Interdisciplinary research on energy optimization in manufacturing companies

Project Description

In production engineering, the main goal for decades has been to increase productivity. Building on the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the EU Directive 2006/32/EC calls for sustainable improvements in energy efficiency in manufacturing. The resulting public pressure, for example, to minimize CO2 emissions and energy consumption, has established the issue of energy efficiency in this area as well. Several optimization approaches (e.g., the use of environmentally friendly materials, reduction of energy consumption, minimization of manufacturing costs, shortening of the supply chain, reduction of operating materials, reduction of machine and tool wear, or design of production halls) have been the basis of many research projects and have now become the standard in many productions in the field of machining. The project builds on this knowledge and creates an interdisciplinary research field through the extensive knowledge of the participating institutes and the consortium of industrial partners from different sectors (e.g., energy technology, machine tool manufacturing, automation, production engineering, etc.). Detailed consideration and networking of various results are important for a holistic concept. The project consists of five main phases (analysis, modeling, coupled modeling, optimization, and implementation), which are defined in the work packages and deal with the machining industry. Over these phases, energy-efficient optimization possibilities for productions and halls will be developed. In this process, the project phases are run through step by step on four levels (process, machine, production system, and building). The analysis at the industrial project partners (current state) forms the basis for modeling at the individual levels using the respective suitable simulation applications. The models are merged in the third phase, after which the optimization possibilities are shown (desired state). The implementation is planned both at the industrial partners and in the test field of the Institute for Manufacturing Technology and High-Performance Laser Technology. In the course of this project, the analysis and modeling of micro and macro levels of production sites are carried out, where the output values of one level are the input values of the next higher level. Ultimately, all data flows into the integrated simulation of two production halls of project partners, resulting in a master plan (blueprint) of the optimized hall model, which holistically represents the three areas (energy, building, and manufacturing). The overall simulation is subsequently intended to serve as a tool for manufacturing companies. Since the application is developed with the industry, its use in companies that have not participated in the project is conceivable. Determining the input data for the simulation and developing specific optimization possibilities requires application-specific know-how. The utilization of partial results is already sought during the project duration, as the data for the analysis are collected from real production operations. The optimization occurs along the value chain of the project partners and is therefore directly applicable to the companies.