Digital manufacturing

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term digital manufacturing is made up of various manufacturing processes such as additive manufacturing and technologies based, among other things, on injection molding and CNC machining . Original manufacturing methods are converted into processes with the help of computer technology . Different procedures and materials can be used in the different phases throughout the process.

Digital manufacturing is part of Industry 4.0 . The areas of CAD construction, digital manufacturing, robotics, sensors & data and analytics are combined to redefine industrial manufacturing.

Key technologies

The three key technologies of digital manufacturing are plastic injection molding, additive or generative manufacturing and CNC machining:

Plastic injection molding

Injection molding is one of the most important production methods in the processing of plastics . Injection molding has a number of features that allow particularly complex molded parts to be mass-produced:

  • direct route from raw material to finished part,
  • no or only little post-processing of the molded part necessary,
  • Process fully automated and
  • high reproducibility of production

The possibilities of the molded parts that can be produced by injection molding are diverse - they range from, for example, the smallest gear wheels to large garbage containers. The weights of the molded parts are in the order of magnitude of 0.001 g to 100 kg.

Additive / Generative Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing , is a process that applies layer by layer. This creates three-dimensional objects of all kinds. Typical materials are plastic, metal and plaster of paris in the form of powder, granules and in one piece or in liquid form.

In contrast to subtractive processes, in which raw material is machined using milling , turning , drilling and other electrical processes such as spark erosion through mechanical removal of material (for example using CNC machines ) to create a specific object, additive / generative manufacturing an object created by adding, applying and depositing material based on a digital model. A digital 3D model (e.g. in the form of a CAD file), which is translated into machine-readable code and processed automatically, serves as a template for production.

CNC processing

CNC is a subtractive manufacturing process in which a computer controls the cutting and shaping of parts (mostly made of metal). High-speed machining with CNC machines is suitable for the production of prototypes as well as for tests of form and accuracy of fit, devices and functional parts for end applications. In CNC machining, a distinction is made between CNC milling and CNC turning processes. CNC milling is a subtractive manufacturing process that uses 3-axis and 5-axis indexed milling processes to quickly turn solid plastic and metal blocks into finished parts. The CNC turning process with driven tools enables turning and milling for machining parts as well as the production of cylindrical parts from metal bars.

Advantages of digital manufacturing

Intelligent and networked methods, processes and tools enable more flexible production. This also increases profitability and strengthens competitiveness. Processes in production are also made safer, faster and more up-to-date thanks to digitized processes. According to the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI), digital networking in industry harbors both opportunities and risks. Far-reaching effects of technological development on industrial production are to be expected. Politics, business and society should develop strategies to actively shape the process of change. The buzzword Industry 4.0 stands for a vision of the future in which industrial production becomes more flexible and efficient with the help of digital networking and intelligent systems.

outlook

Digitization is a high priority for German industry. 91 percent of companies are investing in expanding their digital factories. But even the best analysis models will not be able to predict and avoid all malfunctions in machines and systems in the future. Thus, despite digitization, humans will not become superfluous; rather, cooperation between humans and machines will be essential in the future. This creates new opportunities and new job profiles.

literature

  • Haag, Niechoj: Digital Manufacturing - Prospects and Challenges , Metropolis Verlag, 2016
  • Hofmann Johann: The digital factory - On the way to digital production Industry 4.0 , Berlin: Beuth Verlag GmbH, 2017
  • Bracht, Geckler, Wenzel: Digital Factory - Methods and Practical Examples , Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, 2011
  • Underdahl Brian: Digital Manufacturing for Dummies, Wiley 2014
  • Westkämper, Spath, Constantinescu, Lentes: Digitale Produktion, Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, 2013

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Digital Revolution: Factory of the Future - The Quiet Farewell to Henry Ford. Retrieved July 1, 2019 .
  2. ^ A b Digital Manufacturing - The Factory of the Future is Here Today . In: IndustryWeek . January 10, 2017 ( industryweek.com [accessed December 8, 2017]).
  3. ↑ injection molding. Retrieved December 8, 2017 .
  4. ↑ citable URL (/Archiv/596505833/3d-drucker-v9.html) for 3D printers (Version: 9) . ( gabler.de [accessed December 8, 2017]).
  5. ↑ Development and history of 3D printing technology - 3Print.com . In: 3Druck.com - The magazine for 3D printing technologies . October 13, 2011 ( 3druck.com [accessed December 8, 2017]).
  6. ↑ Contract manufacturing with CNC for parts often from 1 day | Proto Labs. Retrieved December 8, 2017 (German).
  7. ↑ Digital Manufacturing 4.0 - Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and Organization IAO. Retrieved December 8, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Digital production: paper was yesterday. Retrieved December 15, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Industry: HWWI: Digitization of industry also knows losers . In: The time . March 14, 2015, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed December 8, 2017]).
  10. ↑ PricewaterhouseCoopers: “People will not become superfluous in the digital factory” . In: PwC . ( pwc.de [accessed December 8, 2017]).
  11. ↑ Digital production. Retrieved December 8, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Industry 4.0 is changing the professional world: five new future professions . In: Digitales Wirtschaftswunder.de . January 10, 2017 ( digitales-wirtschaftswunder.de [accessed December 8, 2017]).