Modeling and Connecting Asset Administrative Shells for Mini Factories

The supply-chain based (SCB) concept applied to Mini Factories is a very relevant approach for current manufacturing. SBC, allows a network-like interconnectivity between assets by setting up factories inside the premises of the principal manufacturer, allowing more efficient machines utilization. The aforesaid assets need a proper representation and it is there where the core of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) comes to the rescue. According to I4.0, every asset (e.g. a machine, software, sensor or actuator, etc.), should be modeled via an Asset Administrative Shell (AAS). AAS is a knowledge structure that provides a description of the asset, its technical functionality and its relationships to other assets. It can be viewed as the as the data model from where the digital twin stems from. In this paper we extend our previously presented methodology meant for creating Asset Administrative Shells in Mini Factories with a focus on connectivity. By using our proposed methodology, Model Factory @ARTC has been able to quickly connect and integrate diverse assets into our factory of the future, demonstrating some of the enhanced capabilities of Industry 4.0.