20th International Forgemasters Meeting - IFM 2017

The trend of Industry 4.0 shows itself as the collaboration of multidisciplinary technologies to increase efficiency and effectiveness. The cooperative use of measuring, big-data handling, modelling and controlling technologies in a production plant is usually not trivial and requires specific approaches and adaptations. This paper presents a conceptual basis concerning the comprehensive value-creation-chain of forging processes. The considered process extends from the production of raw material to the quality control after the heat treatment. The control of the process is achieved by a control-logic working on the process, workpiece and the product data. The general concept for regulation based on control-variables requires direct and/or indirect monitoring of process data and product properties including failures when possible. In this context, an inline-control is possible if and only if the workpieces are traced throughout the whole process.