Final Report Summary - INT-MANUS (Intelligent Networked Manufacturing System)
The objective of the INT-MANUS project has developed a new technology for manufacturing enterprises and is called the smart-connected-control platform (SCCP). This platform can revolutionise the way that production plants of the future will be controlled. The project has used a distributed learning agent platform, innovative mechatronic methodologies, and ubiquitous augmented and virtual reality technology to implement a research prototype for a manufacturing plant capable of advanced proactive maintenance, customised production, and error diagnosis support. The SCCP thereby seamlessly integrates human personnel and manufacturing machines in the production process.
The INT-MANUS project addressed several problems facing today's manufacturers. The SCCP was self-organised, self-healing, dynamically extensible and open. Innovative mechatronics provided valuable sensor data to the SCCP for diagnostic purposes. Intelligent robots delivered goods in a manufacturing plant in a flexible way on routes that were determined just in time by the SCCP. Human operators were seamlessly integrated in the maintenance and diagnose process. With help of ubiquitous augmented reality systems an operator was able to interact with the system on site and provide information that cannot be extracted by machine sensors. Maintenance and repair crews as well as supervisors had additional information through handheld computers to overlay complex data with real parts and machines during the production process. Finally, customers were able to customise a product prior to the production process. The design of specific products happened in a virtual environment. The resulting specifications were evaluated and implemented by the SCCP just in time.
The systems innovative functionality was demonstrated in three research prototypes. In the first phase of the project a basic version of the SCCP was implemented. A limited set of new sensors were attached to the machines and the software needed to process this data will be developed. Advanced numerical controls and robots were attached to the platform as well as handheld computers and other wearable devices. The first research prototype was demonstrated during an advanced maintenance scenario on a specially developed test-bed. A maintenance crew will perform its task, supported by the robots and information from the newly integrated sensors visualised on handheld computers on site.
The second phase of the project focused on the advanced control of robots and machines. Improvements in every module connected to the SCCP as well as the core itself and introduction of the virtual reality system led to a research prototype demonstrating a scenario on customised production. In this scenario a customer designed a product in the virtual environment and the SCCP supervised its production in the manufacturing plant of the future. In the third project phase further refinements on all modules and the core itself facilitated dealing with error reporting and diagnosis in a learning system. In this phase of the project the scenario used dealt with collected error data from many machines together and its evaluation for diagnosis purposes. Operators on site used advanced visualisation technology and the SCCP to diagnose problems in the production plant and react by flexibly reprogramming the production process.
The final research prototype showed the fully deployed INT-MANUS system with a complete SCCP and all three scenarios. The main project deliverables were a fully functional SCCP that could be applied to virtually any type of production plant.
The INT-MANUS project addressed several problems facing today's manufacturers. The SCCP was self-organised, self-healing, dynamically extensible and open. Innovative mechatronics provided valuable sensor data to the SCCP for diagnostic purposes. Intelligent robots delivered goods in a manufacturing plant in a flexible way on routes that were determined just in time by the SCCP. Human operators were seamlessly integrated in the maintenance and diagnose process. With help of ubiquitous augmented reality systems an operator was able to interact with the system on site and provide information that cannot be extracted by machine sensors. Maintenance and repair crews as well as supervisors had additional information through handheld computers to overlay complex data with real parts and machines during the production process. Finally, customers were able to customise a product prior to the production process. The design of specific products happened in a virtual environment. The resulting specifications were evaluated and implemented by the SCCP just in time.
The systems innovative functionality was demonstrated in three research prototypes. In the first phase of the project a basic version of the SCCP was implemented. A limited set of new sensors were attached to the machines and the software needed to process this data will be developed. Advanced numerical controls and robots were attached to the platform as well as handheld computers and other wearable devices. The first research prototype was demonstrated during an advanced maintenance scenario on a specially developed test-bed. A maintenance crew will perform its task, supported by the robots and information from the newly integrated sensors visualised on handheld computers on site.
The second phase of the project focused on the advanced control of robots and machines. Improvements in every module connected to the SCCP as well as the core itself and introduction of the virtual reality system led to a research prototype demonstrating a scenario on customised production. In this scenario a customer designed a product in the virtual environment and the SCCP supervised its production in the manufacturing plant of the future. In the third project phase further refinements on all modules and the core itself facilitated dealing with error reporting and diagnosis in a learning system. In this phase of the project the scenario used dealt with collected error data from many machines together and its evaluation for diagnosis purposes. Operators on site used advanced visualisation technology and the SCCP to diagnose problems in the production plant and react by flexibly reprogramming the production process.
The final research prototype showed the fully deployed INT-MANUS system with a complete SCCP and all three scenarios. The main project deliverables were a fully functional SCCP that could be applied to virtually any type of production plant.
