Digital, Scalable Manufacturing - A Sustainable Production Scenario Using Collaborative Robotics and Additive Manufacturing

Industry 4.0 has become a well-known production paradigm over the
last decade. It represents innovation and creativity in research and industry but
also aims at including digital innovation into the manufacturing area. Robotics,
automation and handling of large data sets are key to fully exploit the potential
of Industry 4.0. Within this work, a novel production approach combining collaborative robotics, additive manufacturing and a state-of-the-art control and data acquisition approach is conceptualized and implemented. At Karlsruhe Institute
of Technology (KIT), Germany, an exemplary setup is implemented based on the
use of four identical robotic systems, fused filament fabrication and databases to
capture data from sensors and machinery in real-time. The setup will show the
capabilities of state-of-the art flexible, scalable manufacturing concept in order
to release the full potential of Industry 4.0 and enhance the flexibility and sustainability of current and future value chains.