‘Factory in a Box 2’ mixed reality demonstrator at Smart Factory Expo
The demonstrator has been delivered in partnership with Siemens and will be on the Siemens stand D30 at this week’s event
Factory in a Box (FIAB) 2 will be showcased at this week’s Smart Factory Expo in Liverpool.
Developed using the Smart Manufacturing Accelerator framework, FIAB 2 is a mixed reality demonstrator for the automated batch production of phase change material for thermal batteries.
The factory design, ICT and controls architecture of the demonstrator have all been virtually commissioned so in the absence of a physical factory, the production process is emulated, and mixed reality is used to visualise real time production data.
FIAB 2 demonstrates a number of manufacturing processes, including generation of new product orders with automated batch scalability; loading, storage and dispensing of powder / liquid ingredients with materials verification and batch traceability; Water heating and dispensing; Product mixing with batch correction (pH) in a heated mixing vessel; Product quality testing, including level/depth, pH, turbidity and temperature measurement and on-demand product vending with container verification and batch traceability.
The demonstrator has been delivered by the MTC in partnership with Siemens, Birmingham Energy Institute and the Loughborough University. It has been funded by the Energy Research Accelerator and Innovate UK.
FIAB 2 was also launched at last week’s Digital Manufacturing Conference at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).
The Smart Factory Expo, which takes place at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool, forms part of Digital Manufacturing Week and will showcase manufacturing agility, innovation and thinking. With over 200 presentations during both days and 600 leaders and innovators in attendance, the exhibition will provide essential insights on how organisations maintain their competitive edge.
