Production Factories are experiencing a transformation in terms of the holistic consideration of the manufacturing process. This transformation goes beyond the automation of the manufacturing lines, the optimization of the internal and external logistics, or the minimization of maintenance dependencies. This transformation is about enabling connectivity; connectivity of devices, of processes, of departments, of production phases, of stakeholders, aiming to build a network of events, where descriptions, process states, and know-how can be represented and reasoned. This network of events is what makes a factory, the Augmented Factory. There are many technological aspects behind the Augmented Factory; from consolidation of data, over software and hardware support, to training and development of personnel. Nevertheless, the discussions in this document will henceforward focus on the software challenges behind the Augmented Factory.
The manufacturing process is commonly driven by a product with foreseen characteristics. On the one hand, those characteristics are intrinsic to the embodiment of the product and extrinsic to the surrounding conditions, where the product performs its purpose. On the other hand, those characteristics can also be classified as deterministic or stochastic, depending on the influence of unknown variables. These characteristics can generally be categorized into: a) form, b) structure, c) function, and d) context. Over the years, specialized models have been established, in order to systematically describe those in a standardized manner. There are for instance: i) shape models for the form, ii) material models for the structure, iii) simulation models for the function, and iv) semantic models for the context. The synergetic interplay of these 4 models in a complementary and extensive way builds the fundament for the Smart Artifacts. Smart Artifacts are augmented virtual descriptions of products, serving as the nexus between the physical and the cyber world.