Fraunhofer IGCV – end-to-end digital control of additive manufacturing with 4APS, 4BDE, 4MDE and 4PRO

Location: 86159 Augsburg, Germany · Industry: Research, additive manufacturing · Products: Additive components for industry and research · ERP: SAP ERP · Website: https://www.igcv.fraunhofer.de · S4P modules: 4APS, 4BDE, 4MDE, 4PRO

Initial situation

For additive manufacturing at Fraunhofer IGCV, end-to-end digital order handling and data acquisition of the production processes were required. The goal was complete traceability of AM orders, powder batches and machine and manufacturing data as a complement to the existing SAP ERP, in which only purchase orders, delivery notes and invoices are captured for customer orders.

Challenge

The complex process chains of additive manufacturing and the requirements for reproducibility and documentation demanded end-to-end integration of order, raw material, operating and machine data. Without integrated digital control, the transparency and controllability of AM production remained limited.

Solution

With the software4production solutions, end-to-end traceability for AM orders and the powder was implemented. Shop-floor and machine data acquisition and warehouse management – from goods receipt to shipping of parts – interlock seamlessly. Modules deployed: 4APS – Advanced Planning and Scheduling for graphical fine planning; 4BDE – shop-floor data collection; 4MDE – machine data acquisition via MQTT to all RP systems; 4PRO – warehouse and batch management, goods receipt and picking.

Results and benefits

With the software4production solutions, Fraunhofer IGCV achieves end-to-end digital control and transparency in additive manufacturing. Orders, machines and manufacturing data are captured and controllable in real time – enabling efficient and traceable production.