An industrial agent-based customizable platform for I4.0 manufacturing systems

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution paradigm places value on the management of information related to the manufacturing process. Reference Architectural Model for Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0), proposed by Plattform Industrie 4.0 (I4.0), provides a starting point for the development of I4.0 systems, based on: (1) international standards organized in a cubic model; (2) a set of key concepts to define the system participants, called I4.0 components; and (3) a list of infrastructure services required to manage I4.0 components and support them in the execution of manufacturing applications. However, the terms in which RAMI 4.0 is stated are generic and neutral from a technological point of view, without actually providing support for the practical development of concrete management platforms (I4.0 Platforms). This work contributes an I4.0 platform for the manufacturing domain that offers the infrastructure services required to manage an I4.0 system. The objective is to bring Industry 4.0 closer to companies, bridging the existing gap by providing a platform aligned with RAMI 4.0 which also offers tools and resources to facilitate the development of I4.0 components. To that end, this I4.0 platform is based on industrial agents, which have an inherent ability to negotiate and cooperate with each other and address the integration of assets. The applicability of the proposed I4.0 platform is evaluated by means of a testing scenario.