Predictive Maintenance - Development of an Industrie 4.0-compatible technology for the functional and process-related design of predictive and intelligent maintenance systems

As before, "classic" maintenance is largely seen internally as a pure cost factor and less as an innovation that generates added value. This is not surprising, as the benefits of classic maintenance and thus the amortisation effects often only become apparent in the medium and long term. The funded research project focuses on the development of a highly integrative Industrie 4.0-capable, anticipatory and adaptive solution for the functional and process-related design of predictive and intelligent maintenance solutions. To this end, the various techniques of artificial intelligence are combined within the framework of cognitive computing to enable predictive and anticipatory interventions in the production process in the sense of intelligent maintenance. In addition, a suitable methodology is being developed that supports medium-sized companies in particular in planning and introducing the use of such predictive solutions and, if necessary, developing them further on their own. The foundation of this development is a modern software architecture that ensures the minimally invasive integration of these solutions into existing, historically grown company landscapes and also achieves plasticity with regard to the dynamic requirements of the companies. Accompanying the project, an "Institute for Digital Transformation" is being set up at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences to ensure not only the development of new technologies but also the sustainable transfer of competence and technology towards companies and society.