The Malta Council for Science and Technology was awarded €710,000 under the European Regional Development Fund to proceed with the Manufacturing Research Platform (MRP) project.
A strong need for bridging innovation and collaboration was identified
The project not only aims to highlight the importance of research and information in manufacturing, but also to assist and speed up the transformation of the local manufacturing industry to higher value-added activity.
To encourage increased industry involvement and to demonstrate the benefits of research and innovation, the MRP is carrying out research projects in energy efficiency, information and communication technology, and innovation – all within the manufacturing industry.
One of the main requirements for the MRP projects is that they should not be theoretical, but practical, hands-on, genuine and identifiable industrial deliveries.
For the innovation project, FXB, Playmobil, Toly Malta, Techniplast and Rayair Automation were chosen for observation due to their substantial ongoing involvement within the local manufacturing industry, as well as their diversity.
Due to his proficient use of IT in manufacturing, as well as the application of design methods in product development, Emmanuel Francalanza was appointed intermediary for all entities concerned.
Mr Francalanza said the deliverables had to be wide-ranging solutions and could not be for just one company.
After studying the companies in detail, a strong need was identified – that of bridging innovation and collaboration, particularly because of the distances between manufacturers, designers and customers, which costs companies time and finance in travel.
Two processes took place: the first was the development of an industrial collaboration structure for stimulating innovation, while the second was the growth of product development simulation.
Due to increasing product complexity, the manufacturers, designers and customers need to collaborate and communicate regularly to deliver good quality product development with a competitive cost in a short lead-time.
The nature of collaboration taking place between these different areas influences how innovative and competitive the final products are. As a result of the distance between manufacturers, designers and customers, the main objective of this initiative was to contribute a structure through which these three departments could collaborate irrespective of their location.
The design phase of a product is the most important part of a product’s life cycle, as all decisions made during this process have an overall impact on innovative designs and manufacturing methods.
Designing an innovative product may require new or improved methods of production, which would lead to innovative manufacturing methods and processes. As a result, the potential implications of decisions made during these early life stages must be anticipated and understood to avoid domino-effect problems in the future.
Once the requirements were identified, it was possible to start formulating a solution to create a portal that could support decision-making in the product developmentstages with the use of simulation andother techniques.
This structure was based on a number of digital manufacturing technologies (such as artificial intelligence and simulation), which proactively support and lead to ‘life-oriented’ innovative solutions. The customers, designers and manufacturers could have easy access or information about the tools.
It was important that this portal was created in the simplest and easiest format to open and use. It had to be direct and easy for manufacturers without complicated interfaces that would take time to figure out.
Three solutions were identified. The first is an innovation management portal accessible via the web. The solution brings the portal and innovation tools together with the aim of facilitating innovation for both product and manufacturing system designers.
The same tool shows the user how to use the portal and innovation management techniques through steps. Audio and visual can be shared at the same time, which again, helps collaboration, since time is money.
The second solution is an augmented reality software (virtual layer on top of reality). This technology is used to help customers and suppliers collaborate and communicate by allowing the product and product design to be illustrated through a virtual layer.
Once defining design requirements, the manufacturing solution was devised. A tool was developed that enables various manufacturing engineers to view what processes they have available. It is a 2D interface similar to 2D planning software and its innovation lies in its link to an artificial intelligence knowledge-based system.
Once processes are placed, the tool will allow the engineer to view machines, which are available from an inventory. The factory must be designed in a way to accommodate this process efficiently.
The tool does not take decisions for the engineer, but rather issues a warning if a placement is inaccurate. It simulates the many environments that are created.
www.manufacturingresearch.eu