Review of Machine Construction event 2020: from digital twins to mass customization

Despite the corona crisis, the world of mechanical engineering is not standing still. During the three-day online knowledge week surrounding the annual Mechanical Engineering event, visitors to the webinars gained insight into digital trends in particular, such as predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence and digital twins, but the craft of modular construction was also discussed.

The opening words on Tuesday were given by Erik Baalbergen. He works at the NLR (Netherlands Aerospace Centre) and gave a virtual lecture on how digital twins are applied in the aircraft manufacturing industry. As he said in a interview with FHI indicated that the application of digital twins mainly offers the end user, such as an operator, more convenience.

Marc Sußbauer and Philipp Zebisch provided insight into the advantages of using servo motors on behalf of Panasonic. During their presentation, the gentlemen also explained how to choose the right motor. A live demo of a tuned servo motor gave the webinar viewer a good insight into the theory.

On Wednesday, Theo Krüs and Martin Roke on behalf of Phoenix Contact showed six smart options for modular machine construction, with possibilities for both small and large machines. The application of modularity is made possible by segmenting machines with multiple PLCs. And by applying cabling per module, adjustments can be made much faster while also requiring less cable material. At the end of the day, Sietse Nap of Lapp Benelux went into more detail about the application of efficient machine cabling.

During the closing day of the virtual Machinebouw event, Ronald Mol (Omron Electronics) discussed the latest trends in 'mass customization' during his webinar. For example, the market is increasingly asking for personalized products. Mol made the connection with how these trends can be applied in the world of machine construction. The topics of traceability, sustainable production and 'operational excellence' were also discussed. The knowledge week was concluded by Menko Eisma from Trumpf. He explained how his company is responding to the concept of smart factories and the associated up- and downstream processes.