For efficient production in the future, a digital image of the components, products and processes will be of enormous importance. As part of the BaSys 4.2 research project, Festo is working with a number of partners to develop a standardized implementation process for all the necessary concepts - such as the administration shell of the Industrial Internet of Things platform and the Module Type Package from Namur and ZVEI.
In these concepts, the digital twin is harnessed in concrete practical applications and achieves direct added value for production.
Digital twins are electronically available descriptions of relevant units. These can be components, systems, production goods or even abstract processes and logics. Consequently, their requirements are diverse and range from general information such as manufacturer, type, size, defined capabilities and physical simulations through to interface descriptions for modular plug & produce implementations - such as the Module Type Package (MTP).
The concept of the digital twin is a core aspect of the Industrial Internet of Things. In order to be able to use it efficiently, cross-industry and manufacturer-independent rules are required. These will be developed in BaSys 4.2 based on the concept of the administration shell (VWS), and implemented and presented in sample applications.
BaSys 4.2 has set itself the task of not only combining the various requirements of digital twins in the administration shell model, but also of developing freely accessible software tools and applications to make the concept easy to implement in practice. The stated aim here is to generate a generally accepted model through the numerous powerful partners, thereby supporting small and medium-sized companies in particular.
One of Festo's key areas of expertise is the further development of engineering for the purpose of advancing real implementation of the concepts. In this context, Festo also manages the activities in the corresponding work package. Central points include the standardization of engineering data and the automated generation of module system descriptions for modular production. This description enables automated integration in accordance with the plug & produce principle. A major challenge here is the transformation and synchronization of the information of different domains and the semantics of skills and data required. In addition, virtual commissioning and end-to-end data management over the entire product lifecycle play an important role.
In addition to software development, the objective of the three-year project is also scientific publications and the development of joint demonstrators that illustrate the advantages of the new applications. There is also a special focus on combining the approaches of the process industry and the manufacturing industry.
Project sponsor: German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Consortium leader: Fraunhofer IESE Kaiserslautern
Development partners:
Associated partners:
BaSys 4.2 is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the identifier 01 | S19022G.