Metrology and scanning products from the Bavarian company Wenzel are used in the automotive, aviation, medical and other industries. The highly accurate measuring machines deliver extremely precise measurement results for a wide range of applications.

The family-run company sees itself as an innovator in measurement technology and has therefore been working for years to integrate Industry 4.0 technologies into its own products. The team wanted to optimize the utilization, efficiency, user-friendliness and maintainability of the measuring machines and provide the customer with a mobile assistance system. In-tech came on board as a development partner with its SmartConnect modular system.

Intelligent support via app

The "Wenzel Intelligent Machine Interface" (IMI) was developed on the basis of the modular SmartConnect framework. The application runs on smartphones, tablets and desktop PCs and offers solutions for monitoring and analyzing measuring tasks, workpieces and machines. This brings together information that is available to the workpiece and the measuring machine over the entire service life and enables intelligent, flexible use.

Depending on the application, the measuring programs run for several hours. As the machine operator is not permanently present, a mobile solution should be used: The smartphone app notifies the operator both of errors during the measurement and of the results of successful measurement processes. This reduces downtimes and optimizes machine utilization. The operating personnel can intervene immediately in the event of an error or start the next process after a successful measurement.

From the idea to the showcase using the modular principle

The high-precision machines are subject to wear, which also affects the measuring accuracy. Guided use of the machines ensures more even wear and thus a longer service life and higher measurement quality: Using a heat map, the app shows the operator the frequently used measuring ranges. The operating personnel can thus utilize the machine more evenly in a targeted manner. The intervals between maintenance are extended and the measurement quality remains higher.

The operating data was previously not available to the machine operator. This meant that in the event of a fault, it was not possible to trace whether the machine was being operated outside of the specification, for example. The SmartConnect Frame-work stores the operating data on secure servers - either "on premise" in the production environment or in a cloud - and therefore enables more precise diagnostics in the event of a fault. With the remote diagnostics assistant, Wenzel Service can query machine parameters online and thus intervene more quickly and specifically in the event of problems.

The In-tech team used the modular SmartConnect kit to develop the solution. This provides basic functionalities. Existing libraries are used for tasks such as authentication, roles and notifications. During development, the team was therefore able to focus on customer-specific functions and develop them on this basis.

A heat map shows the frequently used measuring ranges. This allows the machine operator to use the less frequently used areas and reduce machine wear. (Pictures: In-tech) © In-tech

Thanks to the basic functionality of the SmartConnect modular system, an executable solution with basic functions was already available at the start of the project. In-tech then iteratively developed this further in constant coordination with Wenzel. Thanks to this "continuous delivery", new functions were immediately available and feedback could be taken into account immediately during development. The team attached great importance to high usability and an operating concept tailored to the end user. Interfaces optimized for the respective context were developed for the different user roles. The customer-specific styling of the app complements the high-quality design of the machines and thus ensures a coherent appearance.

The solution takes into account the specific framework conditions, such as proprietary interfaces of the machines. The expandability was ensured in order to implement new functions in further releases.

The special requirements of the production environment also required special attention to be paid to IT security, for example secure communication between machines, servers and end devices. The server backend can run both "on premise" in the production environment and in a secure cloud environment.

Quickly to the solution

Thanks to the efficient development process, the project was completed in just 3 months. "We were able to test the first mock-ups and prototypes at the start of the project and provide our feedback. This approach enabled the in-tech team to implement the application extremely quickly and in a targeted manner," says Prof. Dr. Heiko Wenzel-Schinzer, Chief Digital Officer Business Development at Wenzel. The Wenzel Intelligent Machine Interface (IMI) was presented for the first time at EMO 2017. The showcase met with great interest from trade fair visitors and is now being further developed for series production.

Dr. Klaus Wiltschi, Head of Business Unit Machinery at In-tech / am