Anna Syberfeldt
Professor of Production Engineering
For companies to stay competitive, resilient and sustainable in an ever-changing world, extreme flexibility in the production processes is required to be adaptive and agile.
The idea of this project is to develop a novel cyber-physical framework to realize ultra-flexible, production, which is here understood as a highly modular and interconnected cyber-physical system, developing its operations in a system-of-systems context.
Ultraflexible as the new normal
Such system can be swiftly modified. In fact, constant change is seen as part of the normal operations of an ultra-flexible system. This results in the possibility of moving equipment around to support new or alternative production processes, reconfiguring equipment in real time to as a reaction to production disturbances. Simultaneously, such changes should result in a system cyber-physical configuration that is optimal, give the circumstances, from a sustainability perspective.
The core – digital twins
The core of the framework will rely in the, now popularized, concept of Digital Twins which are understood, in this context, as: virtual dynamic representations of physical production resources and sub-systems. Using the digital twins, the production system’s flexibility can be efficiently maximized both in the conceptual stages and in running production.
Seamless integration
From a technical perspective, the aim of the framework is to enable seamless integration between, and implementation of, digital twins in the production a concept that we call the cyber-physical continuum. By realizing a cyber-physical continuum, the project will play a significant role in the cyber-physical transformation of the Swedish manufacturing industry and enable ultra-flexible production that improves competitiveness, resilience and
sustainability.
Project partners
In addition to the University of Skövde (coordinator), the following individuals and companies / universities are included in the project:
- Luis Ribeiro, Docent, PhD, Associate Professor Linköping University
- Björn Backman, M.Sc, RISE
- Magnus Widfeldt, Project Manager and Researcher, RISE IVF
- Johan Frisk, Founder and CEO, automation expert, OpiFlex Automation AB
- Yngve Eriksson, Manger Production Technology, FM Mattsson Mora Group
- Kristian Antegård, Project Manger SECO Tools AB
- Carl Ottosson, MD and partner, Norrebo Träindustri AB
- Linda-Maria Jonsson, Industry 4.0 and Maintenance Manger, SECO Tools AB
- Fredrik Ore, Automation Expert, SCANIA
