A robotics hotspot

The production system has been incorrectly programmed – and suddenly serial production is stopped. The robot arms are not adjusted accurately – and the newly made standard parts are unusable. Defective processes can quickly drive up manufacturing costs. So it’s good if companies are able to run through these processes virtually beforehand – using a digital twin. This involves a simulation model of a system or machine, which can be used to improve and monitor production processes. It is an approach being advanced by the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) under Prof Steffen Ihlenfeldt, head of the Chair of Machine Tools Development and Adaptive Controls at the TU Dresden. Together with Coswig-based Industrie-Partner GmbH, the IWU has also developed a ‘Robo Operator’ that can help out with machining systems and similar, reading the display and pushing the buttons in the same way its human colleagues do.

Part of the IWU has established a base at the Universelle Werke in Dresden. The Universelle Werke is a high-tech hub specialising in lightweight construction and robotics. The new technology centre encourages close networking between science and business within Dresden. The Coboworx startup is among its future tenants.