Smart Manufacturing Technologies

Introduction

‘Smart manufacturing’ synonymously used with ‘Industry 4.0’, shortened to I4.0 or simply I4 is a technology-driven approach that encompasses fully-integrated, collaborative manufacturing systems that employ internet-integrated machinery to monitor manufacturing processes in real-time via an open infrastructure. Smart manufacturing involves interoperable systems, intelligent automation, multi-scale dynamic simulation and includes 3D printing,  big data processing, advanced industrial robotics with networked sensors,  industrial internet of things (IIoT), and distributed manufacturing technologies with strong cybersecurity. 

These cyber-physical systems entail synergy of production and digital technologies to enable rapid adaptability and design changes, using data analytics that enables newer areas of innovation to optimize manufacturing by creating enhanced quality products, accelerating productivity, increasing energy efficiency, and sustaining safety. They enhance production processes and optimize supply chains by finding solutions to existing and future problems at the speed of business.