From 12-14 November 2024, SPS Smart Production Solutions (SPS 2024) took place in Nuremberg – a key event for the automation technology sector. EKS InTec GmbH participated in the trade fair, presenting the MODAPTO project and its innovative contributions to flexible industrial systems.
As a partner in the EU-funded MODAPTO project, EKS InTec showcased how the project integrates production modules with distributed, interoperable digital twins based on industrial standards, paving the way for smarter, more adaptable manufacturing solutions.
EKS InTec GmbH’s role within MODAPTO
EKS InTec contributes its expertise in virtual commissioning and the digital development process of automated production systems to the project to promote the implementation of modular and intelligent production systems. The company covers the entire digital development process from planning to virtual commissioning and pursues the goal of developing and integrating innovative digital solutions for the production processes of the future.
Highlights during SPS 2024
The topic of digital twins and modular production systems was also a focal point at SPS 2024 in Nuremberg, where numerous exhibitors presented solutions related to MODAPTO’s objectives. Among the solutions presented were the end-to-end use of digital twins from engineering to operation, flexible robot-based automation solutions that enable end-to-end digital design, and the use of digital twins based on the asset administration shell, which ensure a continuous flow of data throughout the entire life cycle.
Important standards for interoperable industrial digital twins were also presented at the trade fair. The Asset Administration Shell (AAS), presented by the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA), serves as the central basis for the digital twin in Industry 4.0. It enables interoperability between systems and a seamless data flow. Another important standard, the W3C Thing Description Standard, is being further developed in a collaboration between Siemens, Microsoft and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to simplify the integration and interoperability of digital twins. Both standards also play a role or are even used in the MODAPTO project.
These presentations underline the industry-wide trend towards the integration of flexible, modular systems and digital twins, which is in line with the objectives of the MODAPTO project.
During the event, EKS demonstrated how industry standards can be used to describe digital twins (AAS and various sub-models, such as Provision of Simulation Models, Product Carbon Footprint, Capability description, Technical Data) and for tool-independent simulation and analysis capabilities (using FMI).
The resulting new production modules will be integrated into the existing EKS tool landscape RF::SUITE for virtual plants with extended capabilities in relation to sustainability parameters, for example, to make them usable in an industrial context.
The future of MODAPTO
By the end of the MODAPTO project, an open-source toolkit will be developed that enables optimal modular production and reconfiguration. It is based on production modules that are integrated using interoperable digital twins and enhanced by distributed and collective intelligence. This is intended to support sustainable production decisions. The toolkit is supplemented by new business models and strategies for modular production.