Framed in the context of the required evolution of the European manufacturing sectors towards a more sustainable model of production, the high-level objective of Factory-Ecomation is therefore to push the evolution of European factories towards a self-sustaining, zero environmental-footprint paradigm.
An overall setup for Factory-Ecomation was established, identifying two main areas of intervention:
- On one hand, a technological, “hardware-related” scope meant to develop and introduce new solutions into the shop-floor, increasing energy efficiency and recovery, while reducing emissions.
- On the other hand, a layer oriented to the management and control of the factory, to create and command a real-time, efficient picture of the production, thus enabling its optimization towards more sustainable performance.
Coherently with this high-level reference framework, derived as extension of its proposal concepts, four main technological pillars have been identified to support the overall structure of the project:
- A hierarchical and distributed automation platform, encapsulating advanced control algorithms, as backbone of the factory of the future;
- A monitoring and data synchronization platform to create, thanks also to the support of simulation tools, a virtual counterpart of the factory shop floor;
- A decision support platform, to help the factory management taking more conscious decisions;
- A set of eco-optimized manufacturing and auxiliary equipment, to improve sustainability of the production process.
Project website: www.semanticweb.it/factory-ecomation
Reference framework:
