Junior research group „Cross-Domain Modeling in Production”

The complexity of modern production systems is increasing, not only due to the growing number and variety of technologies employed, but also due to the growing requirements concerning flexibility, adaptability, and efficiency. Traditional manufacturing approaches based on isolated, specialised systems and domains are increasingly reaching their limits due to interactions between domains. Cross-domain collaboration is therefore of key importance in meeting these challenges, particularly during the testing phase.

Virtual commissioning (VC) allows complex production systems to be tested, validated and optimized before they are commissioned in the real world. Not only does it save time and costs, it also minimizes risks and error sources. To take full advantage of VC’s potential, it is important to consider different domains in VC, from mechanical engineering and electronics to control engineering, informatics and production planning. However, models used separately in different domains are often not suitable for VC due to their high level of detail.

The idea of this junior research group is to research methods and models that will enable cross-domain simulation in production. These methods and models should fulfil the requirements of models in VC and expand their area of application. The aim is to comprehensively model the complexity of modern production systems in order to identify and exploit interactions, dependencies and optimization potential at an early stage and in a realistic manner. Cross-domain models should make it possible to reveal erroneous interactions and conflicting objectives between different areas and identity optimization potential. Moreover, if simulations take into account more aspects, they can be used not only in VC, but also in earlier development steps and later during production as part of a digital twin. 

The junior research group is approaching the topic from two perspectives. Firstly, is examining how missing aspects in products, processes, and resources can be taken into account in production engineering from the perspective of the various domains. Secondly, the focus is on various modeling techniques. Consequently, the application of different modeling approaches and the integration of new model types are being investigated with particular emphasis on data-based models and grey box models.