Together with more than 20 companies and entities from around the world, it is part of software innovation for the industry
Magtel has participated in the development of the “Optimum” project, the aim of which is to develop more intelligent and environmentally friendly industrial plants through interconnected production chains. This initiative, which has recently ended, stands out for developing a semi-automated plant for the assembly, welding and final assembly of lithium-ion batteries for mobility.
Today’s battery manufacturing process is commercialized on a large scale. For this reason, “Optimum” solves complex IoT (Internet of Things) communications between different devices, together with its remote data storage system.
The signing of the international agreement for the research project took place in 2017, and is part of the Itea3 transnational R + D + i program, promoted by the industry in the field of software innovation. More than 20 international entities have collaborated in its development, being the German Demag Cranes AG the leader of the project.
The advantages offered by “Optimum” would be: high-speed wireless IoT communications between the different devices that make up the demonstrator; remote data acquisition through the Indigo platform; innovative security system based on artificial vision; automated assembly and welding reducing the risk of occupational accidents, and greater competitiveness in industrial processes.
This initiative leaves behind centralized and hierarchical process control. The plant consists of a robotic arm that actively interacts with the operator in a semi-automated and sequential process. In addition, there is a projector that guides the operator through an assembly process, a camera that identifies objects and assesses the quality and safety of the process, and a battery quality control system that determines the health status of the cells. individually.
Six demonstrators in various countries
In the project there are 6 demonstrators developed in different countries (Germany, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, Romania and Turkey). The Spanish demonstrator has been jointly developed by Magtel, Sotec Consulting and UC3M. Both Sotec and UC3M have been in charge of developing the Indigo platform, which assumes remote data acquisition. The technical part of the demonstrator has been developed entirely by Magtel in its laboratory 4.0 in Córdoba.
According to the engineer of the Industry 4.0 Area of the R + D + i Division, Manuel Ibáñez, “Optimum will help partners and the industry in general to prepare for the challenges of Industry 4.0”. The project has great scalability, having the ability to insert other modules or processes to make it completely automatic. Ibáñez added that “likewise, it has a great capacity to adapt to any industrial assembly system.” This project of the Industry 4.0 Area of the R + D + i Division, together with the Magwater project, has been a milestone for the company’s department.
