The term industry 4.0 envisions smart factories acting autonomously, adapting immediately to market changes and ensure optimal utilization of available production capacities. It refers to a technology push which encompasses a myriad of technologies that enable a digital transformation of industry. This digitalization establishes the technical requirements of the industry 4.0 vision. Cyber-physical systems (CPS), the industrial internet of things (IIoT), 3D printing, cloud computing and artificial intelligence are key components to realize this vision.
Cyber-physical systems (CPS)
Many advancements in microprocessor production allowed for cheaper costs, smaller sizes, less energy consumption as well as increased integration, capabilities and reduced prices. As such, it became feasible to equip every production machine and even products with computation, communication and sensory capacities. As result, it has become feasible to equip any production machine with microprocessors, network interfaces and senors, laying the foundation for CPS. Such machines are capable to continuously asses their own status, communicate and coordinate within the manufacturing network and both local and global information on a per-machine level.
This growth in capabilities on a per machine level lays the foundation for smart factories. A production facility with a multitude of CPSs is referred to as Cyber-physical production system (CPPS).
Smart Factories
Within a smart factory, all entities are equipped with some direct or indirect form of sensors, communication and computation. For machines, CPS provide these functionalities. For products, these functionalities are either achieved by smart products or smart product carriers. Thus, all entities and activities of the production processes can be viewed transparently on a digital level .The collection of all these information lays the foundation for digital twins, which are a digital representation of the production environment and enable various forms of control, prediction, forecasting and simulation.
Moreover, the sophisticated level of technical capabilities also fulfills the requirements for the implementation of distributed control. Both machines and products are capable to asses their environment, coordinate within the production network and make local decisions autonomously without centralized control. But, a centralized control is also possible, of cause.