Industry 4.0 and IoT

Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) are not simply marketing buzz words, but refer to the wide-ranging interconnectedness of people and digital systems. With infoteam as your experienced software development partner by your side, you will be part of the digital revolution and will benefit from improved measurement and presentation of key performance indicators – KPI) for your production processes, modern technologies for data analysis, batch sizes of a single unit and intuitive interaction concepts.

We look on the standardised digitisation of systems and processes as the basis for all software solutions relating to Industry 4.0 and IoT, and we will help you with the implementation of your requests and requirements from this initial step. Based on this, you can avail of our wide range of methodological expertise as well as the software platforms of our cooperation partners for databased software solutions, including:

Predictive Analytics & maintenance
Artificial intelligence systems
Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) optimisation

You can also benefit from our comprehensive experience working with various types of technologies and disciplines, such as:

as well as our transfer capacity in being able to successfully combine these technologies and disciplines every time according to the specifications of your project. To get started with Industry 4.0 projects, you can use the established frameworks and IoT platforms from infoteam and our cooperation partners. In this way, we offer the best solution for your needs with shorter time to market.

Industry 4.0 and IoT in Practise

Intelligent Production to Batch Sizes of a Single Unit with Multi-Agent Systems

iAgent is a framework specially developed for use in industrial environments. It can be adapted flexibly and individually to the requirements of all production processes and connects the individual production stations of an automation line together in the form of cyber-physical objects.

infoteam uses the proven technology of a decentralised multi-agent system for iAgent. The physical objects involved mark the starting point for production, including industrial controls, sensors and actuators, whose digital shadows are represented in software agents. As soon as these cyber-physical objects communicate with one another by means of communication protocols such as OPC UA, cyber-physical systems (CPS) are created. In addition to the embedded systems, the products to be produced are also part of this CPS.

In theory, all physical components involved in production can be represented virtually in the form of a software agent. However, in practice, it is best to consider only the components that are also part of flexible production. An agent is assigned to each of these objects by means of a unique identifier. The agent knows the current status of the object, which is made up of its internal status (e.g. who am I?) and its objectives (e.g. what is to happen to me?). It then tries to achieve these goals itself by means of configurable strategies (e.g. as quickly as possible). In this way, we establish a production process with decentralised intelligence down to batch sizes of a single unit, in accordance with the objectives of Industry 4.0.

Thanks to software-controlled production and connection to the cloud, iAgent also provides a cornerstone for the Internet of Things (IoT). The intelligent analysis of data from the production process enables processes to be optimised and enables predictions for future results through to predictive maintenance.

iAgent is currently being used in the interdisciplinary research project ‘RoboFill 4.0’, where it now controls previously highly rigid production processes in a flexible, decentralised manner. For more information, visit the homepage of the research project which is supported by the Technical University of Munich.

Augmented Reality

Live production data for each production line, operating data for production equipment or virtual hall planning: what was previously only possible by computer in the office is now possible directly on site in production thanks to augmented reality (AR). Data goggles or a mobile device identify all the key elements in the surroundings by means of the integrated camera and display context-related information to the user. Virtual information is superimposed over the virtual image of the actual environment, with added value provided in relation to ubiquitous networking and increased effectiveness of work processes thanks to computer-assisted augmented perception of reality.

Augmented reality also provides the option of remote support or remote help desk. Experts worldwide can access specific video streams and assist employees by mapping virtual information.

infoteam develops your AR applications based on your individual requirements and integrates them into your existing programme infrastructure, ensuring that no isolated solutions are left.