5G data transmission in production systems

Most discussions about Industrie 4.0 tacitly assume that any such system will involve the processing and evaluation of large data volumes. But while modern sensor technology may already be capable of collecting a wide range of machine and production data, it is proving more difficult to analyze this information comprehensively in a single data control center and to feed the results quickly back into an optimized production cycle. This is why the conversion to flexible and adaptive manufacturing processes requires fast, reliable and preferably wireless data transmission systems.

The operation of high-precision machine tools in complex production processes requires stable and reliable communication systems.

The forthcoming 5G mobile communications standard appears to be the perfect fit for the complex measuring and control technologies of networked adaptive production lines, providing short latencies (of less than one millisecond), high data transmission rates (up to 10,000 Megabits per second) and the possibility of operating many devices simultaneously in narrowly restricted radio cells.

5G technology is making it possible to introduce wireless sensor technology into industrial environments on a grand scale, paving the way for real-time data analyses and adaptive manufacturing control systems with short response times.

In close cooperation with the Swedish mobile communications provider Ericsson, we are developing and testing scenarios for the industrial application of 5G in realistic production environments.

Ericsson – one of our partners in the High-Performance Center – plays a leading role in the development of the 5G standard and 5G products. It is our common objective to test the technology with the explicit aim to apply it in industrial environments and to develop it further for a range of individual applications that require the integration of machines, production systems, data transmission systems and databases into networks of mutual communication.

Ultimately, we regard it as our mission to enable our partners in the ICNAP who are helping us to pioneer machine-integrated 5G data transmission to manufacture customized versions or small series of technologically sophisticated products more flexibly, more efficiently and at a lower cost.