Process of Creating an Integrated Design and Manufacturing Environment as Part of the Structure of Industry 4.0

Abstract

This paper presents the process for creating an integrated design and manufacturing environment supporting 3D printing as part of the structure of Industry 4.0. This process is based on a developed framework for the design of modern automated and computerized infrastructure. The task of the described system is to combine all the steps included in the operating range of incremental systems based on an IT platform by integrating data from individual areas, such as IT systems supporting remote 3D printing. The proposed framework for incremental processes is a universal solution that can be defined in detail by a single organizational unit running 3D printing, as well as by a cluster of entities related to 3D printing. In the initial phase, the framework design includes a set of guidelines for IT (Information Technology) systems that facilitate the construction of individual elements and the creation of communication interfaces. In subsequent stages, the framework may already implement elements of the access and communication program interface, as well as guidelines for the industrial components to be included. The proposed framework for additive technologies is based on modern IT tools that enable the creation of geographically and functionally possible prototyping systems that can be integrated into the structure of Industry 4.0. To create optimal processes and economic systems, the principles of the construction and integration of individual services and equipment were developed. This new comprehensive approach is proposed in the present paper as a coherent framework. Moreover, the proposed solution has great potential for use in the design and production processes of various industries, such as chemicals, materials and construction.

Integrated User-Oriented Service for 3D Printing Environments with Recycled Material from Maritime Plastic Waste

“…The integrated architecture presented in the paper is in line with others reported in the literature [65,66], where open 3D printing resources are used to achieve customized environments that are cost effective and have customized functionalities.…”

“…The design of integrated architectures to manage this variety of technologies, application solutions, etc. has already been proposed in [65,66], though they do not take into account the additional problem of dealing with non-standard materials and handling by non-expert users.…”

Methodology for the Quality Control Process of Additive Manufacturing Products Made of Polymer Materials

“…Both forms of supervision can be applied simultaneously: one to meet in-house needs and the other in the case of supervision by a customer. In particular, remote supervision has enormous potential within the scope of dispersed production lines, which are typical in the context of the global economy [ 32 , 38 , 39 ]. Furthermore, the presented system architecture involves local repositories of product and component quality records, and it collects, synchronizes, and processes data in a computing cloud.…”

Manufacturing Elements with Small Cross-Sections of 17-4 PH Steel (1.4542) with the Application of the DMLS Additive Manufacturing Method

“…Throughout recent years, it has been possible to observe a significant development in rapid prototyping methods, which is contributed to by an ever-greater interest of numerous industries such as the aviation industry [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. In practice, DMLS (direct metal laser sintering) is an alternative to models manufactured with the application of casting processes.…”