Adaptive and Dynamic Feedback Loops between Production System and Production Network based on the Asset Administration Shell

In production networks, production must run efficiently across company boundaries. Companies must be able to react quickly as a single unit. Two trends are influencing this situation: On the one hand, the progressing servitization leads to the increased offering of digital services in the field of manufacturing. From the literature, it is known that digital services let manufacturers, suppliers, and industrial customers interact more closely and frequently in a production network. On the other hand, the concept of the digital twin is trending. It promises the real-time prognosis and control of production systems. Although the concept of the digital twin itself can be vague there are some technologies trying to implement the digital twin of production. The asset administration shell (AAS) is an example of such a technology that draws growing attention. Picking up the initial situation these two trends could be used to create a feedback loop between the production system and network and thus improve the overall efficiency in production networks. Based on this idea, the paper first presents an approach to model systematically a possibility for a feedback loop orienting to the business model concept. Second, a reference architecture is derived from the RAMI 4.0 standard. The specified reference architecture is the basis for the specific implementation. Third, a procedure is developed to implement a specific architecture. For implementing an architecture, the usage of the asset administration shell is assumed. Finally, the approach is validated in a use case from the high precision weight industry

Asset Administration Shell in Manufacturing: Applications and Relationship with Digital Twin

Within Industry 4.0 the communication between the physical and the cyber part of manufacturing system faces an ever-growing rise in complexity. The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) is an information framework, within Industry 4.0, that describes the technological features of an asset. It was created to present data and information in a structured and semantically defined format, allowing for interoperability. The work addresses the industrial implementation of AAS, where a systematic literature review has been carried out to investigate the features of the implemented AAS metamodel, and the tools used for the realization of the models. A study of the convergence present in literature between the AAS and Digital Twin (DT) has also been carried out. This paper presents a reference of AAS tools and information for industry practitioners, as well as suggestions for research gaps in the standardization of AAS information modelling. Copyright (C) 2022 The Authors

Asset Administration Shell as an interoperable enabler of Industry 4.0 software architectures: a case study

In recent years, the discipline of Digital Transformation in manufacturing companies turned out to be a hot topic of research debate, which allowed the design and introduction of new technologies and tools able to exploit the potential of the data produced by the shop floor assets. This increased interest in data generation and management has however highlighted a crucial issue about the lack of standardised models and structures to share these data and ensure interoperability. Among the several concepts proposed by the recent initiatives devoted to solving or mitigating this issue, Asset Administration Shell (AAS) is increasing in popularity, given its potential in providing standardised and modular information about the assets and events represented. This paper deals with a demonstration of the easiness of integration of AAS in pre-existing software architecture, allowing higher flexibility and a better understanding of the ongoing processes: a production line has been indeed entirely represented with modular AAS metamodels and it has been used to feed a Digital Model representing the line configuration. The use case proposed proves the effectiveness of the obtained solution when used for virtual commissioning operations

Bridging The Gap: A Framework For Structuring The Asset Administration Shell In Digital Twin Implementation For Industry 4.0

The digital twin is a core technology for implementing Industry 4.0 scenarios in scientific and industrial applications. One upcoming variant of the digital twin is the concept of the asset administration shell, representing an approach to standardization. This approach must be adapted to specific use cases and applied in a target-oriented manner. However, no comprehensive guidance exists on structuring and implementing asset administration shells based on the digital twin in manufacturing environments. This issue pertains to defining and organizing the relevant data and mapping domain-specific limitations and characteristics within the hierarchical structure of the asset administration shell's components. This paper introduces an approach to structuring the asset administration shell to address this gap. This approach capitalizes on domain-specific expertise, industry standards, and established best practices, providing a framework. We validate the presented approach by applying it to the use case of distributed high-rate electrolyser production. The overarching objective of this research is to bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and practical applications

Fluid Automation - A Definition and an Application in Remanufacturing Production Systems

Production systems must be able to quickly adapt to changing requirements. Especially in the field of remanufacturing, the uncertainty in the state of the incoming products is very high. Several adaptation mechanisms can be applied leading to agile and changeable production systems. Among these, adapting the degree of automation with respect to changeover times and high investment costs is one of the most challenging mechanisms. However, not only long-term changes, but also short-term adaptations can lead to enormous potentials, e.g. when night shifts can be supported by robots and thus higher labor costs and unfavorable working conditions at night can be avoided. These changes in the degree of automation on an operational level are referred to as fluid automation, which will be defined in this paper. The mechanisms of fluid automation are presented together with a case study showing its application on a disassembly station for electrical drives

Digital twin in industrial applications: how model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and asset administration shell (AAS) complement each other

In the development, production and usage of cyber-physical systems, the number of stakeholders, involved interfaces and volatile environmental conditions is constantly rising. In addition, use cases require more consideration of the entire system life cycle. This significantly increases the administration effort and forms a barrier for the digital transformation of industrial companies. While model-based systems engineering (MBSE) addresses internal challenges within the product development and Asset Administration Shell (AAS) addresses vendor independent information exchange and interoperability, both approaches need to be coupled to address today’s challenges. In this publication typical tasks within product development are discussed: “search the right information”, “integrate the right information” and “provide the right information”. It is shown how they were approached today, without the alignment of MBSE and AAS, what technological concepts exists to address the challenges and how the tasks are realized by an alignment of MBSE and AAS