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Factory Simulation: Exploring the Links with Symbiotic Simulation and Digital Bill of Process
Image: © HSSMI
Vision
Real and virtual manufacturing is growing closer and faster. Manufacturers recognise the importance of enabling new technologies, real-time data sharing and visualisation within their organisations and across their supply chains. HSSMI is helping companies and researchers start to integrate these new technologies and explore the possibilities of Industry 4.0 solutions.
The goal of our FactorySIM programme is to emulate the holonic architecture of real factories, through evaluation of machine operations and energy resources. Data capture can be used to improve Just-In-Time production, virtualise processes allowing manufactures to simulate changes in their production, and to schedule maintenance and deliveries prior to implementation, reducing fault risks.
Real time data can be used to create a dashboard able to verify the state of production in each moment, enabling managers to act faster to potential problems and use simulation to predict issues along the line. This will require the integration of historical and live data composition, simulation, visualisation and virtualisation infrastructure.
Digital Infrastructure
Bill of Process (BOP) is the full description of all assets, activities and their inter-dependencies related to the manufacturing of a product. Traditionally, once the physical factory is completed BOPs are redundant as they become outdated. However, concepts such as symbiotic simulation try to feedback live operational data into predictive simulations to optimise production. The concept of a digital BOP maintains the manufacturing blueprint as a useful, ongoing representation of the physical factory. Achieving integration of a manufacturing system as a digital BOP provides a blueprint for wider integration for current and future manufacturing operations across the UK.
FactorySIM benefits
Some examples of the benefits being obtained from this integration along the organisation are:
– Process Control in real time
– Predictive Maintenance
– Analysis of KPIs in real time
– Material tracking
– Forecast improvement
– Supplier ranking
– Tracking resources used during processes
HSSMI hopes to enable manufacturers to embrace emerging technologies by providing a blueprint for integration between the physical and digital worlds.
This post was written by Aanand Davé. If you are interested in FactorySIM programme and would like to find out more, please contact Enrique Rodriguez, Virtual Engineering manager.
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