The challenges for European manufacturing companies in international competition are manifold. The hurdles that need to be overcome range from high energy and personnel costs to a shortage of skilled workers and unstable supply chains for a wide variety of components - but these are precisely the reasons why they repeatedly lead to remarkable innovations. With the well thought-out use of digitalization, including artificial intelligence, in combination with robotics and automation solutions, decisive leaps in productivity can be achieved for stable competitiveness.

Visitor magnet and platform for the exchange of information

For Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle from Gosheim, EMO Hannover is the international mechanical engineering trade fair for 2023. The main topics at Hermle are digitalization and automation. "With all trend topics, we keep very close to our customers, who come to us with a wide variety of requirements," reports Udo Hipp, Head of Marketing. "Especially in our growth sectors with a high proportion of automation, we are very much confronted with the topic of Industry 4.0 and the digitalization of our products. We offer solutions here with our digital modules such as Digital Production, Digital Service and Digital Operation." Each building block interlocks with the others. For example, the Digital Operation module offers machine tuning with dynamic adjustment of controller parameters and intelligent machining setups. The Digital Production module offers various tool and information management and automation control systems. The Digital Service module includes remote maintenance, diagnostics and monitoring systems.

Hipp explains: "What is important to us is the simple integration of automation solutions in areas and industries that have so far paid little attention or thought to these processes. The widely discussed shortage of skilled workers in particular is forcing us and our customers to invest in sophisticated automation solutions combined with highly efficient machining centers - and preferably all from a single source."

Flexible automated loading

The manufacturing industry, and machining in particular, is currently confronted with decreasing batch sizes and increasing part variance. This situation is exacerbated by the shortage of skilled workers on all sides. Companies therefore need to operate their machines for as long as possible. One solution from automation expert Schunk, headquartered in Lauffen am Neckar, Germany, is automated pallet handling, which allows systems to be loaded around the clock with as few people as possible, even in small batch and single-part production. The system consists of a palletizing module and robot coupling for automated loading. The workpieces and clamping fixtures are set up on clamping pallets, stored and successively transferred from the pallet magazine to the machining center. On the underside, the pallets have a standardized interface to the zero-point clamping system. Similar to an adapter, they connect the machine to a wide variety of workpieces. The pallet systems also have a lateral interface so that the pallets can be connected to a robot or gantry with process stability. The South German company has developed a new generation of power clamping blocks for the automated clamping of workpieces in the machine. "The robot with Schunk gripper can then load and unload the centric clamps directly with workpieces," explains Markus Michelberger, Head of Sales Clamping Technology at the company site in Mengen. "At EMO Hannover, we will be showcasing further automation and digitalization options in machining as well as new developments in the field of sustainable, resource-saving clamping devices."

AI meets Digital Twin

Although feed drive failures are rare, they cause high costs in production. In the Kidz project, iwb is therefore researching how predictive maintenance can be implemented using a combination of algorithms and classic machine tool models, even with only a few available failure observations. The background to this is that feed drives have a considerable influence on the productivity of machine tools: On the one hand, their failures are time-consuming and cost-intensive to repair. On the other hand, they significantly influence the machine dynamics and therefore the achievable metal removal rate. Switching to a predictive maintenance strategy therefore offers great economic potential. However, a holistic system that monitors and predicts the condition of feed drive components of manufacturing machine tools using only existing sensors does not yet exist.

The Kidz project is therefore researching a hybrid system for predictive maintenance: it combines a digital twin with modern AI methods. "In contrast to purely data-driven approaches, the hybrid system requires significantly less training data in the form of failure observations, which are difficult to obtain in the case of machine tools," says Michael Zäh, Professor of Machine Tools and Production Engineering at the iwb at the Technical University of Munich, highlighting a key aspect. "At the same time, this approach allows a certain degree of interpretability of its predictions, as wear can not only be detected globally via the digital twin, but can also be assigned to specific feed drive components." As far as possible, external additional sensors will be dispensed with and only internal signals will be used. Grenzebach Maschinenbau from Asbach-Bäumenheim is involved in the project and will demonstrate the functionality of the machine at the end of the project. "EMO Hannover 2023 offers an excellent platform for the international exchange of the various technical aspects for optimal solutions," concludes Professor Michael Zäh.

Innovations and international contacts

"EMO Hannover is 'the' platform for innovation par excellence," says Stefan Raff, Head of Sales Robomachines at Fanuc Europe - Fanuc Deutschland in Neuhausen auf den Fildern. "So it's only natural that Fanuc is bringing two European premieres in the field of robomachines to Hanover. I don't want to reveal any more at this point." Overall, Fanuc's EMO presence is undergoing a change. Instead of focusing solely on its own CNC controllers and machines, Fanuc is now also presenting visitors with "complete packages", such as a system for manufacturing automotive parts. The design of production facilities has changed due to the requirements of the electromobility sector. There is a greater need for flexible production systems. Criteria such as TCO (total cost of ownership) and ROI (return on investment) are playing a greater role than ever before. "We are also seeing a further increase in demand for process solutions - a trend that has become permanent," Raff continues. "The European Development Center that has now been established in Neuhausen will strongly promote the design of such solutions according to European standards." This gives additional impetus to the maxim "Fanuc develops on the basis of customer requirements". One example of this - and representative of many other solutions - is the development and testing of extreme applications such as power skiving on Fanuc machines.

"From our point of view, what must not be forgotten is modern equipment for training and further education," emphasizes Stefan Raff. "To overcome the shortage of workers and skilled personnel, we certainly need automation - but we also need early and comprehensive training for young people. For the first time at EMO, Fanuc will therefore be presenting an education cell with a machine, robot and complete training package. EMO Hannover 2023 will certainly shine with numerous innovations. Personally, however, I am looking forward to direct contacts, especially international ones, which we have all been missing for a long time."

The sensible combination of automation, robotics and digitalization is a perennial favourite when it comes to optimizing processes in the production environment - now increasingly enriched by digital twins and artificial intelligence.