For small and medium-sized companies in particular, getting started with the digitization of production (Industry 4.0) is associated with risks. In a project at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen , researchers are therefore developing a platform for a secure and at the same time inexpensive connection to the Internet. This allows current measurement data to be transmitted for cloud-based applications. Programmes point out the wear and tear of machines at an early stage, so that production downtimes can be avoided.
The state of Hesse is funding the project with 344,000 euros. The project manager is the engineering computer scientist Prof. Dr. Diethelm Bienhaus from the Gießen Department of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Computer Science. The cooperation partners are the plant manufacturer Hedrich from Ehringshausen, the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology in Darmstadt and the IT companies Innias and BSC Computer.
In the age of "Industry 4.0" it is technically easy to network industrial plants worldwide. The vulnerability lies in data security on the Internet. In addition, it is very expensive to equip old production systems in such a way that the required data can be recorded. “Once machines have been purchased, they remain in use for decades. They can only be adapted to new requirements with great effort and high costs. A large part of the machinery installed worldwide is therefore still not connected to networked production," explains Bienhaus.
The Gießen researchers therefore have to develop a new radio-based sensor technology for data acquisition that allows the machines to be retrofitted with little effort. Data is transferred using standardized software and the free "Production Performance Management Protocol" that Bosch has developed specifically for small and medium-sized companies. Data security is achieved through a combination of hardware and software-based cryptographic methods.
The pilot user is the project partner Hedrich. The medium-sized production company supplies vacuum systems for customers in over 60 countries on all five continents. The new platform offers the opportunity to offer customers predictive maintenance for their systems. For example, data on temperature, pressure, vibration or oil quality can be recorded via the Internet. Required spare parts or tools can be available worldwide at the right time and disruptions or production downtimes can be minimized.
When marketing the platform, the partners initially want to focus on medium-sized machine builders. Since the solution can basically be used across industries and can be adapted to different company sizes, Bienhaus also sees great market potential.
The research project will run until the end of this year and has a total volume of 600,000 euros. It is funded as part of the Hessian "state offensive for the development of scientific and economic excellence" (Loewe).