Combined Optimization and Virtual Commissioning of Production Systems with a High Volume of Material Flow using Multiscale Network Models (OptiPlant)

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Simone Göttlich; Professor Dr.-Ing. Alexander Verl
• Subject Area: Production Systems, Operations Management, Quality Management and Factory Planning ; Production Automation and Assembly Technology
• Term: from 2017 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 327964174

The time-deterministic hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HiLS) of machines in a material flow-intensive production system is promising, as for example in areas like beverage and packaging technology (special machinery). The individual design of each machine and the commissioning is error-prone, which often requires costly and time-consuming corrections of the control code on site. The integration of new machines into existing production systems leads to cost-intensive downtimes of the complete system. Further, the increasing demand for more extensive and rapidly changing product ranges results in a higher complexity of the control system. In the area of special machinery, where machines are designed and manufactured according to customer requirements, simulation-based methods could accelerate the engineering process, reduce costs and lower the error rate significantly. Nevertheless, simulation-based methods concerning individual machines as well as the material flow in connection with the real control system are not applied today in this area. The objective is to transfer the results collected with the HiLS of CNC machines for testing the service performance and control validation to the beverage technology with its specific requirements. However, the description of virtual machines with HiLS the implementation of time-deterministic and computationally efficient algorithms. At present, there is no material flow model that ensures a time-deterministic computation of the material flow dynamics with a large number of moving objects (in beverage technology approximately 20.000 - 50.000 bottles per hour). The use of a multi-scale network model for simulating the material flow within a HiLS is, therefore, promising and new. This will be investigated within this research project. Furhermore, a mathematical throughput optimization of the transport system for finding the optimal flow rate can be performed with the flow model. Currently, throughput optimizations are only conducted disregarding the feasibility in the implementation phase. In addition, here for the most part only event-discrete material flow simulations are found, which do not consider the system layout. In this research project, a mathematical throughput optimization preceding the HiLS and based on the flow model in combination with a service performance is to be developed during the virtual commissioning, using the multi-scale network model on the real control system.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants