Bringing manufacturing networks to life: a diagram language for the Asset Administration Shell

Flanders Make

Flanders Make is the strategic research centre for the manufacturing industry. Our mission is to strengthen the long-term international competitiveness of the Flemish manufacturing industry. That’s why we work together with SMEs and large companies on pre-competitive, industry-driven technological research, resulting in concrete product and production innovation in the vehicle industry, the manufacturing industry, and production environments.

Problem Context

The modern factory is an intelligent network of machines and processes, where the role of information and communication technology is crucial. This has the potential of bringing an unprecedented form of collaboration between different systems within and beyond factory boundaries. The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) helps implementing digital interfaces of an asset to create interoperability across the solutions of different suppliers. For this reason, an AAS model is often seen as the standardization of the concept of a digital twin. Recently AAS has been generating a lot of traction within different industries, but is still an emerging technology with high-impact potential for the right tooling. Currently, no tool exists that properly visualizes all AAS models within the complex network they are being used, e.g., at factory level, or ecosystem level spanning multiple organisations.

Detail: The Asset Administrative Shell (AAS) is the standardized self-description of a technical or logical component in production. It is envisioned as the corner stone for the interoperability of Industrie 4.0 components organized in Industrie 4.0 systems. Essentially, it is a machine-readable, technology & device-agnostic description of a component that provides access to all of its properties and functions.

References play a first class role in the AAS ecosystem, with the concepts of Identifiable, Referable, Internal or External References. The AAS supports relationships between model elements of the same or another AAS model but also metamodel inherent relationships like submodels. See the AAS metamodel for more details.

There are no (known) diagram visualization of AAS data (type nor instance). Consequently, there are no (known) graphical visualization of relationships within or between AAS models. In this work proposal, we want to develop visualization tools for relationships in or between AAS models.

Goal of the internship

The first goal of this internship is to design a diagram language allowing to create a visualisation tool that graphically shows AAS model elements and relationships between them. This includes diagrams for internal relationships within one AAS, or diagrams for relationships between different AAS. The second goal is to implement this diagram language. For this you will use a web-based tool stack based on Eclipse GLSP (https://eclipse.dev/glsp/) and Eclipse Theia (https://theia-ide.org/).

Technical Approach

First the knowledge of the process engineer need to be captured formalized through an interview and plant visit. This will result in into a set of rules that can be applied to evaluate the manufacturability and assemblability of a new product. To automate the evaluation of these rules, an algorithm will be developed that first needs to correctly identify the pipes and their brazing connections and then evaluate if the pipe geometry can be realized with the pipe bending process and the connections can be realized through brazing by a human operator.

Learning target

The student will have a practical experience in conceptual modelling, metamodeling and run-time modelling; the student will develop concrete syntaxes for the AAS abstract syntax. The student will learn how to work with web-based editor tool stacks Eclipse GLSP and Theia. Further the student will obtain knowledge in a major component of the Plattform Industrie 4.0, which is shaping the digitalization of the manufacturing industry.

Profile Student

• Bachelor degree in Computer Science or mechanical, electrical, control or mechatronic engineering with sufficient software proficiency;
• Knowledge of software engineering, software modelling, programming and experience with modelling language engineering or domain-specific languages, and diagram editors or user interfaces is recommended;
• Passionate by research and new technologies with focus on applications for machines or mechatronic systems of the companies;
• Result oriented, responsible and proactive;
• A good communicator, able to communicate in English;
• Eager to learn and a team player.

Only EEA (or Swiss) nationals can be accepted for internships due to work permit regulations.

Practical Data

• Internship: The assignment is for an internship of min. 1 month (full-time) to maximum 6 months (full-time or part-time) and takes place at the offices of Flanders Make located in Leuven, Belgium.
• Thesis: This assignment is also a possible topic for a master thesis.

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