Planning and Control of Factories - Advanced Solutions Based on the "Communication Platform Digital Factory"

Planning the layout of a factory depends on various parameters such as material flow, information flow, life-cycle of services and environmental conditions. This complexity of numerous components and dynamic circumstances can be handled in an easier way by the use of the Communication Platform Digital Factory. By the use of an integrative data management and interactive 3D-simulation all processes in the life-cycle of a factory can be supported. Virtual Reality, the 3D human-computer interface accelerates significantly the processes of creating and handling 3D data in a 3D space for design and evaluation purposes. The goal of these tools is to enable interaction in an intuitive and easy way in the design and development phase of a virtual factory. Furthermore the tools have been developed for the support of co-operative work in a virtual environment. Two different tools are presented, which support the layout planning process tremendously and speed up the implementation of fully automated factories.