Modern smartphones are veritably ubiquitous. Many users count on using their smartphones for more than just communication. Many apps base their assessment of the properties of a scanned object, in the broadest sense, on its chemical composition and thus scan far more than just size, shape, color, texture, etc.. In other words, they require a hyperspectral camera. (05/2018)
Sitting and lying are basic human postures. The majority of body weight always rests on the same parts of the body, e.g. the buttocks or thighs. Stresses on certain body parts intensify whenever an individual stays seated largely unmoving, as office workers, truckers or people with illnesses or limited movement frequently do. A technology developed at the Fraunhofer IFF determines pressure and force distribution on surfaces on the basis of textile materials and manufacturing methods. The use of textile components for sensing delivers beneficial features such as good haptics, high flexibility and breathability. (05/2017)
Bins with randomly stored materials are currently one of the most cost-effective and flexible supply forms, especially in the field of intra-logistics. Extracting particular parts out of a bin can be automated by using so-called bin-picking systems which combine vision sensors, grippers and image processing algorithms to enable a robot to grip parts automatically. However, all commercially-available systems still face the same challenges, namely the verification if a part was gripped properly and whether problems occur during the handling process. In the ECHORD++ project pickit, a tactile sensor was designed which can be attached to different types of industrial grippers. (06/2016)
Detailed and correct determination of the properties of a product to control quality is an integral part of production processes. Quality control stands not only at the end of a process chain but frequently also has to take place in preceding stages of production. This cannot always be done without damaging the product, especially biological (intermediate) products with their inherent natural variability. The systems developed at the Fraunhofer IFF determine constituents consistently with out contact in real time. The hyperspectral imaging used to do this can be embedded in every stage of production to control quality. (05/2015)
Non-contact optical methods of 3D digitization have replaced conventional methods in many applications. Regardless of whether the triangulation sensors operate with points, lines or planes – many millions of measured 3D data are generated in a few seconds. These data deliver a description of a digitized component’s surface topography. After digitization, verification of dimensional accuracy for quality assurance tasks requires methods and algorithms that evaluate and analyze the 3D data in order, for instance, to ascertain deviations of dimensions, shape and position from a standard model. (04/2015)
Manufacturing plants and operations are growing more and complex and diversified. Despite the rising level of automation, humans continue to play a key role in this environment as actors and decision makers. Assistance technologies that help users do their jobs are increasingly needed to meet the high demands. The Fraunhofer IFF has developed a system that generates customized assistance information and delivers it to different mobile devices as it is needed. (10/2014)
A complete inspection of processed raw materials and intermediate and finished products in the manufacturing process requires methods for the evaluation of products, which determine their properties noninvasively, at high throughput, online and without special sample preparation in order, for instance, to make grading decisions. In a number of applications, optical systems are unable to access certain product parameters, such as the conditions inside edible nuts. The analysis of the acoustic properties of a material at impact on a solid surface furnishes a solution to this problem. (09/2013)
Quality assurance frequently entails specific, clearly defined and recurring measuring tasks for manufacturers. Raw coffee during roasting, preprocessed meat during sausage production or recyclables in waste management – primary, semi-finished and finished products as well as different production systems make different demands on measurement systems. Generally, they can be met with hyperspectral cameras. A custom hardware and software solution, the HawkSpex® camera system has versatile uses from classifying different materials to grading, e.g. for quality assurance in production or waste management, through quantifying the material composition of a product or a material by means of optical chemometrics. (09/2013)
Optical 3D measuring systems are increasingly replacing classic tactile measuring systems. While new fields of application are being developed, few applications have been implemented. OptoInspect 3D is a modular technology that produces automatic 3D measuring systems that inspect quality in industrial manufacturing. The focus is concentrated on integrating measuring and testing systems directly in manufacturing processes or machinery in order to produce highquality products and make manufacturing processes efficient. (04/2013)
In the near future, humans and robots will be collaborating and interacting in shared workplaces. Then, instead of protective barriers, a wide variety of technologies such as sensor systems and safe manipulators will protect humans from serious injuries. Whenever humans touch a robot, a fundamental distinction must be made, between desired contact and a collision. Humans may not be exposed to any risk of injury in either case. (03/2013)
Highly customized products, small lots and short product life cycles are challenges advanced industrial assembly processes have to handle. Frequently, only manual or hybrid semi-automatic assembly is flexible enough. Optical systems that inspect the outcome of assembly operations contribute greatly to organizing processes cost effectively and reliably. Employing a model-based approach, the Fraunhofer IFF in Magdeburg developed a technology that optically inspects assembly and completeness, which is highly flexible, adaptive and robust. (04/2012)
Precise and rapid in-line identification of a product's properties is the heart of every quality assurance systems. The systems developed at the Fraunhofer IFF identify constituents in real time without contact, spatially resolved and reproducibly. Hyperspectral imaging, or more precisely imaging reflectance spectroscopy, captures absorption properties very precisely in several hundred spectral channels in the visible and near-infrared spectrum, thus supplying a variety of information in new quality. (10/2011)
A measurement system based on the principle of radio spectroscopy, a subfield of dielectric spectroscopy in the VHF radio frequency range, consists of compact sensing elctronics and a remote forked sensor module. Made of a highly chemically resistant, biocompatible ceramic material, it contains the capacitive sensor elements and the active signal converter. (10/2011)
The vision of humans and machines collaborating in a shared workplace will become reality in the near future. Novel technologies will monitor workspaces where protective barriers now separate humans and, for instance, robots, and reduce a robot's speed or stop it when a human approaches, for instance. In addition to the industrial sector, a variety of other domains will also need safe optical workplace monitoring systems in the future. These systems will furnish the basis for new robot applications. (03/2011)
This ultrasonic level metering system (USMTP) was developed as a component to automate labs, e.g. analysis operations or processes in the pharmaceutical industry. (03/2011)
Demographic change will make it impossible to meet future labor requirements by recruiting young workers. This means more than an aging workforce. If they are to remain competitive, companies will have to ready themselves to be highly productive and provide innovative products and processes with an older workforce. Shorter product life cycles and the greater diversity of products are moving the market to impose new demands on qualication. Operational content must be retrievable anytime and adaptable to trainees' skills. (02/2011)
A multitude of industrial assembly processes have many variants because of the high individuality of products. Manual assembly work subjectively influences the quality of an end product. Errors that occur in production increase costs. Systematic assistance is an option to support human action and prevent errors. (09/2010)
The interaction between wheel and rail stresses the wheels of rail vehicles tremendously. The wheel profile geometry, the radial and axial runout tolerances and the wheel disks' position on the shaft are critical quality parameters for a rail vehicle's safe operation and high ride comfort. These quality parameters must be assured by objective measurements, especially as vehicle speeds continue increasing. OptoInspect 3D technology served as the basis to develop a measurement system that automatically scans wheelset geometry and captures every relevant geometric quality parameter. Such a fully automatic measuring stand receives a wheelset and sets it rotating to scan all the geometric features. (08/2010)
Work studies collect data from various processes to organize industrial manufacturing. In particular, the hours of work recorded for manual jobs are a central element of planning, control and payment. The Fraunhofer IFF has developed an inertial sensor-based measuring system that objectifies and reduces the labor time required to record time. It automatically captures the movements of selected extremities of a worker during work. (03/2010)
Part of the exhaust system, converters are standard equipment for cars with gasoline engines. Converters are manufactured by welding individual components together. The quality of the joining processes is crucial for the components' fit when the complete exhaust system is assembled later. There fore, near in-process inspection is essential for optimal product quality and fit. The Fraunhofer IFF has developed and implemented an optical, contactless measurement system for quality inspection. The system is based on light-sectioning in which the converter's surface is digitized by means of laser triangulation. (03/2010)
A marking's quality is characterized by a number of subjective impressions. Variances in the production process often considerably influence not only readability but also a product's overall impression. An inspection is essential whenever consistently high quality must be ensured. Important quality evaluation criteria of a marking are the attributes of completeness, contrast, sharpness and homogeneity. The results of quality evaluations by inspectors are subjective. The Fraunhofer IFF in Magdeburg has developed a new image-based system that makes it possible for the first time to automatically and objectively inspect the important attributes of marking quality. (03/2010)
A variety of flat products such as boards (e.g. mineral and particle boards) or sheets (e.g. rolled sheet metal, strips and slab ingots) frequently require continuous measurement of the thickness or cross section profile directly in the manufacturing process to inspect product quality or to control the process. (03/2010)
Profiled materials, such as U, I, square or round profiled bars are used as base material to manufacture many products. These semi-finished products are normally drawn and rolled or extruded. Different applications have increased requirements for the straightness of base materials, which is the prerequisite for the end product's functionality. OptoInspect 3D technology inspects the quality of a product's geometry directly in the manufacturing process. (03/2010)
Inspecting geometric features inside components with limited accessibility is frequently a challenge. Examples are grooves and channels in bores, inside threads and inner contours of extruded profiles. Tactile measurement equipment, measuring microscopes or profile projectors are commonly used to inspect the quality of such inner contours. Drawbacks for in-line use ensue from the difficulty of automating such systems. Modified optical contactless 3D inner contour measurement systems furnish a solution. (03/2010)
Development in subareas of production and manufacturing is moving toward maximum flexibility, high throughput and great diversity of variants. This requires adaptive production systems that maximize efficiency. The utilization of different forms of intelligent and even mobile robots such as assistance systems is one response to demand for increasingly flexible production environments. (02/2010)
RFID technologies furnish a variety of options to systematically control, monitor and thus more efficiently organize production and logistics processes. With their RFID Wristband, researchers at the Fraunhofer IFF have developed a mobile solution that identifies objects or picking areas in order picking or assembly processes quickly and automatically. (09/2014)
Biowaste’s specific properties frequently preclude its use in conventional conversion processes. It elemental composition of chlorine, sulfur and alkali constituents present major challenges and are responsible for premature ash fusion, corrosion and high concentrations of pollutant gases. This is where we come in: On the basis of feasibility studies, we will develop customized value chains for distributed utilization of your biowaste, incorporating emission standards. What is more, we will develop plant concepts for you and provide you support when you are implementing them, getting them approved and commissioning them. (06/2014)
Does your company produce waste and do you want to recover this waste efficiently to supply energy? We can make combustible gases out of your waste, convert the combustible gases to have the grade required, and supply them to recover energy in the form of heat, cooling and power. (05/2014)
Are you a planner, plant engineer or plant developer in need of technology to burn or gasify solid fuels? Is synthesis or fuel gas reforming essential to your process? Our solutions will enable you to complete your system with these technologies. As your technology partner, we will engineer the process equipment that burns or gasifies solid fuels or reforms combustible gases for you. (05/2014)
Does your company produce waste that has to be disposed of complicatedly or even at a cost? Our solutions will enable you to recover heat from your waste and return it to your manufacturing process as heat or power. As your technology partner, we will support you from the feasibility study and the economic feasibility study up through the development and operation of the system in your company. We will study the technical feasibility of potential conversion systems for your wastes and determine their cost effectiveness. In the process, we will draw on our extensive portfolio of analysis methods, test systems and simulation tools. (05/2014)
Real-time knowledge about the storage location of items such as containers or parts and, thus, about current capacities and storage facilities and space is indispensable for effective and efficient inventory management. For logisticians, this means having to document every operation in a storage facility immediately and having to process the data properly and forward it quickly. The Fraunhofer IFF has developed a system that automatically documents logistics operations in such storage facilities to support inventory management. (10/2013)
Growing market demand and increasingly complex supply chains are also confronting small and medium-sized freight forwarders and logistics providers with new challenges on a daily basis. Enough standard solutions are now commercially available. Flexible and affordable custom solutions for medium-sized companies are a rarity, though. The Fraunhofer IFF has developed a system specifically for this clientele, which monitors logistical assets such as freight and means of transport. It is used to document and systematically control logistics operations. (10/2013)
Temperature is measured with a thermometer, weight with a scale. What is to be done when the measured value desired is more complex and unobtainable with a direct, physical measurement system? The Fraunhofer IFF relies on so-called soft or virtual sensors in such cases. Consisting of hardware sensors and relevant software, these units measure complex values. (09/2013)
RFID technologies provide many and diverse options to systematically control, monitor and thus more efficiently organize production and logistics processes. Established identification points are important in supply chains supported by RFID to scan goods and capture data. Inspections of incoming and outgoing bulk goods particularly constitute such critical points. To this end, researchers at the Fraunhofer IFF developed the RFID Tunnel Gate, which reliably reads large quantities of transponders. (05/2013)
Demands for automatic object contour scanning in production and logistics are growing. A research and development partner, the Fraunhofer IFF has a solution for this: Fraunhofer researchers are transferring new high-tech sensor systems originally from the consumer goods industry to technical applications in production and logistics environments. (03/2013)
Assessing situations and detecting unusual ones at an early stage on large premises in logistics hubs, passenger terminals or on event grounds is generally problematic. The virtual bird’s-eye view, a new technology developed by the Fraunhofer IFF, compresses video images from distributed camera views into one virtual aerial image of large premises and thus provides an overview of all events in real time. (03/2013)
Demands exceed the capabilities of conventional navigation systems in many cases – specifically in off-road logistics and business processes. Developed by the Fraunhofer IFF Magdeburg, the adaptive logistics Fraunhofer off-road navigations system or ALFONS is a simple, pragmatic and inexpensive system that facilitates continuous route guidance from, to and in off-road areas. This enables you to reach your destination even when a common navigation system no longer provides you guidance – when you are "off-road". (06/2012)
Model and mold making is affected by the great variety of products and options. Every modification of a product entails modifications of the mold and tool, which must be responded to quickly and cost effectively. Combining rapid prototyping systems with high-performance industrial robots is a new approach that eliminates existing restrictions. (04/2012)
Increased utilization of the capacity of its existing drying kilns and the addition of a high temperature drying chamber increased Holzindustrie Tem plin GmbH’s heat requirements. It wanted to generate heat from renewable energies and envisioned a green plant solution utilizing heat recovered from untreated timber. (04/2011)
Continuous localization of mobile units and computer controlled navigation that builds upon this, e.g. automatic guided transport systems, have become a basic technology in automation and logistics. At the same time, most existing localization systems require the installation of components such as reflectors, conductor loops, etc. in the work area and/or the use of expensive sensors such as laser scanners on board mobile systems. By contrast, visual localization based on digital camera systems without the need for artificial landmarks provides significant potential to reduce the costs of such systems. (02/2010)
The foundation of reliable grid operation is exact knowledge of the grid’s current state and the processes running in it. Together with their clients, the Fraunhofer IFF’s experts develop the measurement architecture required for measurement and certification. (02/2017)
Electrical grids are the backbone of economic and social development. The rising number of distributed suppliers of renewable energy is prompting a restructuring of the electrical grid since conventional, unidirectional energy flows are turning into bidirectional energy flows. Grid modeling and simulation with new static and dynamic grid models is central to guaranteeing a certain and reliable energy supply nonetheless. (02/2017)
Rising energy costs in many businesses are increasing the importance of the issue of “efficient energy management”. This especially pertains to companies with high-energy production, the energy consumption of which accounts for a substantial share of manufacturing costs. (02/2017)
The Fraunhofer IFF’s experts develop holistic approaches to electric power grids including the necessary information and communications technologies. In the process, we analyze every potential component from vehicle batteries to charging stations and mobile electric vehicle applications and even the higher-level control system that controls the smart grid. (02/2017)
As nuclear energy is phased out, the German government is promoting renewable energies supplied to high, medium and low voltage grids, which unlike conventional power plants are volatile and distributed. Our developments contribute to smart grids, which are in need of innovative monitoring, control, protection and infrastructural concepts. (02/2017)
More and more distributed sources and loads are prompting changes in grids. Power grid studies and simulations based on adapted static and dynamic models of grids are necessary to reliably assure certainty of supply. The Fraunhofer IFF can complete power grid studies for you. Its researchers identify vulnerabilities and fitting countermeasures, thus helping you operate your grid reliably. (09/2014)
Would you like to supply your company with energy more cost effectively? Are new locations supposed to be developed? Are you planning a change in production? Allow us to develop the right energy supply concept for your company. Our approach: Following an in-depth holistic analysis of all of the basic technical and economic conditions, we will develop an optimal energy supply concept for your facility. We work vendor and technology neutral and cross-industry. (05/2014)
The implementation of an energy management systems (EnMS) affects every unit of a company. Information must be procured from all units and locations and analyzed. The solution is a wiki, i.e. a central information platform for energy management, on which everyone involved works together and quickly exchanges expertise on the topic throughout a company. (05/2014)
The demand for energy in the form of electricity and heat has risen continually in recent years. A change in this trend is nowhere in sight in the near future. A critical factor in production plants in particular, energy costs have direct economic impacts on companies. Our goal is to create closed and efficient material and energy cycles for production processes in order to cut energy costs and residue disposal costs sustainably. (03/2013)
Do you wonder where added value from Industrie 4.0, i.e. interconnectivity and intelligence, is concretely for your company? Or are you seeking a technology-neutral implementation partner for your Industrie 4.0 project in the chemicals, refining, pharmaceuticals, power or food industry? We are a technology partner that provides Industrie 4.0 expertise and solutions for your process manufacturing systems, regardless of whether the processes are batch or continuous. We additionally provide consulting when you are developing new business models. (04/2017)
Complex automated manufacturing cells usually consist of a combination of different work stations such as assembly stations, interlinking systems and robots. Development, testing and virtual commissioning of every component before manufacturing commences cuts development risk dramatically, shortens development and commissioning times, and provides manufacturing with qualitatively validated design engineering. The VINCENT system developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg does exactly this. (05/2016)
Research and industry are agreed on the aims of Industry 4.0. Yet, contrary to what this suggests, a variety of issues and related challenges, e.g. complexity, big data, security, etc., preclude a revolution at the push of a button. Act now or miss the opportunity to digitize your value chain. (12/2014)
Manufacturing plants and operations are growing more and complex and diversified. Despite the rising level of automation, humans continue to play a key role in this environment as actors and decision makers. Assistance technologies that help users do their jobs are increasingly needed to meet the high demands. The Fraunhofer IFF has developed a system that generates customized assistance information and delivers it to different mobile devices as it is needed. (10/2014)
Controller programmers are normally the last in the chain whenever machinery and plants are being developed. Assembly and modification of reused program modules from prior projects, programming of other modules and, above all, commissioning and testing can only be undertaken when the real machine has been built. In response, the Fraunhofer IFF developed a software environment. The heart of this software is a virtual machine that simulates and visualizes a real machine’s functions. It makes it possible to begin programming and testing controllers at an early stage of product development and enables design and control engineers to collaborate from the onset. (10/2014)
Developers and vendors of complex machinery and plants have to complete technically risky projects on time, at cost and to quality. New methods of integrated digital engineering provide valuable support: Virtual models can be used to validate concepts at an early stage, parallelize stages of development and validate features. The Fraunhofer IFF developed the software system VINCENT, which is tailored specifically to the needs and capabilities of small and medium-sized machine manufacturers. (10/2014)
One classic weakness during the development of ambitious and risky projects is communication among the individual engineering disciplines such as mechanics, electronics, control, etc. The software environment EMELI centralizes all of the engineering disciplines’ work on a mutual basis, thus enabling the engineers themselves to work hand-in-hand toward the success of a project. (10/2014)
Advanced, highly optimized and efficient manufacturing equipment usually consists of a multitude of cooperating components controlled by different embedded systems and/or PLCs. In response, the Fraunhofer IFF developed the VINCENT software environment. The heart of VINCENT is a virtual machine that simulates and visualizes a real machine’s functions. VINCENT is extended by the AGENS safety module, which facilitates the development of machine safety. (10/2014)
The increasing complexity of machinery requires more work to develop control systems, from their design to their commissioning. Effective and efficient engineering counteracts the high time and cost pressure this entails. A software system developed at the Fraunhofer IFF uses virtual models to facilitate integrated development of machine controllers: Sequences of functions are taught and tested and extensive safety functions are generated automatically on a virtual model. (03/2014)
The crucial criterion for machinery and plant manufacturers’ competitiveness is the capability to develop technically sophisticated and high-risk projects in shorter and shorter time with minimal costs and high quality. The Fraunhofer IFF delivers custom solutions for you to develop your products based on state-of-the-art methods of digital engineering. Upon request, we will develop your custom machinery, from the idea to the start of production, or provide software tools that enable you to engineer efficiently. (03/2014)
The Elbe Dom is a mixed reality lab for the large-scale presentation of interactive visualizations. Dwarfing classic projection systems in its dimensions, the Elbe Dom is particularly suited for the representation of large objects such as machinery, plants, factories or entire cities on a scale of 1:1. (03/2010)
Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation
