Discover the concept behind the openZDM innovative platform – step by step
In the third instalment of the exclusive insights and expert opinions from the openZDM project partners series, Netcompany-Intrasoft, openZDM’s key industrial partner for architecture development, framework, design and infrastructure will discover the concept behind the openZDM platform.
openZDM aims to build and provide manufacturers with a software platform, deployed either on the cloud, at a premise or partially at the edge and partially on the cloud, with a set of integrated software applications, supporting inline non-destructive manufacturing quality assessment and proactive control. Hence, this enabling solution is expected to facilitate existing production systems to make a step towards reduced defects and waste, facilitating a transition to sustainable manufacturing, and thus increasing the competitiveness of a firm.
A Platform based on standardized communication middleware for interoperability
The openZDM platform aims at integrating NDIs and applications in one complete package which will enable sustainable manufacturing through continuous and proactive quality assessment and control. As a first step to facilitate this integration of hardware and software assets, the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) concept is utilized to enable a consistent and unchanging method of asset data access. In the openZDM platform, different reactive behaviour AASs will be capable of communicating with one another on their own through the interaction manager (type 3 AAS). The interaction manager in the platform will undertake the responsibility of message exchange between AASs with the use of an interaction protocol and structured messages.
Solutions integrated with the openZDM Platform
A set of NDIs and applications are being developed in the openZDM project which will be ultimately integrated into one final solution. NDIs, capable of constant, real-time and inline quality monitoring and quality assessment, are being deployed on all use cases depending on their specific needs. Apart from the NDIs, the following tools will be integrated with the openZDM platform:
- Digital Twin Toolset, where a user may be supported in creating or editing a model of one or more processes.
- Data-Driven Quality Assessment Tool, including predictive analytics, while facilitating extension with additional algorithms for the data analysis
- Decision Support Tool for Alternative Process Configuration, where a user may compose and investigate alternative process configurations towards improving the production process and specific KPIs.
- Life-cycle analysis tool, supporting green analytics and waste improvement through the alternative scenarios investigation.
Enabling proactive control and ZDM through openZDM Platform
including predictive analytics, while facilitating extension with additional algorithms for the data analysis
- Digital Twin Tool which simulates what-if scenarios generated by the Alternative Scenario Authoring Tool and the Decision Support Tool.
- Data Driven Quality Prediction Tool which evaluates the simulation results generated by the Digital Twin Tool.
- LCA Tool evaluates the simulation results from the Digital Twin Tool and the prediction results from the Data-Driven Quality Prediction Tool from an environmental point of view.
Summary
The openZDM platform provides a variety of integrated solutions and tools which enable a manufacturer to achieve ZDM. The concept of the openZDM platform can be summarized in:
- A reactive behaviour AAS, or else type 3, driven platform which enables the autonomous communication between NDIs and applications.
- A platform with capabilities of process reconfiguration based on results of alternative scenarios, either through human intervention or autonomously.
- A platform which allows their users to achieve ZDM and sustainable manufacturing through multiple integrated tools.
