Touching the potential of 5G networks in the manufacturing field is the goal of activating the latest generation wireless network in one of the 8 Competence Centers set up by the Ministry of Economic Development for the development of Industry 4.0 plans for the benefit of Italian companies .
We are in Bologna, at BI-REX, a public-private consortium focused on Big Data born in 2018 which brings together 56 players in partnership between universities, research centers and companies of excellence, with the aim of assisting companies, in particular SMEs, in their transition to digital.
As in the centers of Turin, Milan, Pisa, Padua, Naples, Rome and Genoa, also in BI-REX the competences in the Industry 4.0 field have been shared with the aim of guiding companies and training entrepreneurs on projects of innovation. In Bologna, TIM’s 5G virtual private network will connect the technologies present in the pilot line of the competence center. The Pilot Line, in fact, is already an active reference point for companies and research centers engaged in the processes of technology transfer and digital transformation. The new wireless technology will ensure a stable connection, with low latency and bandwidth necessary for the optimal operation of the Pilot Line, which focuses on the Big Data, Additive Manufacturing, Robotics, Finishing and Metrology development areas.
The usefulness of a 5G network in realtime data exchange
Thanks to the activation of the 5G network, in the BI-REX Pilot Line it will be possible not only to have new services capable of revolutionizing company production processes, but also to interconnect and exchange large quantities of data in real time, as well as manage remotely in industrial plants efficiently, reliably and safely, thus significantly improving the entire production cycle.
The collaboration, which in addition to TIM will benefit from the involvement of other qualified partners such as JMA, Athonet, Alascom and WiLab, aims to achieve digital system integration, with particular development of new professionals expert in Data Analytics and innovative digital solutions applied to the world. of Industry 4.0.
“The enhancement of the Pilot Line with a private 5G network allows BI-REX to place itself in a state of the art as a connection center between the world of business and that of university and research – he explains Stefano Cattorini, BI-REX director -. Project capacity, adhesion of public and private partners, connection to the needs of the territory and of companies: these are the prerogatives that have already allowed BI-REX to use the entire budget co-financed with the MiSe in a very short time for the realization of projects of innovation 4.0 to the benefit of the country system. The Center therefore confirms itself as the essential tool for effectively providing companies with the new resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Also for this reason, BI-REX proposes the entry of new private partners into the consortium in order to integrate and consolidate the resources within the reach of the new co-financing in support of the country’s competitiveness “.
Active projects for the safety of mobile workers
In the Pilot Line, BI-REX also makes available a professional push-to-talk communication platform to ensure greater safety for mobile workers. The platform allows you to geolocate and follow the worker, guaranteeing adequate protection even when alone, thanks to the activation of the “man down” function (mandown), which by detecting any irregularities in the worker’s posture, enables immediate on-site supervision . The new 5G network, integrated with the Augmented and Virtual Reality solutions already present on the Pilot Line, will soon enable timely maintenance activities and with remote technical assistance, thanks to the constant monitoring of the operation and alarm indicators of the connected systems, thus minimizing any shutdown times and costs.
The integration of the 5G network has also been envisaged in the collaborative mobile robotics system, set up by BI-REX in the Pilot Line and used for assembly, machine tending and logistics tasks involving AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) robots for transport. of materials, robotic arms for mechanical operations and a collaborative robot (MOBOT AL 10) equipped with a camera. In this way, thanks to artificial intelligence algorithms, production processes can be automated and the quality control of the final product enabled.
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The role of the BI-REX competence center in updating skills
Furthermore, the BI-REX Competence Center continues and increases the activities related to the training area, confirming the importance of updating the skills of the company resources involved in the change. In addition to the didactic offer already provided by BI-REX, both in presence on the Pilot Line and remotely, there is the online training on technologies for Industry 4.0 of TIM’s Corporate Academy, as part of a partnership with great added value. From Big Data to Artificial Intelligence, from IoT to 5G connectivity, the customized and e-learning specialized courses will support the improvement of processes, products and services, making use of skills coming from the university and entrepreneurial ecosystem of BI-REX.
“5G will generate 377,000 new jobs between 2020 and 2025, especially in the Manufacturing, Services and Retail sectors, according to reports from the European Commission; the PNRR also gives great importance to very broadband digital technologies and networks. In this context, BI-REX will be able to play a strategic role for the digitization and competitiveness of companies: our offer of industrial research and experimental development is enriched by another element – concludes Cattorini -. 5G, which for the next few years will be a strong enabler for the expansion of markets and services, favoring enormous opportunities for the development of the country “.
The Center of Competence of Bologna thus becomes a real “Innovation hub” where the most advanced technological solutions enabled by 5G are used, and in which the professionals of the digital transformation of the industrial sector are trained and worked according to the logic “Test Before Invest “: the use cases before their real deployment in the company.
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