Raw Materials Processes Redefined

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Right in the Middle of the Industry 4.0 Era

The increasing complexity of systems is a challenge to Azo to explore new approaches and develop solutions in the conflicting interplay between mechanical systems, electronics and IT. In order to further network process engineering and control technology, potentials were e.g. analyzed on the basis of the VDMA guidelines I4.0, and the 4P model for use of Industry 4.0 was defined.

A key factor here: “We have to inspire people to take this journey with us,” believes Dieter Herzig, Chief Digitalization Officer at Azo. One of the things he has been doing is to try out different models of cooperation — for example in the form of hackathons. In 2017 three start-ups from the fields of sensor systems, data analysis and virtual reality got together with employees for an intensive development workshop.

This is what Industry 4.0 looks like in Osterburken: Together with the VDMA and RWTH Aachen, a research project was launched to investigate the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Here, the instantaneous behavior of the pneumatic vacuum conveying system is measured via sensors. Machine learning via neural networks is then used to adjust operation to the optimum, which varies depending on the specific task. Initial test runs at the test center confirmed that this approach works in principle.

Dieter Herzig, CDO at Azo: „We have to take people along with us into digitization.“

Digitalization Across All Processes

At the heart of the automation solutions from Azo is the batch-oriented process control system Kastor, which enables seamless documentation of the production processes. In future, it is to become the center for digitalization in the production environment. For this purpose, automation specialists are developing and refining the control technology so that customer benefits can be improved and the systems can be used more flexibly. Among other things, this includes the use of Microservices technology, the integration of data analysis options, and — building on this — predictive maintenance measures and assistance systems.

Anyone who wants to develop products for a digital world will also need to adopt a digital approach themselves. Workers and developers in Osterburken are using the digital workers’ cockpit, digital production acceptance inspection in the laser cutting machine, visual shipping and assembly tracking, digital connection of supplier companies, integration of point clouds and VR in design and construction, as well as seamless tracking of materials throughout the entire production process — all building blocks on the way to the so-called “digital twin” at Azo.

While it is impossible to imagine automotive manufacturing without robots, it was inconceivable that something similar would be possible in the bulk materials industry. But the Rolog system clears up this misconception — it combines small components into a sub-recipe, whereby component sizes from 50 g to 10 kg are possible. “Up to this point, nobody believed that it would be possible to automatically weigh products in these tiny amounts. We have proved the opposite,” smiles Zimmermann.

The Future: Raw Materials Handling of the Future

The current projects at Azo show which direction raw materials handling is set to take in the future. Simple mechanical systems are still required, but these need to be combined with sophisticated software. The data required for this is made available by sensor systems, which provide information about the relevant machine status. Only when it is possible to combine all these technologies into practical solutions will it be possible to deliver robust and operationally reliable plants in line with the concepts of Industry 4.0. But one thing is certain: Azo will also be driving these developments with creativity, resourcefulness and passion.

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