Towards a Rule-based Manufacturing Integration Assistant

Recent developments and steadily declining prices in ICT enable an economic application of advanced digital tools in wide areas of manufacturing. Solutions based on concepts and technologies of the “Internet of Things” or “cyber physical systems” can be used to implement monitoring as well as self-organization of production, maintenance or logistics processes. However, integration of new digital tools in existing heterogeneous manufacturing IT systems and integration of machines and devices into manufacturing environments is an expensive and tedious task. Therefore, integration issues on IT and manufacturing level significantly prevent agile manufacturing. Especially small and medium-sized enterprises do not have the expertise or the investment possibilities to realize such an integration. To tackle this issue, we present the approach of the Manufacturing Integration Assistant - MIALinx. The objective is to develop and implement a lightweight and easy-to-use integration solution for small and medium-sized enterprises based on recent web automation technologies. MIALinx aims to simplify the integration using simple programmable, flexible and reusable “IF-THEN” rules that connect occurring situations in manufacturing, such as a machine break down, with corresponding actions, e.g., an automatic maintenance order generation. For this purpose, MIALinx connects sensors and actuators based on defined rules whereas the rule set is defined in a domain-specific, easy-to-use manner to enable rule modeling by domain experts. Through the definition of rule sets, the workers’ knowledge can be also externalized. Using manufacturing-approved cloud computing technologies, we enable robustness, security, and a low-effort, low-cost integration of MIALinx into existing manufacturing environments to provide advanced digital tools also for small and medium-sized enterprises

Systematic Comparison of Three Methods for Fragmentation of Long-Range PCR Products for Next Generation Sequencing

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies are gaining importance in the routine clinical diagnostic setting. It is thus desirable to simplify the workflow for high-throughput diagnostics. Fragmentation of DNA is a crucial step for preparation of template libraries and various methods are currently known. Here we evaluated the performance of nebulization, sonication and random enzymatic digestion of long-range PCR products on the results of NGS. All three methods produced high-quality sequencing libraries for the 454 platform. However, if long-range PCR products of different length were pooled equimolarly, sequence coverage drastically dropped for fragments below 3,000 bp. All three methods performed equally well with regard to overall sequence quality (PHRED) and read length. Enzymatic fragmentation showed highest consistency between three library preparations but performed slightly worse than sonication and nebulization with regard to insertions/deletions in the raw sequence reads. After filtering for homopolymer errors, enzymatic fragmentation performed best if compared to the results of classic Sanger sequencing. As the overall performance of all three methods was equal with only minor differences, a fragmentation method can be chosen solely according to lab facilities, feasibility and experimental design

Fatal Cardiac Arrhythmia and Long-QT Syndrome in a New Form of Congenital Generalized Lipodystrophy with Muscle Rippling (CGL4) Due to PTRF-CAVIN Mutations

We investigated eight families with a novel subtype of congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL4) of whom five members had died from sudden cardiac death during their teenage years. ECG studies revealed features of long-QT syndrome, bradycardia, as well as supraventricular and ventricular tachycardias. Further symptoms comprised myopathy with muscle rippling, skeletal as well as smooth-muscle hypertrophy, leading to impaired gastrointestinal motility and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in some children. Additionally, we found impaired bone formation with osteopenia, osteoporosis, and atlanto-axial instability. Homozygosity mapping located the gene within 2 Mbp on chromosome 17. Prioritization of 74 candidate genes with GeneDistiller for high expression in muscle and adipocytes suggested PTRF-CAVIN (Polymerase I and transcript release factor/Cavin) as the most probable candidate leading to the detection of homozygous mutations (c.160delG, c.362dupT). PTRF-CAVIN is essential for caveolae biogenesis. These cholesterol-rich plasmalemmal vesicles are involved in signal-transduction and vesicular trafficking and reside primarily on adipocytes, myocytes, and osteoblasts. Absence of PTRF-CAVIN did not influence abundance of its binding partner caveolin-1 and caveolin-3. In patient fibroblasts, however, caveolin-1 failed to localize toward the cell surface and electron microscopy revealed reduction of caveolae to less than 3%. Transfection of full-length PTRF-CAVIN reestablished the presence of caveolae. The loss of caveolae was confirmed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in combination with fluorescent imaging. PTRF-CAVIN deficiency thus presents the phenotypic spectrum caused by a quintessential lack of functional caveolae

Strategy for the management of diabetic macular edema: the European Vitreo-Retinal Society macular edema study

Objective. To compare the efficacy of different therapies in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Design. Nonrandomized, multicenter clinical study. Participants. 86 retina specialists from 29 countries provided clinical information on 2,603 patients with macular edema including 870 patients with DME. Methods. Reported data included the type and number of treatment(s) performed, the pre-and posttreatment visual acuities, and other clinical findings.The results were analyzed by the French INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies). Main Outcome Measures. Mean change of visual acuity and mean number of treatments performed. Results.The change in visual acuity over time in response to each treatment was plotted in second order polynomial regression trend lines. Intravitreal triamcinolone monotherapy resulted in some improvement in vision. Treatmentwith threshold or subthreshold grid laser also resulted in minimal vision gain. Anti-VEGF therapy resulted in more significant visual improvement. Treatment with pars plana vitrectomy and internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling alone resulted in an improvement in vision greater than that observed with anti-VEGF injection alone. In our DME study, treatment with vitrectomy and ILM peeling alone resulted in the better visual improvement compared to other therapies

Ad hoc Informationsbeschaffung unter Einsatz kontextbezogener Systeme in der variantenreichen Serienfertigung. - (Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Produktionsforschung ; 25)

In dieser Arbeit wird ein Ansatz zur Unterstützung von Werkern, Meistern und Instandhaltern vorgestellt, der es ermöglicht, aus der auftretenden Situation heraus (ad hoc), auf aktuelle notwendige Informationen und die Zusammenhänge in einer variantenreichen Serienfertigung zuzugreifen. Schwerpunkt bildet das unternehmensneutrale Gesamtkonzept des fertigungsnahen Kontextinformationssystems, das aus dem Produktionsumgebungsmodell und der Systemarchitektur besteht. Das Produktionsumgebungsmodell beschreibt und vernetzt enthaltene Informationen und Zusammenhänge einer variantenreichen Serienfertigung. Hauptordnungskriterien sind hier die Zugehörigkeit zu einer bestimmten Gruppe (Typ), die Identität eines Gegenstands, dessen Ort und Betriebszustand über die Zeit. Die Systemarchitektur ist modular aufgebaut. Die Module werden in Erfassungsmodule, Kontextverwaltungsmodule, Funktionsmodule zur automatischen und manuellen Informationsfilterung sowie Präsentationsmodule untergliedert und kommunizieren über eine einheitliche Schnittstelle

Ad hoc information acquisition using context aware systems within the multi-variant manufacturing

Eine variantenreiche Serienfertigung muss sich heute schnell an die aktuelle Lage anpassen können, um im Wettbewerb weiter zu bestehen. Die Verfügbarkeit von aktueller, vernetzter Information bei Entscheidungen im laufenden Betrieb, die einen Bezug auf die Umgebung besitzen, ist ein wesentlicher Faktor, um Veränderungen schneller ausführen zu können und Verluste infolge fehlender Information zu reduzieren. Zur Unterstützung kommt heute eine Vielzahl aufgabenspezifischer IT-Systeme zum Einsatz, auf welche sich die Informationen verteilen. Diese verursachen während der Informationsbeschaffung nicht wertschöpfende Zeiten. Hieraus ergibt sich die Motivation neue, übergreifende Ansätze für Assistenzsysteme zu entwickeln, welche innerhalb einer variantenreichen Serienfertigung das operative Personal in der Beschaffung der Informationen unmittelbar und effizient unterstützen. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird ein Ansatz zur Unterstützung von Werkern, Meistern und Instandhalternvorgestellt, der es ermöglicht, aus der auftretenden Situation heraus (ad hoc), auf aktuelle notwendige Informationen und die Zusammenhänge in einer variantenreichen Serienfertigung zuzugreifen. Schwerpunkt bildet das unternehmensneutrale Gesamtkonzept des fertigungsnahen Kontextinformationssystems, das aus dem Produktionsumgebungsmodell und der Systemarchitektur besteht. Das Produktionsumgebungsmodell beschreibt und vernetzt enthaltene Informationen und Zusammenhänge einer variantenreichen Serienfertigung. Hauptordnungskriterien sind hier die Zugehörigkeit zu einer bestimmten Gruppe (Typ), die Identität eines Gegenstands, dessen Ort und Betriebszustand über die Zeit. Die Systemarchitektur ist modular aufgebaut. Die Module werden in Erfassungsmodule, Kontextverwaltungsmodule, Funktionsmodule zur automatischen und manuellen Informationsfilterung sowie Präsentationsmodule untergliedert und kommunizieren über eine einheitliche Schnittstelle. Zur Erprobung des Konzepts wurden das Produktionsumgebungsmodell und verschiedene Module implementiert und anhand des Erprobungsbeispiels "Ungeplante Instandsetzung einer Werkzeugmaschine" und validiert.Today, a multi-variant manufacturing has to have the ability to adapt rapidly to the current situation to survive in a competitive market. The availability of up-to-date, linked information during decision making in factory operation considering involved and surrounding objects is an essential factor to implement changes faster and to reduce the waste of resources and time due to missing information. Here manifold task specific manufacturing information systems are in use, on which the information is distributed, which causes non-value adding times during the required information acquisition. This motivates new, holistic approaches for assistant systems, in order to support the operative staff in a multi-variant manufacturing efficiently in the acquisition of required information. This work presents an approach to support worker, foremen and maintenance worker which enable the access to up-to-date and required information and context of a multi-variant manufacturing out ofthe current situation (ad hoc). This work focus on the manufacturing independent concept of the manufacturing context information system, consisting of the production augmented world model and the system architecture. Goals of the production augmented world model are to link the information coming from the different manufacturing information systems and to structure it for the fast ad hoc information acquisition. The core criteria for structuring are the assignment to a certain group (type), the identity of a factory object, its location and condition in relation to the time. Whereas the production augmented world model forms the logic foundation of the manufacturing context information system, the system architecture represents the technical foundation. The modules of the system architecture are structured in for context information acquisition modules, functional modules for automatic and manual information filtering and presentation modules. The different types of modulescommunicate over a standardised interface. In order to show the applicability of the concept several modules has been implemented and validated in the use case "unplanned repairing of a machine tool" in a multi-variant manufacturing showing the assistance during the ad hoc information acquisition of heterogeneous information

An approach for an integrated maintenance strategy selection considering the context of the value-adding network

Increasing complexity in manufacturing processes poses new challenges for industrial maintenance. In addition, advanced machine monitoring and lifetime forecasting options expand the tools and maintenance strategies available. Today, maintenance strategy selection is performed sequentially usually based on prioritised machines and components. These selections are optimized locally for each machine isolated, not considering the context of other machines within the value-adding network. To overcome these challenges, this paper presents an approach for an integrated maintenance strategy selection in one-step by an integrated model considering possible machine failures and the context of other machines within the value-adding network in parallel

Supporting the digital transformation: a low-threshold approach for manufacturing related higher education and employee training

The technologies of digital transformation, such as the Internet-of-Things (IoT), artificial intelligence or predictive maintenance enable significant efficiency gains in industry and are becoming increasingly important as a competitive factor. However, their successful implementation and creative, future application requires the broad acceptance and knowledge of non-IT-related groups, such as production management students, engineers or skilled workers, which is still lacking today. This paper presents a low-threshold training concept bringing IoT-technologies and applications into manufacturing related higher education and employee training. The concept addresses the relevant topics starting from IoT-basics to predictive maintenance using mobile low-cost hardware and infrastructure

Smart Maintenance. Überblick über Methoden, Ansätze und Anwendungen: Seminar, 20. November 2019, Stuttgart

Die Instandhaltung steht auch zukünftig vor der Herausforderung, die Sicherheit, Verfügbarkeit und Produktionsqualität von Maschinen und Anlagen sicherzustellen und dabei möglichst wenig Personal und Kosten aufzuwenden. Gleichzeitig verändert sich die Produktion derzeit massiv durch den verstärkten Einsatz von IT-Systemen. Was bedeutet diese Entwicklung für die Instandhaltung? Welche Chancen bietet der Einsatz neuer Technologien und Ansätze im Kontext von Industrie 4.0? Dieses Seminar gibt einen Überblick über neue Methoden, Ansätze und Technologien, mit denen sich diese komplexen Herausforderungen meistern lassen

Smart Maintenance. Überblick über Methoden, Ansätze und Anwendungen: Seminar, 25. Oktober 2018, Stuttgart

Die Instandhaltung steht auch zukünftig vor der Herausforderung, die Sicherheit, Verfügbarkeit und Produktionsqualität von Maschinen und Anlagen sicherzustellen und dabei möglichst wenig Personal und Kosten aufzuwenden. Gleichzeitig verändert sich die Produktion derzeit massiv durch den verstärkten Einsatz von IT-Systemen. Was bedeutet diese Entwicklung für die Instandhaltung? Welche Chancen bietet der Einsatz neuer Technologien und Ansätze im Kontext von Industrie 4.0? Dieses Seminar gibt einen Überblick über neue Methoden, Ansätze und Technologien, mit denen sich diese komplexen Herausforderungen meistern lassen