Back in 2017, the Zimmer Group, in collaboration with a machine manufacturer, presented its "virtualZ" simulation solution with the full range of real-time simulation options at the Motek trade fair. Last year, this solution enabled customers from the systems engineering and mechanical engineering sectors to quickly plan and estimate costs from design integration to project implementation. The simulation can also be used to work within extremely tight time frames, as all project phases can be simulated and optimized several times in advance. The possible applications do not end with commissioning, but the "virtual twin" can produce in parallel or with a time delay to the physical machine/system in virtual space and offers functionalities that would have been unthinkable until a few years ago.

The virtual machine can anticipate optimizations and validate them via test runs in the virtual world, it can confirm wear and tear or show indications of its causes through comparative data. It presents upgrades under real conditions with reliable data and thus creates the basis for a realistic assessment of conversion plans. 2018 is now more flexible in terms of software platforms and therefore the choice of interfaces. The proven technology can now be transferred to automation components and a real-time simulation can be mapped with the software of the market-leading manufacturers using the familiar method of downloading a geometric and kinematic model. The different software platforms enable maximum flexibility in the selection of the simulation environment and the further processing of data. As a result, the Zimmer Group can now map the closed process chain from quotation preparation and project planning through the design and commissioning phase to service, both in intralogistics and in related areas such as comprehensive mechanical engineering.

TSN - communication across all boundaries
The implementation of Industry 4.0 requires end-to-end networked production. This can only be implemented with great effort using the current variety of protocols and buses. A uniform communication standard is therefore becoming increasingly important. TSN is the answer. The Zimmer Group has been testing the networking of its components and systems via OPC-UA over TSN for several years in order to reliably meet market-realistic specifications such as deterministic time behavior with a maximum jitter of less than 100 µs and cycle times of a maximum of two ms, and thus to be able to reliably map flowing processes.

Blockchain - the chain to success
For some time now, the Zimmer Group has also been relying on integration into existing blockchain-based data management systems or those currently under construction, particularly in the area of intralogistics projects. The reasons for this lie in decentralized data management, which, from the Zimmer Group's point of view, is an optimal basis for fast, uncomplicated and highly agile systems, provided that communication is cryptographically secured, thus generating an enormous increase in added value. The data is available to every authorized partner involved in the process chain and maximum security is guaranteed thanks to the redundancy. The participants in the process chain do not even necessarily have to trust each other; the blockchain ensures security. As already mentioned, transactions are recorded in the blockchain, can be traced transparently and tamper-proof and contact between the partners is direct. Blockchain technology has the potential to disruptively change the supply chain in logistics.

In the near future, it is conceivable that systems will initiate and negotiate orders themselves and enter into legally binding contracts. This is exactly when the Internet of Things would have become a reality in our lives and intralogistics would have achieved a level of agility and efficiency that we cannot even dream of today.

AI - the intelligence in the plant
Due to the ever-increasing flexibility and agility of systems, ever faster methods are required for evaluation, recommended actions and execution. Proven logic programming is often no longer sufficient for such processes. Here, AI for planning and execution, but also for optimization, can mean a significant leap in agility and thus in productivity.

The right grip for success
In the field of intralogistics, the so-called grip in the box is becoming increasingly important, especially in outbound logistics. This is a gripping system that uses vision technology and evaluation algorithms to be intelligent enough to remove goods from any type of load carrier quickly and reliably. For this purpose, the gripping system must be able to use vision technology to recognize the type, distribution and spatial orientation of the goods in the load carrier and, if necessary, incorporate additional data such as weight distribution, centre of gravity and surface properties of the gripped goods into the gripping solution to be calculated in order to apply the most efficient and sufficiently reliable gripping solution.

The future is digital
The Zimmer Group sees itself in a position to deliver the right solution for any application, at any desired technology level. A solution that not only meets the customer's needs at the time of project planning, but also offers the necessary investment protection and flexibility against the backdrop of the digital revolution.

About the author:
Peter Jänchen is Head of Application Engineering at Zimmer GmbH.