Internet of Things
Metrology and Industry 4.0 Dr Peter J. de Groot, Executive Director of R&D & Michael Schmidt, Market Development Manager Zygo Corp.
When looking at the place of metrology in the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” it is interesting to ponder whether industry 4.0 is being driven by developments in metrology or metrology developments are being driven by Industry 4.0. Today’s most sophisticated metrology systems drive quality assurance (QA) which has become a fundamental digital task, which in and of itself, facilitates efficient and cost-effective production processes. QA data today controls how products are made, and drives the bottom line and the repeatability in production that is vital in all panindustrial manufacturing scenarios. From this perspective, it is a short leap to advocate that QA drives Industry 4.0. The dynamic growth of non-contact 3D optical metrology solutions in recent years reinforces this argument, as image processing and vision systems easily fit into Industry 4.0 processes. And so, we begin to shi preconceptions. For a long time, metrology for production QA has been seen as akin to a necessary evil, a part of the product development process that ticks boxes but doesn’t directly add value. From this angle, it can be argued that metrology serves no other purpose than to catch failures within 42
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a production process. If the failures or short comings were not there, then the role of metrology would be redundant. But in the modern world, metrology is the source of bucket loads of data, which can be used to fuel the systems used in a smart factory or Industry 4.0 environment, promoting true data-driven production. Drilling into Industry 4.0 A key competitive driver for manufacturers is efficient production, which is why Industry 4.0 solutions using digital technologies to stimulate innovation and improve production processes are gaining traction across all key industrial sectors.
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8/2/21 9:04 AM
