The TH Mittelhessen is represented at this year's Hanover fair with an exhibit that shows the "continuous network using the example of the boarding of the board" by a robot. Dr. are responsible for the project Torsten Groß, professor of machine elements and design system at the Mechanical and Energy Engineering Department , and engineer informatist Prof. Dr. Diethelm Bienhaus from Department Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Computer Science.

The system shown is a demonstration example of the control of production using cloud-based systems, which, according to Bienhaus, will play an important role in the digitization of production (Industry 4.0) in the future. However, the use of the cloud, i.e. an IT infrastructure outside the company, also harbors risks. Data protection must be guaranteed and the connection secured against failures.

The advantage of using the cloud is that the entire value-added process, from ordering to delivery, can be automated. The customer is constantly informed about the production progress. Experts can theoretically monitor production plants from anywhere in the world and support maintenance. In this way, the German medium-sized company can send a replacement to Asia at an early stage if it is foreseeable that a component will soon be defective.

The basic technology that makes this type of automation possible is the use of a "digital twin". This is a simulation model that immaterially depicts the properties and behavior of the production system and is used to control the real robot.

The Hanover Fair is the largest capital goods fair in the world, which attracted 225,000 visitors last year. It starts on April 23rd. Those interested can find the THM at Stand D26 in Hall 7. Various members of the “Smart Electronic Factory” will present themselves there. This association, founded by companies and research institutions in 2014, aims to introduce Industry 4.0 scenarios suitable for medium-sized companies into the real production process.