27 April 2016
Press ReleaseHANNOVER MESSE 2016 (25–29 April, Mon.–Fri.):
HANNOVER MESSE-Trendspots: A glimpse of what exhibitors are bringing
to Hannover!
–Last Issue
At HANNOVER MESSE 2016, all eyes will be on Industry 4.0 (advanced manufacturing). Over five action-packed days, more than 5,000 exhibitors will be showcasing the latest technologies for the factories and energy systems.The Trendspots offer a little taster of what you can expect to find at the fair. The lastedition is being published today.
HYDRA MES boosts shopfloor connectivity
The new MPDV Shopfloor Connectivity Suite drastically cuts the time it takes for manufacturing companies to connect mixed machinery to the internal HYDRA Manufacturing Execution System (MES) – creating total manufacturing transparency.
Machines and systems in the manufacturing industry are seldom a perfect match, no matter the size of the company. Businesses can make their production processes more efficient and boost their competitiveness by integrating their machines into manufacturing execution systems (MES) – but this generally involves a great deal of effort. Efficient production calls for transparency, which in turn requires methodical data capture on the shop floor – and this can only be achieved by interlinking machines and connecting them with an MES. Until now, it could take anything up to an entire day to connect a machine, depending on its make and complexity. But the Shopfloor Connectivity Suite that MPDV Mikrolab GmbH is showcasing at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 can accelerate the process no end and reduce the time required to just one hour in some cases.
It achieves these massive time savings by assisting machine connection in four clear-cut stages:1. Determining the input channels, 2. Selecting and setting the driver, 3. Configuring the data source, and 4. Connecting the channels. If required, the chosen settings can then be used as a template for other areas or plants. The Shopfloor Connectivity Suite includes an extensive library of drivers and interfaces, and customized configurations can be added with ease. The accompanying software package contains a user-friendly driver development kit for this purpose. In short, HYDRA provides manufacturing companies with an extensive and easy-to-operate tool for interlinking their machines that enables them to capture more data with very little configuration effort involved.
MPDV Mikrolab GmbH (74821 Mosbach, Germany), Hall 7, Stand A12
3D x 2 makes 6D
LEONI protec cable systems GmbH is unveiling a laser sensor system at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 that works in up to six dimensions – the new advintec 6D laser measurement calibration system measures grippers and components inline.
The precise measurement of grippers and the components in their grasp presents a great challenge in process automation – for instance, in powertrain applications or where engine or transmission parts need measuring. Local company LEONI protec cable systems GmbH has succeeded in developing a system that uses a fully automatic inline process to accurately measure grippers and components and ensure objects are gripped correctly – and it’s unveiling this advintec 6D laser measuringsystem at HANNOVER MESSE 2016.
What makes the advintec 6D laser measuring system so special is the laser sensors’ ability to work in up to six dimensions so that changes to either the gripper or the position of the part can be quickly detected and corrected online. This not only avoids collisions but also helps get positioning as accurate as possible. The ultra-precise advintec 6D laser measuringsystem operates without any aids or reference components, which not only saves costs but also automatically corrects the robot’s programming directly and automatically – and without interrupting the production process. There is no need for manual program corrections, the system is easy to integrate and operate, and it’s simple to commission using the supplied robot program. This also makes it a very attractively priced alternative to conventional mechanical systems. Last but not least, the advintec 6D laser measuring system offers increased plant availability, exceptional quality assurance, trouble-free scalability and standardization.
LEONI protec cable systems GmbH (30539 Hannover, Germany), Hall 17, Stand E42, Topic: Application Park Robotics, Automation & Vision, co-exhibitor with Application Park
The virtual employee that lightens the load
Celebrating its premiere at HANNOVER MESSE 2016, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is an innovative solution for automating business processes, such as ERP and PLM, which it performs like a virtual employee.
The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) that Roboyo GmbH from Baldham in Upper Bavaria, Germany, is unveiling in the Young & Innovative Digital Factory is an innovative technology for automating structured business processes. The company is in Hannover to show how RPA can work like a virtual employee to interact with applications’ user interfaces and carry out structured processes automatically.
The company name Roboyo derives from the word robot and the Spanish term for help, “apoyo”, which neatly sums up what RPA does – it provides robots that help. In actual fact, this doesn’t mean a humanoid co-worker built from steel and circuit boards sitting at a keyboard and operating business applications such as ERP systems, PLM systems, Office applications, etc., but rather a virtual binary assistant, made up of ones and zeros – in other words, a software robot. It works round the clock, makes no mistakes, cuts costs and documents all work seamlessly. All in all, this makes RPA an extremely handy assistant for mastering the strategic challenges presented by the digital revolution, Industry 4.0 and the changing world of work – and it represents another revolutionary step in intelligent process automation.
Roboyo GmbH (85598 Baldham, Germany), Hall 6, Stand K46/1
Topic: Young & Innovative Pavilion, Digital Factory, co-exhibitor with
Young Innovative Companies
Take the driving seat in value creation!
Visitors to the SEW-EURODRIVE showcase factory at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 can try out two exciting roles for themselves – either as a customer configuring a gearmotor or as a plant manager directing a product through the assembly line.
As a family business with operations worldwide, SEW-EURODRIVE has been setting standards in drive technology for some 85 years. It is at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 to present its highly efficient solutions for end-to-end process and logistics chains. For this year’s fair, the company has recreated a section of the showcase factory based at its production and logistics site in Graben-Neudorf – perfect for helping company directors, designers and project planners get a clear picture of what the Industry 4.0 concept is all about.
Featuring an authentic gearmotor assembly unit, this exceptionally impressive model makes use of the full range of modular SEW-EURODRIVE technology and shows exactly how logistics processes can be designed to Industry 4.0 standards using flexible, autonomous logistics assistants. In addition to the Bruchsal-based company’s main specialism of drive technology, a range of other fields of expertise are also on show, including control and automation technology, navigation, energy supply and storage, visualization, object-oriented parameterization and simulation. What’s more, this is by no means just a simple demonstration. In fact, visitors to the SEW-EURODRIVE stand can take on an active role themselves – either as a customer using the model to configure a personalized gearmotor, or as a creative manufacturer directing a product through assembly using a control system inspired by the world of gaming.
SEW-EURODRIVE GmbH & Co. KG, (76646 Bruchsal, Germany),
Hall 15, Stand F10
Quick processes for long journeys
Dortmund-based catkin GmbH is exhibiting advanced digital networking solutions along the entire logistics chain with its self-titled open communication portal at the HANNOVER MESSE 2016 “Young and Innovative Companies” pavilion.
Alongside more established SMEs and global players, new startups also play an important part in HANNOVER MESSE. One example is Dortmund-based catkin GmbH, which is celebrating its début at the “Young and Innovative Companies” pavilion in Hannover this year with its digital networking solutions that span the logistics chain. Managing Director Christian Krüger provides a taste of what visitors can expect: “The key advantage of intelligent networking in transport logistics is that all relevant information can be made visible. With ‘catkin’, this works for all types of orders between companies, and staff can even use an app to access the system on the move.”
Based on standardized structures, the “catkin” open communication portal boosts transparency and improves information-sharing while also reducing the amount of paper used within the logistics network. As a centralized interface, the system also eliminates the errors and disruptions caused by switching between different media, thus speeding up transport orders and reducing costs. What’s more, since “catkin” allows new order structures to be configured and approved online rather than having to be specially programmed, customer-specific requirements can be applied and made available via the app exceptionally quickly. Sample application areas include train driver schedules, truck driver confirmations and technical checks on freight cars. Meanwhile, “rich apps” offer enhanced ergonomics to help simplify day-to-day tasks for rail operatives – changes to the sequence of freight cars, for instance, can be made with a simple swiping motion.
catkin GmbH (44263 Dortmund, Germany), Hall 6, Stand L45/4,
co-exhibitor with Young and Innovative Companies
Industry 4.0 time machine
In line with the slogan “The future is now”, Device Insight GmbH is at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 to shine the spotlight on the CENTERSIGHT IoT platform and its implementation of the OPC UA industry standard for bidirectional communication with machines and systems.
HANNOVER MESSE 2016 exhibitor Device Insight GmbH is a leading IoT and M2M expert in the truest sense of the word, scoring top marks in the “Industry 4.0 / Internet of Things Vendor Benchmark 2016” study recently conducted by Experton Group AG. In fact, Experton analysts identified the Munich-based company as a “Rising Star” in the “Industry 4.0 / IoT consultation & system integration for the automotive industry” category. Device Insight is in Hannover this year to present its newly developed CENTERSIGHTIoT platform – the basis of its substantial success.
Visitors to the Device Insight stand can find out all about the latest CENTERSIGHT development – the implementation of the OPC UA industry standard for bidirectional communication with machines and systems. They can also discover how CENTERSIGHT links up machines, systems and commercial vehicles in line with the Industry 4.0 concept and thus lays the foundations for collecting, managing and analyzing various types of data flow. What’s more, since the platform is scalable and flexible, it is suitable for any size of business and a range of different industries, including mechanical/plant engineering, building engineering, automation, connected homes, medical technology and energy management.
Device Insight GmbH (81829 Munich, Germany), Hall 7, Stand D28,
co-exhibitor with Bitkom
The heart of Industry 4.0 – people
Bosch Rexroth is exhibiting the new Active Cockpit production information system at HANNOVER MESSE 2016, using a modular production line with five intelligent, networked stations to show that humans won’t have to give up the reins any time soon.
Dr. Steffen Haack, member of the Executive Board at Bosch Rexroth AG responsible for the Industrial Applications business unit and sales, is confident: “Employee acceptance is crucial to the success of Industry 4.0. During numerous pilot projects, we have built up a great deal of experience in our own production plants and used this as a basis for developing new system solutions that support both processes and the people working in a networked factory.” The latest developments, which the company is showcasing at HANNOVER MESSE 2016, include the Active Cockpit, a new production information system that has been designed to boost productivity by providing better information.
The Active Cockpit is an interactive web-based communication platform that records all the relevant data from a production line and updates it dynamically. However, crucially, it also maps out this information in real-time visualizations, directly at the production line. As a result, the Active Cockpit serves as a link between production systems and company IT systems that will support networked assembly under Industry 4.0 conditions. This new communication platform puts people at the very heart of everything, ensuring that workers can immediately identify production deviations and implement improvements straight away, for example. Indeed, having all the relevant data at your fingertips is the ideal starting point for making well-founded decisions. Visitors to HANNOVER MESSE 2016 can experience the Active Cockpit in action in a modular production line for themselves. Bosch Rexroth is exhibiting five intelligent, networked stations to show how autonomous production lines can be linked up with manual assembly stations, how production network functions can interact with company IT systems and how pre-existing machinery can be easily connected.
Bosch Rexroth AG (97816 Lohr, Germany), Hall 17, Stand B38
Three-dimensional networking
German RepRap GmbH and its partners 3Dokuteam and INTEC International are at Hannover to show what the world of production might look like in the future by presenting a unique production line comprising multiple German RepRap X350PRO 3D printers.
One of the key themes at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 is how to create an industrial value added chain by networking separate specialized components to create smart, homogeneous production plants. It is also an approach at the heart of the collaboration between German RepRap, which develops 3D printers based on RepRap technology (fused-filament fabrication) and its sales partners 3Dokuteam and INTEC International. Besides unveiling the new X1000 German RepRap 3D printer, the three companies are also demonstrating the benefits of networked production based on linking together several German RepRap X350PRO 3D printers to create an intelligent production line.
“There’s a seismic shift taking place in industry. This showcase reveals what production systems will look like in the future – with 3D printing playing a pivotal role,” explains Florian Bautz, CEO of German RepRap GmbH. Ralf Felmet, Managing Director of 3Dokuteam, continues: “We first presented this production line at this year’s CeBIT trade fair in Hannover. The feedback was fantastic, and we’re looking forward to rolling out the showcase for HANNOVER MESSE, too. The presentation of the X1000 large-format printer is a definite highlight – we’re talking about completely new dimensions and we can’t wait to show forward-looking companies what they will be able to do in the future.”
German RepRap GmbH (85622 Feldkirchen, Germany), Hall 6, Stand L16,
co-exhibitor with INTEC International
Tracking down the Big Bang with big data
The ASTRON Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy is at Holland High Tech House at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 to showcase the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), one of the most ambitious scientific projects in the world today, which is trying to answer fundamental questions about how the galaxy was born.
The SKA project, which ten countries and various universities and companies are currently involved in, aims to create a radio telescope with a total catchment area of around one square kilometer – an impressive scale that should help make it some 50 times more sensitive than other radio telescopes. The scientists running the project believe that analyzing the data collected by the SKA will require high-performance computers and long-distance networks with a performance capacity that would dwarf current global Internet traffic. Indeed, the antennae of the SKA will receive signals from space that correspond to a data volume of a good 14 exabytes. To put that into context, it would take about 28 million years to play back 14 exabytes of digital music.
As one of the project partners at HANNOVER MESSE 2016, the ASTRON Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy is explaining how data processing systems are going to meet these ultimate big-data requirements. ASTRON and IBM have set up a public-private partnership called DOME, which is staffed by an interdisciplinary team of scientists from both organizations and will run for five years. At the “ASTRON & IBM Center for Exascale Technology” created specifically for the project in Drenthe, Netherlands, the team will focus on developing leading future technologies and highly efficient exascale system architectures that will allow scientists to process, save and analyze the huge amounts of data that will be gathered in the future.
ASTRON Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (7991 PD Dwingeloo, Netherlands), Hall 2, Stand C12, Topic: Netherlands pavilion, co-exhibitor with Holland High Tech House
A fun way to learn – even for robots!
The Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD is at HANNOVER MESSE 2016 to exhibit DUPLOcator, a robot with excellent powers of observation that ensure it knows what it has to do next.