Industrial Manufacturing strategies for distributed control and resilient, rapidly responsive and reconfigurable supply chains.

Joined January 2023
126 Photos and videos
Flexibility has become one of the most valuable assets on the factory floor. Yet, in highly specialized processes such as automated Through-Hole Technology (#THT) soldering, adapting production to constant changes is where things get complicated. In MODUL4R we help to make this simple. Our proposed solutions, were applied in Swiss Smart Factory on a THT soldering machine for #PCBs. What we saw? Rapid reconfiguration of the machineโ€™s capabilities. Production changes made simple with minimal human involvement. Discover all the details: modular-project.eu/news/highโ€ฆ
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๐Ÿ”ต Greater customization, shorter product life cycles, and smaller productions are in rising demand in today's electronics manufacturing. For Printed Circuit Board (#PCB) assembly, this means frequent changeovers, different board sizes, component diversity and, small and medium-sized batches. Existing solutions for automated assembly excel in high-volume production. But they are too costly for small series production, so manual assembly is often used. In MODUL4R, we have developed a self controlled process with a digital twin for automated PCB assembly. This technology allows shorter set up times, higher quality and greater efficiency, especially in small series production with a high number of electrical component variants. Head over to our 2-min read for all the details: modular-project.eu/news/tranโ€ฆ #ElectronicsManufacturing #PCBAssembly #DigitalTwin
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Last week, our MODUL4R experts at @EngAtlantis had the pleasure of participating in the 13th @technforum. ๐Ÿ’ก Between presentations and inspiring discussions, they offered a glimpse into our world of innovation to interested stakeholders who wanted to learn more about the issues our MODUL4R research project addresses and the tools which we have developed such as our digital assistant for optimising process production planning in #manufacturing. Always exciting to see genuine interest around the work we do. Are you also interested? Click here to find out the latest updates on our solutions: modular-project.eu/news-presโ€ฆ
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In cutting tools manufacturing: โœ”๏ธ traceability during each step of manufacturing โœ”๏ธ detecting deficiencies today to prevent failures tomorrow โœ”๏ธ a high-performing overall manufacturing process Are all crucial, not just desirable. We spoke with Dr. Eng. Harry Yasir Otรกlora Ortega, our MODUL4R expert from @MU_gep, about how MODUL4R's solutions help TIVOLY Group tackle these challenges. Especially in a wide variety and low volume production environment of such tools where existing #automation and process optimization solutions are often hard to apply. Watch the video: youtube.com/watch?v=zZj9i5VVโ€ฆ #cuttingtools #tappingtools #smartmanufacturing
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When life gives you WebGL, you make virtual factories! Our MODUL4R experts at TTS developed a new simulation framework that changes how we model, visualise and commission industrial environments. The system renders a full 3D virtual factory inside any standard web browser, powered by @webgl_webgpu . From a remote site, an engineer can open a browser, and navigate to the simulation endpoint to have a live, interactive 3D view of the production line in seconds. If others want to join the same #simulation, they can now do so simultaneously from any device! The best part? No software installation is needed. In a few words, it brings: Simulation โž remote monitoring โž automation code execution, all rendered in the same virtual environment. ๐Ÿค“ With modular, reusable architecture and models. Our solution has been validated under real-life conditions via our use-cases. Discover the full story here: modular-project.eu/news/new-โ€ฆ
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The modular manufacturing concept explained in less than 1.5 minute? Yes, please! ๐Ÿ™‹ Turn the sound on and learn more about the concept that will transform #manufacturing, recapped directly by our MODUL4R experts working on this!
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๐——๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฎ-๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—น๐˜‚๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป. In high-complexity manufacturing environments, frequent and costly changes are major production bottlenecks. Our MODUL4R experts, at DESIGNO and @aimenct, have developed data-driven design solutions to help manufacturers: Redesign, reconfigure, and optimize production processes in a faster, more customizable way. ๐—•๐—ฒ๐˜†๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—น๐˜‚๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ Rather than solving just one part of the problem, our approach integrates: Design changes โ†’ย simulation โ†’ย process planning โ†’ย executionโ†’ย monitoringโ†’ย decision support into one traceable workflow. ๐—ก๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐—”๐—œ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—น A work-flow oriented solution that embeds expert knowledge into everyday engineering decisions. Dig into the details: #manufacturing #reconfiguration #datadriventools
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For the manufacturing industry, is fast adaptation to changes on the shop floor with minimal engineering effort a distant vision? We would say it's a tangible shift already underway. MODUL4R has developed a smart Hardware Plugโ€‘andโ€‘Produce solution that allows exactly this. Our approach is based on a #modular, reusable #automation system in which software mirrors the factory structure and connects machines to the cloud for monitoring and data exchange. Kudos to our MODUL4R experts at nxtControl GmbH, @HolonixSRL and TTS -Technology Transfer System for piecing this work together. Head over here to read how we did it: modular-project.eu/news/vd27โ€ฆ #Manufacturing #PlugAndProduce #SmartManufacturing
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Not sure how to stay up on the manufacturing sectorโ€™s #digitaltransformation? How about some modular #manufacturing best research solutions? Read our most recent newsletter and share it with your team to close the day strong โ†’ mailchi.mp/ce48aaef990e/7th-โ€ฆ Subscribe to MODUL4R so you never miss a new research filled edition โ†’ gmail.us21.list-manage.com/sโ€ฆ
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Can organisations train their employees in the #IndustrialMetaverse? Think of professionals stepping inside virtual replicas of #manufacturing cells, testing and reviewing system behaviors before they perform any physical changes. And, yes, we made this possible in MODUL4R. Instead of manuals or dashboards, we used extended reality (#XR) for training professionals and: โ†’ test procedures interactively โ†’ explore failure scenarios โ†’ understand systems before touching them Alongside that, they receive AI feedback for โ†’ pointing out errors โ†’ improving their decisions. For example. We applied this to one of our pilots that focuses on automated capacitor placement on #PCBs. Our solution, equipped the working team with the potential to: โœ”๏ธ Study different component geometries. โœ”๏ธ Identify potential malfunctions. โœ”๏ธ Instantly receive optimisation suggestions. So, no guesswork, no risk on the shop floor. Head over here for all the details: static1.squarespace.com/statโ€ฆ
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Unpredictable disruptions or simple shifts in market demand force manufacturers to change their process chains. And, to do it fast. But, reconfiguring production processes unexpectedly isnโ€™t simple. Multiple objectives need to be aligned all at once: quality, timing, cost, coordination. This is exactly the problem the ๐— ๐—ข๐——๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐Ÿฐ๐—ฅ ๐——๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—”๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜, by @EngAtlantis, was meant to solve. It helps teams to ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด on the fly and streamline ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ without relying on trial and error. That's what our toolย isย built for: 1๏ธโƒฃ Adopts to different #manufacturing processes, not a fixed setup. 2๏ธโƒฃ Modular & extensible, not a one-off #processchain tool. 3๏ธโƒฃ Lets users define modules, process paths, and scenario settings. 4๏ธโƒฃ Integrates risk evaluation module (e.g. information on failure probabilities) What we saw in practice? โ†’ Reduced manufacturing time โ†’ Lower hashtag#energy consumption Having the right tool makes the difference between: reacting late vs. adapting early. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Want to see how we did it? Read here: modular-project.eu/news/digiโ€ฆ #digitalassistant
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In the world of #electronicsmanufacturing, automating through-hole technology soldering (THT) can make a true difference in #PCB assembly. It improves efficiency. It strengthens quality and reliability. That is exactly what we explore in one of the MODUL4R use cases, the Swiss Smart Factory use case. The setup is based on a modular cell architecture, where multiple interconnected devices work together dynamically. Why does that matter? Because our modular approach makes the system easier to adapt in production changes. It allows us to: โœ”๏ธ Integrate new components, such as a secondary soldering station, more easily. โœ”๏ธ Validate different transport layouts quickly. But what actually moves the needle for the system's flexibility is the ๐Ÿฏ๐—— ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ by TTS. It plays a dual role: 1๏ธโƒฃ Working as a ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—บ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—น, it helps the team to assess performance, compare different configurations, and extract useful statistics. 2๏ธโƒฃ Working as a real-time ๐——๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐˜†๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜†, itย synchronizes with data streams from the robot and transport system to monitor operations in real time. This is what modular #manufacturing looks like in practice. ๐Ÿ˜‰ Greater flexibility. Faster validation. Better visibility into the production process. ๐Ÿ”— modular-project.eu/ #DigitalShadow #Automation
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At MODUL4R, we have built in-house digital twins for a robot, a quality inspection station and a gantry system. All of which are used for the automated assembly of PCB components. Their digitised replicas allow us to test the entire working cell despite the fact that: ๐Ÿ“ The robot and quality inspection station are in Fulda ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช ๐Ÿ“ The gantry system is located in Chemnitz ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช But there is more ๐Ÿ˜Ž The system is highly flexible, as the gantryโ€™s digital twin can connect directly to the automation logic via an IEC-61499 bridge. In practice, this means the 3D model functions as a surrogate for the physical hardware, allowing for real-time interaction within the control architecture! ๐Ÿ”— modular-project.eu/
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What does it take to run manufacturingย in aย trulyย modular way? Not just components. Not just #software. But a full portfolio of new solutions! MODUL4R has pushed the boundaries and delivers unique solutions that bring #modular #manufacturing to real life, ready to transform the industry. Get a taste below. And head over to our website to discover how our developments can support manufacturing companies, system integrators, OEMs, and much more ๐Ÿ‘‰ modular-project.eu/exploitabโ€ฆ
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Modular approach in manufacturing. Challenging and exciting. 3 whole years of astounding research flew by, yet delivered truly rewarding results. Zoom in on the solutions our passionate team of experts brings. From a digital assistant that helps users decide the most suitable process chain design to data-driven digital tools, hybrid #digitaltwins for #simulations and much more. All to help #manufacturing industry transition to being more digital, robust and agile. Come with us on the journey ๐Ÿ‘‡modular-project.eu/exploitabโ€ฆ
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New year, new goals! For us, that means delivering scalable, robust #digitaltransformation solutions for industrial projects. Hereโ€™s a glimpse of a factory-floor #STร„UBLI robot in an end-to-end industrial data pipeline, capturing real-time #data to provide useful insights for the end user. All built on a fog computing architecture. OPC-UA acquires data which the CPSizer (by nxtControl GmbH) processes, acting as both robot controller and gateway. Between the edge and the cloud, a @CORE_Innov_Cen fog orchestration node provides: โ†’ Communication โ†’ Computation โ†’ Policy control This layered approach is the way to attain: โœ”๏ธ Modularity โœ”๏ธ Low latency โœ”๏ธ Data sovereignty Pretty impressive, right? ๐Ÿ˜‰ ๐Ÿ”— modular-project.eu/ #fogcomputing #industry40 #datapipeline
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