How AI connects mechanical drive technology and fluidics

"Made in Germany can stand for connected and intelligent production," says Hartmut Rauen, deputy managing director of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). In a dual role, he is the managing director of the two trade associations Drive Technology (211 member companies, 18 billion euros in sales) and Fluid Technology (214 member companies, hydraulics

5.4 billion euros, pneumatics 2.8 billion euros in sales). Both industries are facing a transformation. Previously, power and torque were considered the essential factors, but now a third has been added: artificial intelligence.

The two trade associations joined forces not only virtually in the digital realm but also in reality at the Hannover Messe 2019. There, they appeared together for the first time under the umbrella 'Industrial Automation Motion & Drives' (IAMD). Rauen: "As intelligence moves into the component, manufacturers have an outstanding opportunity to build numerous digital services." This also protects them from the digital giants Google, Amazon, and others.

A path to this is to be paved by the open networking according to OPC UA standards (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) propagated by the VDMA. "We want to be the first to promise with our technology networks and clusters that we will move from 'plug and pray' to 'plug and play'," says Rauen.

What new business models drive technology development

"German drive technology has an excellent starting position in technology and manufacturing competence, but it must open up more to the opportunities of Industry 4.0 with new business models, especially in the area of services," demands Rauen. Wilhelm Rehm, chairman of the drive technology association and board member of one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, ZF Friedrichshafen, is quite self-critical: "The biggest challenge in our area is the integration of digitization and networking into our drive technology companies." The future is characterized by networking in the sense of Industry 4.0, connectivity of systems, intelligent mechanics, but also the increasing electrification of drive technology.

ZF uses digitization and networking, for example, for predictive maintenance - and thus for new business models. Rehm: "We can now map, evaluate, and analyze systems with our ZF Cloud." This brings concrete progress, for example, in wind power, where, in collaboration with component manufacturer Schaeffler, customers are supported in the most effective maintenance of their systems.

The top German fluidics expert is association president Christian Kienzle, who is also the CEO of Argo-Hytos, a manufacturer of hydraulic system technology. He cites an example from his own company: Itell, a smart filter. The name is meant literally: "Our filters have something to tell."

They not only filter but also monitor the hydraulic system and medium. The sensors in the filter provide information about filter condition parameters such as contamination level, pressure, and temperature. This can increase the efficiency of machine or fleet management. "By providing early warning notifications, maintenance planning can be optimized, downtimes reduced, and resources saved."

How digital technology improves hydraulics

Mark Krieg, Vice President of Engineering at hydraulic specialist Bosch Rexroth, is self-critical: "In principle, hydraulic units still look like they did in the seventies." They are considered robust but not particularly innovative, require many skilled workers, are noisy, and always a bit dirty. However, hydraulics are indispensable today and in the future.

Krieg: "When it comes to forces above 500 kilonewtons, there is no alternative." For several years now, hydraulics have been combining with electronic solutions to form electrohydraulics. "Hydraulics are the muscle, electronics and electrical engineering form the brain." This is confirmed by a study commissioned by Bosch Rexroth: It predicts strong, disproportionate growth for electrohydraulics.

Well equipped for this future, Bosch Rexroth sees itself with the Cytrobox. The hydraulic unit has nothing in common with the clichés of hydraulics. A noise-absorbing polymer concrete plate ensures quietness, offering more flexibility with less space, more performance with less waste, and finally more cost-effectiveness through higher availability. And the Cytrobox is also chic, as the designers from Bosch Thermotechnology helped with the design. At first glance, it looks like a stylish refrigerator for the loft apartment.

At the other end of the power scale is the company Harmonic Drive. With its very compact drives, it benefits primarily from the boom of smaller robots, which, according to former CEO Ekrem Sirman, are equipped with drives from Limburg an der Lahn in 90 percent of cases. Developers there are working on a 'Smart Actuator' with an integrated controller. Sensors provide precise knowledge about the motor and transmission. This allows the stiffness of the drive to be specifically improved.

The sensors also monitor the condition and detect impending damage by analyzing vibrations. The problem: "It is difficult to talk to customers about measures in case of failures, as they expect nothing to fail," Sirman knows. And they are even less willing to pay for it. The sensors are ready, and the drives could be equipped with them.

How artificial intelligence can prevent failures

A subfield of digitalization is artificial intelligence (AI). The basic methods have been known for decades, but only now is IT powerful and affordable enough to use AI profitably. An example of this is described by Ansgar Kriwet, a board member at automation specialist Festo. At commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, the production process in body construction is highly automated, "humans only take on control and monitoring tasks." Thanks to high flexibility, batch size one is not a problem. This requires high investments, which is why every downtime immediately costs a lot of money.

"Artificial intelligence can help ensure that a failure never occurs," explains Kriwet using welding tongs and clamps. No additional sensors are even necessary for this; the information about the individual processes is already available in the PLC today. "If you interpret them, you can learn a lot from them, for example, from the duration from the signal 'clamp - move to' to the signal 'clamp closed'." Or from the pressure curve in the welding tongs: It provides information about resistance and wear in the tongs. "With this information, we can predict up to two weeks in advance which clamp will fail and when."

"The new working world 4.0 demands adaptable, human-centered structures," says Johann Soder, technical managing director of the drive specialist SEW-Eurodrive. In this sense, they want to equip modern factories holistically. This goes far beyond classic drive technology and requires digital and intelligent products. Soder confidently states: "We have reinvented electronics in the last two years." Keywords are consistent data management, global standards, and unified interfaces in hardware and software: "Our customers should benefit from the continuity of the Industry 4.0 system."

Accordingly, the company continuously expands its (digital) service portfolio. One goal is to digitally map the entire value creation process of the customer. Soder: "We use augmented reality to evaluate things for new factories in advance, and virtual reality ensures more planning security by simulating factories before realization."