Technologies for greater driving safety, artificial intelligence, Smart Factory, etc.: Digitalisation plays a central role in the automotive industry and opens up new opportunities - at product and production level. Our goal is to develop vehicles and production facilities that make the most of networking benefits.
Additive manufacturing allows for economical small series and changes, creates business models and is a digital process chain building block. Opportunities of additive manufacturing are:
Additive manufacturing allows extreme shortening of time-to-markets, prototyping, small series, ultra-lightweight construction, mulecars, tool-making, teaching, hardware development.
Zone-based, service-oriented vehicle EE architecture as an enabler for automated driving. With generic zone controllers, which aggregate sensor and actuator data in a zone and translate it to a deterministic Ethernet backbone
The entire signal processing takes place in one or several higher-level central vehicle computers. This creates a very flexible, update-capable and robust modular system.
Control units are no longer function-specific, but open to take on different functions (also highly dynamic - load distribution). They can be updated and enable the logging in and out of functions.
Connected services addresses the top usage level (OSI layer model). External data extend the vehicle-based sensing horizon.
There are opportunities for permanent, rather than periodic, technical monitoring (e.g. forgoing a trip to "TÜV" every 2 years) and
In terms of data security, the automotive segment needs to learn IT. This requires interdisciplinary teams with IT security experts. Targeted hacking becomes a developmental activity; SOTIF / FuSI as consistently applicable methods.
It is important to look at the car as a computer: networked and vulnerable, the need for OTA updates, etc. to protect sensor data against theft; the vehicle must be protected against attacks such as a "rolling computer."
The possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) for the automotive industry are manifold. We focus on different fields of application, including:
The digital twin is the virtual image of the real system with all components (robotics, PLC, layout, etc.), which also interact with reality. It accompanies the system from the first concept through its operating time through to scrapping. In the process, data is exchanged across the board. This means that both systems can be influenced bi-directionally.
A digital twin maps the entire production process and allows intervention in the production process at any time. Real and virtual production merge to an intelligent composite system. The digital twin can be used
All this even before the system actually runs. This prevents time-consuming and costly downtimes and material losses.
Data collection is a sensitive topic (DSGVO) and requires specific tools. In fact, it needs a mass of relevant data of appropriate quality. This requires:
This requires the development of tools and the derivation of commercial business models. At the same time, existing data must be interpreted in order to gain additional information and further knowledge (e.g. predictive maintenance, increased process security).
How close can humans and robots work side by side - how close must they be? Which processes could be more efficient if classic security barriers were removed? In our technical centre, we work on exactly these questions for our customers - under simultaneous consideration of the departments Production, Robotics and Safety Technology.
Digital drilling stands for the completely digitalisation of product development information. In contrast to today's widespread, document-based processes, all information relevant in the course of product development is networked on a database-supported basis and enhanced with life-cycle information.
Networking information prevents redundant information acquisition. The total cost of documentation is reduced and re-utilisation is reinforced. Structured documentation also offers enormous advantages in the search for information.
The EDAG Group assists in tailoring the solution to general company-specific conditions and advises on the selection of suitable tools. In addition, we offer support in
The objective of the development process "3D Master" ("Model Based Definition") is to create a "single-point-of-truth" within the PLM system. The native CAD model (3D) is handled as a master document in the product development process. Thus, amendments can be made directly in 3D or in the PLM system. Product and production-relevant information is further processed or visualised using neutral formats. System breaks can already be avoided at the start of development: Costly transmission errors are considerably reduced. The EDAG Group has been developing and implementing the 3D master process successfully in companies of various industries for many years. For this purpose, we first evaluate existing processes in the product development process and derive a recommendation in order to gradually realise a meaningful entry into the 3D master
