Launched in July 2010, the EU-funded DEMAT project defines its main objective as to dematerialise the machine tools and manufacturing systems that are designed and produced in Europe.
Today, European machine builders, the vast majority of them SMEs, sell high performance and productive, but heavy and long-delivery-time machines. The heavy material structure of the machine, coupled with heavy duties assigned to it, is often a source of high energy consumption.
Sounds like Sci-Fi to me Dematerialised machine tools developed within the DEMAT project will consist of ultra-light, adaptive and 100% reusable and recyclable skeletal structures. Whilst the material content of machines is drastically reduced, the replacement of this material content with knowledge-based tools and technologies will enable manufacturers to fulfill requirements for machining precision and productivity.
Low material – high knowledge DEMAT project focuses especially on machine tool level, but also aims to connect these machines with low material and high knowledge content to a collaborative working environment supported by intelligent decision-making tools at system level. This will allow suppliers of machine tools to transform themselves into providers of manufacturing solutions of minimum material content. The project Coordinator, Ph.D. Juanjo Zulaika Muniain, from Tecnalia, states: “At the machine level, this means transforming the structural elements of machines into a combination of extremely light-weighted and modular skeletal structures. At the manufacturing systems level, we are developing tools to make it possible to reconfigure and optimise the plant layout, and to enable making effective decisions in this respect.”
Is it real and for soon? The DEMAT project offers “a new way to design, build, use and sell machine tools”. Do not miss the mini conference on Dematerialized Manufacturing systems
- Friday, March 2nd, 2012 - From 15:00 to 15:45
- METAV, CECIMO booth at Hall 16, F42
The future has started… Stay tuned Pierre-Yves Kohler
