Digital Factory 4.0 – 2017 Edition

At MECSPE the Digital factory 4.0 for Italian SMEs

A forerunner of technological trends, since the last three editions the MECSPE event has been centred on the theme of the “Digital Factory 4.0″, with an informative approach, which, at the same, is also practical and pragmatic.

The state of the art and integration of enabling technologies were addressed with regard to the national manufacturing sector, focusing on issues that represented the natural evolution of the new “Made in Italy manufacturing”: efficiency, accuracy and connectivity.

In 2017, however, MECSPE dedicated an entire pavilion (PAV.4) to the 4.0 themes, through the following initiatives:

  • CONNECTED MANUFACTURING PROCESS
  • MOTORSPORT
  • COLLABORATIVE ROBOTICS AND & LOGISTICS 4.0
  • REVERSE ENGINEERING & ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
  • NANOTECHNOLOGIES AND NEW MATERIALS SQUARE

Partners of the area

MECSPE TECHNOLOGICAL CAFE

At Mecspe your fresh-squeezed orange juice will be prepared by KUKA’s collaborative robot.

It turns on the orange juicing machine, assesses whether the jug is full or empty, adds whatever is needed. When the juice is ready the robot pours it into a glass, places it on a tray and politely serves it to the guests.

What if there is no glass? The robot detects this and waits for the glass to arrive. What if the guest has finished his/her juice? Slight pressure on the tray tells the robot to take the glass away and move into position to prepare the next one.

This is not something of the remote future, rather, this is now, the current reality of collaborative robots, developed to work alongside or even together with humans in perfect man-machine integration. All it takes is slight pressure, a friendly gesture, to tell the robot what direction to move in, whether to slow down, how far to turn, to move in completion of and to support human activity, in complete safety.

The development of innovative ergonomics, designed especially for this type of robot, namely collaborative, ensures that any movement or interaction with the human operator prevents the crushing of hands or limbs, all to the benefit of usability, interaction and, naturally, work safety.