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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A Y 2 0 1 6
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A s I write this column, I am in the middle of a press
visit to Germany built around the theme of Indus-
try 4.0, the German name for what Americans call
the Industrial Internet. These two terms essentially define
the same idea—merging the physical world with the virtual
world of the Internet and software. As part of this techno-
logical tour across Deutschland, the DFKI—German Re-
search Center for Artificial Intelligence (AI)—demonstrated
an Industry 4.0 system at Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial fair. The
modular SmartFactoryKL system showcases ideas such as plug and produce,
predictivemaintenance, zero-downtimemaintenance, scalable automation, and
mix-and-match machine modules collaborating in a production environment.
Detlef Zühlke, DFKI’s scientific director, explained how the Industry 4.0
world will be covered in intelligent sensors, enabling highly dynamic, automat-
ed cyber-physical systems, in which much of the intelligence lives in the cloud
rather than individual physical components. Central controllers will be relics of
the past. Instead, modular production units (think of Lego bricks with specific
tasks) will self-identify once they are plugged into the larger system, commu-
nicate what they can do, and then autonomously network with other machine
units to accomplish different jobs. Zühlke believes this model is likely five years
away from widespread industry adoption. One reason for the delay is that in-
ternational standards still need to be developed so systems can work together
seamlessly. In the U.S., we have a newer entity called the Digital Manufactur-
ing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII), Chicago, working on similar goals.
DMDII is a federally funded R&D organization that “encourages factories across
America to deploy digital manufacturing and design technologies, so those fac-
tories can become more efficient and cost-competitive.”
In other advanced manufacturing news, GE’s breathtaking and ambitious
Center for Additive Technology Advancement (CATA) opened a few weeks ago
near Pittsburgh. The $39 million, 125,000-sq-ft facility is designed as a regional
innovation hub to support GE’s eight business segments. Key additive manufac-
turing (AM) technologies showcased at the new center include direct metal laser
melting, fused deposition modeling, laser hot wire, poly jet, and sand binder
jetting. CATA will work with other organizations such as printer suppliers, uni-
versities including nearby Carnegie Mellon, and institutes like America Makes to
develop AM technologies and best practices.
CEO Jeff Immelt was on hand to commemorate the opening. He says we are
only in the “first 15 minutes of this industry” and leadership is still up for grabs.
With more than 400 AM machines in service across GE, the company is planning
to build on the stunning success of its 3D-printed jet engine fuel nozzles. Immelt
added that the company hopes to make as much as 25% of its products using AM
over the next few years—an ambitious goal.
It seems clear that a manufacturing revolution is now in full swing, with AI
and AM as key technologies. From aerospace and automotive components to
consumer goods and medical products, every industry will be transformed. We
hope you will stay tuned to AM&P to keep informed about how these changes will
impact the materials community.
AI AND AM CHANGING THE
INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE