Intelligent manufacturing technology, based on advanced technologies such as modern sensing, network, automation, and anthropomorphic intelligence, achieves intelligent design, manufacturing processes, and manufacturing equipment through intelligent perception, human-computer interaction, decision-making, and execution technologies. It represents the deep integration of information technology, intelligent technology, and equipment manufacturing technology. Intelligent manufacturing is a major trend of deep integration between informatization and industrialization.
Intelligent manufacturing systems are human-machine integrated intelligent systems composed of intelligent machines and human experts. During the manufacturing process, they can use computers to simulate the intelligent activities of human experts in a highly flexible and relatively integrative manner, performing analysis, reasoning, judgment, conceptualization, and decision-making. This replaces or extends some of the mental labor of humans in the manufacturing environment. Simultaneously, it collects, stores, refines, shares, integrates, and develops the intelligence of human experts.
Intelligent manufacturing is a method that can make enterprises "smarter" in R&D, production, management, and service. We can understand intelligent manufacturing as an enterprise building a sophisticated "nervous system" on the basis of introducing production equipment such as CNC machine tools and robots and realizing production automation.
The intelligent "nervous system" uses management software such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) as its central nervous system, sensors, embedded chips, RFID tags, and barcodes as neurons, PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) as synapses linking these neurons, and fieldbus, industrial Ethernet, and NB-IoT communication technologies as nerve fibers. Enterprises can leverage this sophisticated "nervous system" to perceive the environment, acquire information, and transmit instructions, thereby enabling scientific decision-making, intelligent design, rational production scheduling, improved equipment utilization, monitoring equipment status, and guiding equipment operation, making automated production equipment as responsive as an extension of one's own body.
Intelligent manufacturing systems are composed of multiple technologies and systems, mainly including the following aspects:
1. Manufacturing Execution System (MES): Primarily responsible for the management and coordination of the production process, including production planning, material management, process control, and quality inspection.
2. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System: Primarily responsible for various internal management activities of an enterprise, including procurement, supply chain management, financial management, and human resource management.
3. Sensors and Control Systems: Responsible for data acquisition and control, including sensors, PLCs, SCADA systems, and other equipment.
4. Database systems: used for data storage and management, including relational databases, big data technologies, data mining, etc.
5. Artificial intelligence technology: mainly includes technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing, and image recognition, which are used for data analysis, prediction, optimization, and intelligent decision-making.
6. Industrial robots and automation systems: mainly responsible for automating the production process, including industrial robots, automated production lines, etc.
7. Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies: used to enable intelligent remote monitoring and data sharing, including technologies such as cloud computing, edge computing, and IoT.
The above are the main components of an intelligent manufacturing system. These components work together to form an intelligent, automated, digital, and networked production environment, which improves production efficiency and quality, and also reduces production costs.
