Nowadays, new manufacturing methods utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data, such as "Industry 4.0" in Germany and "Industrial Internet" in the United States, are attracting more and more attention. Utilize communication networks such as the Internet to achieve advanced linkage of goods and services inside and outside the factory. Such attempts are now being promoted around the world, with the goal of creating unprecedented value and new business models.
For example, the new generation of "smart factories" will not be limited to the existing production innovation measures such as automation and energy saving, but will accurately capture the goods and services required by customers, and provide a mechanism for rapid design and rapid production to provide the most suitable services. evolution.
To achieve this, advanced linkage between the FA system (real world) and the IT system (virtual world) that control the factory production line is essential. In order to achieve this goal, 2016 is expected to be the year when the "real world" and "virtual world" merge. The real world here refers to real things such as machinery, fixtures, workpieces, and personnel that constitute the actual production line.
Real-time linkage between the real world and the virtual world of IT systems will bring many benefits. For example, the big data of the production line can be analyzed and used in real time; the machinery of the production line can realize autonomous operation through communication with personnel and other machinery; with the same efficiency and cost as mass products, customized products that meet customer requirements can be manufactured to achieve "large-scale production". custom made". The key technology to master it is "digitization". Because things that exist in the real world have to be converted into numbers before they can be used in the virtual world.
The intelligentization of manufacturing will also bring about major changes among technicians in the manufacturing industry. In the future, the requirements for technical personnel in the manufacturing industry will definitely undergo great changes. Processing large amounts of digital data, proficient use of digital devices such as wearable terminals, and the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies to reduce rework and trial production in designing products and production equipment will become commonplace. In the future, it is also possible for technicians to use artificial intelligence (AI) to build production management methods and develop material technologies. How to cultivate talents who can use digital technology proficiently, that is, "digital talents", should become a major theme of the manufacturing industry in 2016.
