In the future, products are manufactured decentralized – towards a digital factory

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Tampere University of Technology (TUT) and Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) set up a demonstration of a digital factory. In this demo, different robots located in various facilities of the organisations involved are monitored and controlled remotely from one place.

VTT, TUT and TAMK established a joint digital factory demo in the SMACC workspace located in the Tampere Campus Arena. Each organisation has remotely connected its own robot systems to the SMACC workspace from its own facility. The workspace houses the system control room, where the work performed by robots and product manufacturing is controlled and monitored phase by phase.

The demo is an example of how, in the future, product manufacturing can be controlled and monitored remotely from one place.

A digital factory of the future – control and product manufacturing in different physical locations

The connecting technologies are undergoing a rapid development. A digital factory can be set up quickly if the conditions for doing business are good, and it can be turned into a profitable and useful unit.

“The digital factory of the future is a decentralized network of companies, with different sub-networks, which can also operate globally. The manufacturing is controlled remotely from one place via the internet. The factory manufactures products in a place that is optimal for the purpose at that very moment. The criteria for the place of manufacture can be, for example, efficiency, quality or proximity to the customer,” says Risto Kuivanen, Business Development Manager at VTT.

A video of the digital factory demonstration is available at: https://youtu.be/1FjZqSfbDHQ 

Research infrastructure at a one-stop shop principle

At the end of May, VTT, TUT and TAMK combined their research infrastructures to ensure that the Finnish manufacturing industry has access to them at a one-stop shop principle. Automation and robotics, 3D printing and digital product development are the focus areas of the infrastructures.

The Smart Machines and Manufacturing Centre SMACC, which was founded by VTT and TUT in 2015, serves as a platform for combining infrastructures.

What is SMACC: http://smacc.fi/ 
Twitter: @SMACCFinland

• Together, VTT and TUT form the TTY Smart Machines and Manufacturing Centre, which is building the future of Finland's manufacturing industry.
• The annual volume of SMACC's collaborative research is EUR 40 million in total. New technologies and approaches are being trialled on a collaborative basis.

Contact details: 

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Risto Kuivanen, Business Development Manager
+358 40 511 6699, risto.kuivanen@vtt.fi 
Twitter: @ristokuivanen

Tampere University of Technology
Kari T. Koskinen, Professor, Head of Laboratory
+358 400 634 242, kari.t.koskinen@tut.fi 

Tampere University of Applied Sciences
Mika Ijas, Principal Lecturer, Smart Machines
+358 50 447 1189, mika.ijas@tamk.fi 

Further information on VTT:

Milka Lahnalammi-Vesivalo
Communications Manager
+358 40 5457 828
milka.lahnalammi-vesivalo@vtt.fi
www.vtt.fi

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd is the leading research and technology company in the Nordic countries. We use our research and knowledge to provide expert services for our domestic and international customers and partners, and for both private and public sectors.  We use 4,000,000 hours of brainpower a year to develop new technological solutions. VTT in social media: Twitter @VTTFinland, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and Periscope.