Together with eight partners from industry and research, we are working under high pressure on digital topics in order to have a lasting positive influence on the industry in the future and to use automation at different levels and promote sustainability. In addition to Broetje-Automation and Premium AEROTEC, the industrial partners also include Marposs Monitoring Solutions and Concept Laser. The expertise is complemented by leading research institutions such as the Laser Zentrum Hannover (LZH), the Institute for Production Management and Technology (IPMT) at TU Hamburg, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM) and the Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) at Leibniz Universität Hannover.

In the course of the project, further partners with outstanding know-how could be won for the project. Meanwhile, soul-it, Dessouter, nex)))onar, Roemheld and the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) contribute their expertise to the project – a good addition to the project team.

The day at the Varel Technology Centre was very well attended. Automation was up close, among other things, at the Broetje Automation stand. A mobile, collaborative robot system was shown, which automates various drilling tasks, the so-called template drilling of different structures. An autonomously driving, mobile platform complements the application and transports the system to another production site on the shop floor as required.

The event provided a successful setting to present the interim status of the project. In addition to expert lectures, there was always the opportunity to exchange ideas about the solutions presented. Numerous exhibits stimulated discussion and vividly demonstrated the progressive development of collaborative systems that not only relieve humans of work, but also enable errors in assembly to be avoided through smart digital process monitoring. In the factory of the future, voice-controlled machine administration can also provide the operator with a further spectrum of efficiency-enhanced work performance.

It clearly shows what role digitized, automatic processes will play in the Factory of the Future. Therefore, we are looking forward to the further course of the project and a successful completion of the project in 2024.