A fast, error-free start-up is essential, even though product variety is growing and becoming

increasingly complex and equipment development and construction life cycles are getting

shorter. The EDAG V-model with its digital system incorporating a release mode is already

showing considerable potential for optimising the production development process.

FROM THE DIGITAL PLANT TO VIRTUAL START-UP

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COVER STORY DIGITAL FACTORY

The conditions under which savings poten-tial in production can be achieved are laiddown at the very start of vehicle develop-ment. Approximately 10 % or so of theoverall expense is incurred at the productdevelopment/design stage. According toVDMA figures, the cost-cutting potential isin the region of 70 %. The advantage of digital engineering is that, even at a veryearly stage of planning, it is possible to cre-ate a finely detailed, digital image of theactual equipment. Product and productiondevelopment can be closely interlinked.

Further important elements are the useof available resources to maintain produc-tion standards and guarantee prices, andthe integration of prototypes into the exist-ing production equipment. Not until the product is suitable for production and allpotential for improving product designand production has been exploited to the full does the OEM pass the digital systemto the line builders.

Production development with the 3-stepEDAG model, , is a complete engineeringapproach, as this allows essential and stra-tegic components of the vehicle costs to beactively influenced and established. Thedata-based basis of this is formed by themethods and tools of the digital factory.

Customers have reacted positively tothe new model, and as long ago as 2006,

EDAG was able to generate a substantialOEM order with advanced plant engineer-ing. Today, the project is in its implemen-tation phase, and has already proven itsworth. Interlinking of the product and pro-duction development processes, from thedesign with DMU/CAE to prototype andproduction release and tooling for the pre-liminary series and SOP, is clearly defined.Whenever possible, the prototypes neces-sary for start of production are constructed using the standard equipment.

CONTRACT AWARDING STRATEGYFOR HIGH PROCESS MATURITY

In order to achieve such benefits, changesare needed in OEMs‘ contract awardingphilosophy. Today‘s performance specifi-cations, some of which contain only roughprocess descriptions and quantity struc-tures, make no claim to be complete. Theplant constructor, when submitting anoffer, also accepts responsibility for a fullyfunctioning process. The consequence is arandom process with reduced contract val-ues which, due to the fact that productspecifications have not been sufficientlydeveloped, lead to subsequent demands.

The concept of a digital plant with arelease mode creates commitment, and thenew model is already being utilised by the

KARINA SCHÄFERis Project Manager and Head

of Digital Factory atEDAG GmbH & Co. KgaA in

Fulda (Germany).

AUTHOR

Production development with the 3-step EDAG model is an integrated engineering approach

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customers. It is based on the high maturityof the product and production concept,with advanced engineering, even before thecontract for the plant has been awarded.The contract value of production equip-ment roughly equals the project costs.Demands for additional costs can, however, be reduced considerably. With its V-model,

, the EDAG Group is also prepared toguarantee the working process and quan-tity structure, which is also implemented inthe project with front loading. Any otherequipment that might be needed is pro-vided free of charge by EDAG. The basicrequirements are agreed upon jointly.

The benefits of this advanced plantengineering with the digital release modeare evident: the OEMs‘ stipulations are implemented. These include an optimised product and production concept, with reductions to both production cost anddevelopment periods, whereas otherwise,the tendency is for the plant constructor toadhere to price, deadline and productspecifications. The increased security of the actual project costs and having controlover the planning process for a longer period are important advantages for the OEM. Further important factors are alsothe optimum use of synergies and lower costs, the latter being the result of elimi-nating unnecessary interfaces and avoid-ing any duplication of work.

INTEGRATED DIGITAL ENGINEERING

In Step I, the so-called pre-engineeringphase, key data and restrictions are con-ceptually evaluated and collected. In thereference project, alternative concepts and strategies for their implementation weredeveloped, along with a complete costappraisal. Integration into an existing pro-duction line is checked. To this end, theproduction-related requirements must be taken into account at the start of productdevelopment, and those of the previousproduct be available. The requirements can be so restrictive that it might not be possible to begin work until the nextmodel change. At this stage, the important thing is to ensure that product develop-ment is production-driven, irrespective of whether this means integration into anexisting plant or planning a new one.

Step II is the development of the digitalplant with concept engineering. This involves plant design, mounting andclamping concepts, standardisation, avail-ability simulation, 3D fixture and gripper concepts, tool design, validation with plant simulation and an assessment andpre-selection of variants. 3D detail engi-neering is used to produce the final con-cept description, including the schedule and budget, quality systems, stationdescriptions, material handling systems

and functional specifications. The proce-dure for approving the plant is carried outwith the customer, on the digital model.

Finally, Step III is carried out at the plant constructor‘s premises. At EDAG, the integrated digital engineering system land-scape is dominated by Siemens, PLM and Delmia. The tools are used mainly in theareas of planning, design and simulation. As the new engineering process also implements networked role perception,the kinematics, for instance, can be incor-porated straight into the equipment by the designer.

VIRTUAL START-UP

As a result of shorter start-up time frames for the body-in-white in today‘s vehicle production, the demands of the automo-tive suppliers, even in the early phase of the real start-up, are becoming greater and greater. Whereas in the past, a body-in-white was taken apart and a new one con-structed once a model had been discontin-ued, a BIW cell must nowadays be capa-ble of producing several vehicle types,ideally for batch sizes of just one.

Plants for initial types are set up andput into operation. Later, these are inte-grated into plants that are already up and running. This does, however, mean that each production cell must be checked to

The V-model formsthe basis for a functioning process

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determine what production equipmentneeds to be added or converted. In order to avoid interfering with production, any such integration is carried out during pro-duction-free periods at the weekend. This means that production safety must be re-

established by 10 pm on Sunday evenings.If, during conversion work, there should be any unexpected problems that cannot be solved by this deadline, then the plant must be returned to its original state. Thisis not only time-consuming, but also very

costly. It must be possible to test inadvance, and as far as possible to preventany risk to the customer. This is wherevirtual start-up really comes into its own.

Virtual start-up is a software-specific image of the actual plant technology

In future, the digital factory models will also serve as the basis for plans for and amendments to real-life production

Mechatronic libraries must have high-level maturity and reality

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Virtual models offer considerable potential for cutting costs

(mechan(mechan-ical, including actuating and sensoring inter-faces), with a link to control systems (PLC, robots, technologies) on which the „real code“ can be run. The target is to validate the plant‘s entire functionality without having to set it up mechanically(for example in the form of a preliminary start-up). This means that, as the virtualmodel of the plant is already operatedusing the actual plant controls, it is possi-ble, without the hardware, to ensure that it can be started up. In virtual start-up, theEDAG Group can see huge potential for meeting future requirements. Its use is already standard in selected projects and critical situations. In addition, several pilot projects with varying requirements and environments have already been imple-mented. EDAG is also a partner in a Euro-pean project to further this subject.

Error rates which previously remainedundetected until the project reached the hardware phase can now be validated and corrected at an early stage. For applicationto be efficient, mechatronic libraries, , with high-level maturity and reality must be created and ideally also provided bythe OEM, to maintain standards andensure that guidelines are adhered to. Also, to be able to implement virtual start-up, organisational changes are importantfor a new role perception.

Both robots and PLC programmers receive detailed virtual start-up error logs. The control panels in connection with the 3D visualisation make early operator and

mainte-gnance training

possible. Colour coded possible. Colour-coded illustration of existing, and in

the next step new, plant components,including sequential procedures to the model, give the programmers a graphicmeans of assistance in their work. The final customer can inspect and approve the plant beforehand and receives moresecurity for the real start-up. The complete file is taken over and, in the course of the service life of the equipment, the plant parts – modified using Kaizen processes –are incorporated into the models. When new requests for proposals are invited forthe integration of new models, potential suppliers can then be given a complete set of data, which will speed up the process and reduce the costs, while at the sametime improving quality.

For staff, these changes present the chal-lenge of acquiring new qualifications.Mechatronic engineers are called for, as they are familiar with mechanics and electrics,and know how to handle the tools.

The virtual model has huge potential for the future, and is being promoted as an integrative model in the holistic develop-ment process. The Production Solutions Division is pursuing the target of imple-menting digital plant engineering withEDAG‘s three-step V-model, includingmechatronic elements, in projects by 2010, and then ensuring that virtual start-up becomes a standard process.

In future, the digital factory modelswill also serve as the basis for plans forand amendments to real-life production,

. Amendments and integrations that are

uring producto be made to the plant du -e virtual model. tion are carried out on the

This ensures considerable potential with This ensures considerable potential with continuous documentation, an absolutelyreliable plant, and testing and optimisa-tion of the PLC and robot programs on the virtual simulation model without any effect on production, . No changes are made to the real-life plant until they havebeen thoroughly tested on the virtual model, thus reducing any downtime of the plant.

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