Research project on the energy flexible factory successfully started
On April 1’st, 2020 the five association members Fraunhofer IGCV, EDC Electronic Design Chemnitz GmbH, MicroStep Europa GmbH, OSCAR PLT GmbH and TEKA Absaug- und Entsorgungstechnologie GmbH started a joint research project on the energy flexible factory. The Industry Business Network 4.0 and the companies KTS GmbH & Co. KG and stürmsfs ag are also part of the project consortium as associated application partners.
With a tender for the programm „Weiterentwicklung des Softwaresystems BaSys 4.0 in der Anwendung“, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding innovative developments based on RAMI 4.0 and BaSys 4.0, which generate added value along the entire value creation chain through the use of relevant data and open up previously unused potential. Within this framework, the consortium has successfully applied for the project “Administrative Shell for Energy-Flexible Factories (VerEFab)” with a duration of 24 months and a total project volume of € 1.5 million which started its work in April.
The overall focus of the research project is the connection of the shop floor level with superordinate levels (e.g. IIoT/Industry 4.0 platforms) by extending the concepts of BaSys 4 with the aim of an “energy flexible factory” that is able to meet future economic and ecological challenges. The basis is the integration of assets (machines) by means of a administration shell, a corresponding machine adapter and a Secure Device Onboarding. These intelligent assets in turn are the basis for the energy-flexible factory. Such a factory has the ability to adapt to changes in the energy market quickly and at low cost. This factor will be particularly important in the future, as the transformation of the energy system from conventional to renewable energy producers leads to a more volatile and therefore less controllable energy production. In order to achieve a better balance between energy production and consumption, an adjustment on the consumption side is therefore necessary. The Energy Flexible Factory thus represents an important solution component for energy systems of the future. At the same time, companies can benefit from lower costs in times of high energy production through flexible adaptation.
The results of the research project will be evaluated and presented in a demonstrator with real production machines. In addition, the industrialization of the results will be promoted through publications in scientific and popular science media.
You too can benefit from the possibilities of funding research and development projects for Industry 4.0! Applications can still be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under this tender. The new Research Allowance Act (FZulG) also provides opportunities for all companies to receive government funding.
