A flexible and open environment for discrete event simulations and smart manufacturing

• Published in: International journal on interactive design and manufacturing Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 509 - 524
• Main Authors: Garcia Martinez, Ruben Febronio, Valdivia Puga, Jose Abraham, Urbina Coronado, Pedro Daniel, Gómez Ortigoza, Axel Alejandro, Orta-Castañon, Pedro, Ahuett-Garza, Horacio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Springer Paris 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algorithms; Applications programs; Augmented reality; CAE) and Design; Communication; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Digital twins; Discrete event systems; Electronics and Microelectronics; Engineering; Engineering Design; Ergonomics; Graphical user interface; Industrial Design; Industry 4.0; Instrumentation; Internet of Things; Manufacturing; Mechanical Engineering; Open source software; Optimization; Original Paper; Parameters; Simulation; Smartphones; Software; Trends; User interface; Virtual reality; Industry 4.0; Digital twin; Augmented reality; IoT
• ISSN: 1955-2513; 1955-2505
• DOI: 10.1007/s12008-021-00778-w

This work proposes an open and flexible environment for the interaction of relevant technologies within the framework of Industry 4.0. In this work, a discrete event simulation was developed using open-source software, which enables seamless integration with communication protocols, optimization tools, and a graphical user interface that works in augmented reality. The discrete event simulation runs locally but can obtain the input parameters through a request to a web app stored in the cloud. The proposed environment was tested through numerical experiments adapted from a real manufacturing process, which was parametrized and generalized to be represented in the discrete event simulation. Among the numerical experiments presented were a baseline scenario and 5 variations. An optimization in the parameters of the process is presented which demonstrated the capacity of the developed discrete event simulation to be integrated with external software. An augmented reality app was developed and installed in a smartphone to provide a graphical interface with the user and provide a spatial representation of the machine linked with the studied process. This work represents a step towards the creation of a Digital Twin of a manufacturing process and the implementation of a Digital Thread that transport the information of different platforms.