Digital Factory

The principal scopes of this Italy-Hungary joint project are related to the development and implementation of the concept of Digital Factory through the application of advanced numerical simulation tools for modeling, analysis and optimization of manufacturing systems using diverse dedicated software resources available at the laboratories of the Italian and Hungarian partners. The Digital Factory is a network of digital models, methodologies, and applications used to integrate the planning and design of manufacturing facilities with the manufacturing process itself. The Digital Factory concept offers an integrated approach to enhance the product and production engineering processes and simulation is a key technology within this concept. Different types of simulation, such as Discrete Event or 3D Simulation can be applied in virtual models on various planning levels and stages to improve the product and process planning on all levels. The focus and key factor is the integration of the various planning and simulation processes. In an advanced stage simulation technology can be applied in the digital factory concept to enhance the operative production planning and control as an integrated process from the top level to the factory floor control. It is essential to create a detailed factory layout that can be used to construct and operate a manufacturing facility. This is the only way to arrive at an optimal factory layout that supports the manufacturing process, optimizes space, production, and logistic requirements, and guarantees a high maintainability and profitability. The implementation of the Digital Factory is a fundamental issue in today’s manufacturing industry, where competition encourages companies to constantly study and improve their manufacturing systems. Before making any investment involving new facilities or rearrangement of available facilities, the consequences of the suggested changes on the system should be verified. In fact, when a change is made in any of the components of a manufacturing system, it affects the other entities and the behaviour of the system as a whole. The components are represented by facilities, equipment, tooling, material handling systems, people, as well as production methods, i.e. a collection of physical elements and procedures working together to accomplish specific manufacturing tasks. Developing the Digital Factory allows for the quick analysis and visual examination of the system’s performance before carrying out actual changes in the system. Simulation modeling becomes essential to avoid complex analysis and experimentation, which can be impractical or non cost-effective. It can lead to shortened duration of product line reconfiguration and modification, interference (both dynamic and static) detection beforehand, 3D visualization of layout efficiency, etc.