A "smarter” manufacturing solution combining edge computing technology and cloud platform was recently developed by researchers from Shenyang Institute of Automation of Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIACAS), and SAP, a German company specializes in enterprise application software.

Through a combination of the ThingOrigin platform of SIACAS and the digital supply chain and manufacturing solution of SAP, this smart solution can significantly improve manufacturing efficiency during mass customized production process.

Traditionally, mechanical structure, industrial network and IT management software are designed and allocated according to set of products. When the designs of the products change during manufacturing process, the manufacturing system cannot rapidly adjust itself according to the modification, and the transformation has a high cost. The age of mass customized production calls for more flexible production mode.

Based on the world-leading modular production concept, researchers divided a traditional manufacturing system into modular units. They realized wireless and flexible decoupling control via the WIA industrial wireless technology and industrial software defined network technology developed by SIACAS.

Robotic equipment of the manufacturing system such as manipulators can operate smartly and independently with the help of the edge controller and integrated artificial intelligence algorithm on the ThingOrigin platform. Flexible control software on the ThingOrigin platform then leads to the reconstruction of the manufacturing steps, driving the self-adaptive reconstruction of the divided modular units.

Under the new mode, the cost will be cut significantly and the adjustment time will be shortened.

Functions of workshop warehousing management and cloud sales management are also added to the solution, to fully realize end to end business management, so that clients can track the status of the orders for the whole course.

SIACAS and SAP have jointly developed China’s first Industrial 4.0 Interconnection Intelligent Manufacturing Solution in 2016, which was listed among the 15 World Internet Leading Technological Achievements during the third World Internet Conference in 2016.

The model line based on collaborative manufacturing solution of edge computing and cloud platform. (Image by SIACAS)