they are and can communicate with the facility through RFID technology.

“After approaching the correct station, they tell it which part and variant they are, and request to be processed with the appropriate method.”

Through the use of defined standards, product variations can be manufactured in any given order and quantity, all on the same production line.

This finally makes lot size 1, the production of a single product with exact customer-defined specifications, a realistic endeavor.

The basis of the Open Integrated Factory is the CP Factory.

The cyber-physical learning and research platform is used by businesses in industry and educational facilities to train a broad range of technologies: from plant networking to PLC programming, drive technologies, sensor systems, safety technology, robotics, assembly as well as value chain analysis and optimisation.

Simon Colas, Didactic Education Manager at Festo France, says: “For Industry 4.0 research and teaching purposes, the system can integrate with all open systems and communication standards such as OPC-UA.”

The CP Factory consists of individual cells that can be configured for diverse different production situations and can be linked to IT systems.

The individual cells can be reconfigured in minutes to create new plant layouts. The patented passive work piece holder routing system makes it possible to operate each cell individually and to quickly set up an operational production line.

Festo Didactic’s CP Factory’s assembly line comprises the following work stations: Initialization station, component depot, oven, drill, assembly robot, Q-gate camera, rework station, and packaging station. Excluding the final two stations, all modules are fully automated.

The work stations query SAP MES for parameters. SAP MES provides parameters including material number, order number, and a unique variant ID for the next product in the line.

From the moment that this data is permanently written onto the RFID chip on board the work piece carrier, the work piece “knows” what it is.

This unique tag identifies the work piece at each work station, and the permanent communication aspect ensures proper forwarding of information.

If the camera-check detects a mistake in the production of one of the variants, the part is transported to the rework station.

Here, factory employees can transmit data to SAP Manufacturing Execution using a touchscreen, or remove the work piece from the production line altogether.

The controllers in the CP Factory cells have a modular design.

All control components are housed in the cell control cabinets: controllers with Profibus or Profinet networking, ProfiSafe components, and drive components such as frequency converters, contactor controllers and servo controllers.

The production line can be operated with and without a master control system.

The exceptional flexibility of a CP Factory system is a product of the modular design of its cells, which is always identical: dimensions, track rollers, control cabinet, conveyor, control console, system cable.

A single cell provides two conveyor sections and thus represents the basis for a complete subsystem.

The production cell with a branch module opens the door to new layouts: it can also be used as an independent system and be fitted with all functional modules.

The robot cells are equipped with everything necessary for industrial robotics training.

Completely enclosed and with safety doors, they provide totally safe working conditions.

Hot topics such as camera-supported assembly, the use of interchangeable gripper systems, palletising, camera tracking and so on can be dealt with in a practical way using a robot cell.

There are practically no limits on how the cells can be combined and the possible layouts.

The CP Factory combines cutting-edge systems technology with an SAP cloud-powered order management and production control system.

Order management is handled by SAP ERP, while production control and ERP integration are run by SAP Manufacturing Execution and SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence.

SAP Plant Connectivity is responsible for systems control, and OPC-UA serves as the communication protocol.

Seamless vertical integration of these systems eliminates the need for line controllers, at the same ensuring high flexibility with regard to order changes, variant combinations, and process modifications.

The Open Integrated Factory demonstrates that SAP Manufacturing Execution enables a fully integrated end-to-end data stream, from customer orders within the SAP ERP system, all the way to parameter transfer in systems control.

All of this bidirectional data exchange between systems control and SAP Manufacturing Execution occurs within milliseconds.

The ability to produce small, highly customized lots as cheaply as large lots, once a dream of the production industry, is now just around the corner.

With the Open Integrated Factory Festo and SAP say they are opening up new horizons for Industry 4.0.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Skype
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • Pocket

You might also like…

Filed Under: Industry, News Tagged With: festo, industry 4.0, sap, smart factory

Join the Robotics & Automation News community

Primary Sidebar

Latest articles

  • Improving Building Entry Security with AI
  • How do you heat a car to sleep?
  • Florida university opens Blendid robotic smoothie kiosk
  • Robots vs CNCs: What’s better for working metal?
  • Thermal imaging cameras in the food industry
  • IDS offers its industrial camera users free update to its new deep learning method
  • August Robotics machines helping with floor marking at Leipzig Messe
  • Security robots ‘deter crime and minimize risk’, says Knightscope
  • Schneider Electric invests €40 million in new smart factory in Hungary
  • Jabil to manufacture Sarcos’ robotic systems

Most Read

  • Stiga launches ‘world’s smartest’ autonomous lawn mower
    Stiga launches ‘world’s smartest’ autonomous lawn mower
  • Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
    Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
  • Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
    Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
  • Agility Robotics launches next generation of its humanoid worker robot
    Agility Robotics launches next generation of its humanoid worker robot
  • Scientists have found more water in space than they ever knew possible
    Scientists have found more water in space than they ever knew possible
  • Schneider Electric invests €40 million in new smart factory in Hungary
    Schneider Electric invests €40 million in new smart factory in Hungary
  • Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
    Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
  • Qualcomm releases ‘groundbreaking IoT and robotics’ platforms
    Qualcomm releases ‘groundbreaking IoT and robotics’ platforms
  • DeepRoute.ai launches $1,000 ‘map-free’ self-driving solution
    DeepRoute.ai launches $1,000 ‘map-free’ self-driving solution
  • What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire
    What You Need to Know About Fixing an Engine Misfire

Overused words

ai applications automated automation automotive autonomous business companies company control customers data design development digital electric global industrial industry logistics machine manufacturing market mobile operations platform process production robot robotic robotics robots safety software solution solutions system systems technologies technology time vehicle vehicles warehouse work

Secondary Sidebar

Latest news

  • Improving Building Entry Security with AI
  • How do you heat a car to sleep?
  • Florida university opens Blendid robotic smoothie kiosk
  • Robots vs CNCs: What’s better for working metal?
  • Thermal imaging cameras in the food industry
  • IDS offers its industrial camera users free update to its new deep learning method
  • August Robotics machines helping with floor marking at Leipzig Messe
  • Security robots ‘deter crime and minimize risk’, says Knightscope
  • Schneider Electric invests €40 million in new smart factory in Hungary
  • Jabil to manufacture Sarcos’ robotic systems

Footer

We are…

Robotics and Automation News was established in May, 2015, and is now one of the most widely-read websites in its category.

Please consider supporting us by becoming a paying subscriber, or through advertising and sponsorships, or by purchasing products and services through our shop – or a combination of all of the above.

Thank you.

Independent

Archivists

September 2017
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Aug   Oct »

Complex

Old-skool

This website and its associated magazine, and weekly newsletter, are all produced by a small team of experienced journalists and media professionals.

If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to contact us at any of the email addresses on our contact page.

We’d be happy to hear from you, and will always reply as soon as possible.

Future-facing

Free, fair and legal

We support the principles of net neutrality and equal opportunities.

Member of The Internet Defense League

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT