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The design, commissioning and operation of technical systems is becoming increasingly complex and therefore more time-consuming and error prone. Today's automation systems have insufficient built-in mechanisms for self-configuration, self-optimizing and self-diagnosis to overcome this situation.

How Information and Communication Technologies (Industrial IT) will support future intelligent technical systems, we can already see for the field of Production technolgy in the Lemgo Smart Factory.  

Production technology is in a constant change and this trend will increase significantly in the future. The variety of factors acting on companies can no longer be thought out. A possible strategy of mechanical engineering to address these challenges sre adaptivie production systems. As an extension to flexible machines, a adaptive machine recognizes the need for change  itself.

Furthermore experts agree that future production systems consists of the real mechanical system and a virtual model. This is the only way to solve the challenges!

In the "Lemgoer Modellfabrik" the inIT - Institute Industrial IT of the Ostwestfalen-Lippe University and the Fraunhofer INA in Lemgo are exploring and testing new system technologies for adaptive, reconfigurable and energy efficient production systems (e.g based on service-oriented architecture (SOA)), machine learning of system models, human-machine interaction with localized services, scientific and technical issues of system integration or the reliable remote control of remote equipment via the Internet and mobile communications.

A modern control room with a modular display rack performs the whole process control and process visualizaton together with a distributed PLC architecture. The ABB Freelance and Fraunhofers Pro.Vis are used as PCS.

The modular mechatronic system consists of seven system moduls for transferring, transporting, weighing, packaging and storage of bulk goods. The electrical wiring of the sensors and actuators was designed with an independent interface, so that both central and distributed automation concepts can be realized. Here, in addition to various PLCs (eg the embedded control and PC-based), various industrial communication systems, e.g Interbus, Profibus, DeviceNet or real-time Ethernet are used simultaneously. A connection of the system over the Internet with the Fraunhofer IOSB in Karlsruhe is also implemented and shows the reliable teleoperation via VPN using the process control system Pro.Vis.

The inIT possesses a roller demonstrator with the model factory for testing of image processing and pattern recognition as well as sensor fusion algorithms. The speed-controlled roller consists of acrylic glass to enable realisation both reflected and transmitted light applications. A synchronized line scan camera captures the roller surface and transmits the image data via a GigE to the host where during runtime the signals are processed. The lighting can be executed by a constant light or a stroboscope. Additionally analogue and digital signals like temperature, acoustic emission and force can be acquired by a measuring board. The demonstrator is used for the analysis of image processing algorithms for surface inspection and Machine analysis.