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Message from the editors
We proudly present the first edition of InnovationNU. The magazine’s primary focus is to highlight the challenges and experiences already made on the road to Manufacturing 4.0. InnovationNU will serve as a reference for the entire manufacturing sector by featuring experts from around the world, from a wide range of disciplines, to share their insights and best practices. They will provide our readers knowledge, experience and support as you digitise, innovate and grow.
Special
In loving memory
Remembering and honouring a man of principles: Fred van Houten.
Featured
Fuelling the future
How the Advanced Manufacturing Center will drive the rapid transformation of industry across The Netherlands.
Advanced manufacturing: Empowering Europe
The EU and its industries have strongly embraced advanced manufacturing in recent years. We are seeing manufacturers of all sizes find value in new technology across industrial sectors. However, many are unaware of new technologies around the corner that can add value to their operations.
Lessons Learned
What post-crisis manufacturing will look like
The transformation of the manufacturing sector was already well under way before the pandemic. Now the adoption of new technologies is diverging between those which will thrive after the pandemic, and those which won’t.
See and be seen
Investment in new technologies, such as robotic process automation and predictive maintenance, continues to grow across the manufacturing sector. Marketing, however, has long taken a backseat. Many manufacturers still don’t recognise the value in modern, technology-driven marketing, and that is a waste.
3D2SKY: Driving quality and cost efficiency for the aerospace industry
The aerospace industry has applied additive manufacturing (AM) to alleviate supply chain constraints from traditional manufacturing processes
such as casting. AERONAMIC is an example of this.
Spotlight
A glimpse into the future
The Fraunhofer Project Center has found a new home at the Enschede Kennispark, taking the place of the soon-to-be-demolished Mai building on the corner of Auke Vleerstraat-Hengelosestraat. This new location will be home for the FPC Open Innovation Center in Manufacturing 4.0 called the Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC). The AMC will be a 1,000m2 shopfloor.
Van Raam: Upscaling user-centered production without standardisation
Van Raam builds unique bikes in a standardized production process. The biggest challenge they are facing is to continue growing while maintaining their tailor-made focus.
AMC NU
Boosting industrial growth with emerging technologies
Together with regional government and partners, the Fraunhofer Project Center (FPC) has developed the Advanced Manufacturing Program (AMP) to establish a transitional framework towards Manufacturing 4.0 and empowering manufacturing industries in the Eastern part of the Netherlands. Read more about the current projects.
Technology & Innovation
The ideal time for 3D printing is now
Read the interview with Frank Peter Wüst from TRUMPF about why the ideal time to start with industrial 3d printing is now.
Three clicks away from the solution
Nowadays, there are many webservices which provide free engineering solutions. However,these tools are mostly based on analytical solutions. The world is changing with new innovations entering the markets on a daily basis. Many new engineering challenges cannot be solved by conventional analytical formulas anymore.
Innovation success through partnerships
There are several key benefits in collaborating on innovation rather than acting alone. These include exposure to new approaches; potential for specialisation; reduction in costs and time to market; increased persistence of innovation; and increased comfort with risk taking.
Predict the unpredictable
Industries are relying more and more on machines and tools of high complexity. When relying on high complex machines the unexpected failures and downtime costs can have a high impact and result in high costs. Therefore, these machines and their components should be maintained properly to avoid unexpected failures and reduce downtime costs.
Creating a change that actually works
There’s a fundamental change going on. It’s about the way industrial companies manufacture their products, develop related services, collaborate with their partners, and cater to their customers. In fact, it’s an Industrial Revolution – Industry 4.0 – in which the next stages of digitalization are implemented: visibility, transparency, predictability, and adaptability. It’s crucial to guide employees through this massive change successfully.
FEST
Twente colours the future
Renewable energy is the future – for industries, the environment, and society as a whole. Therefore, the Fraunhofer Expertise Student Team (FEST) joined forces with renewable energy experts to reduce the ecological footprint in the region of Twente.