A Cloud-Based Process Planning System in Industry 4.0 Framework

Abstract

When generating and optimizing process plans nowadays, new concepts and models which consider dynamic harmonization of all participants, systems and people involved in planning stages are applied. A number of systems and environments for distributed process planning that utilize various techniques of intelligent planning and collaborative technologies have been developed in the recent period. Today, a growing number of manufacturing companies adopt the principles of smart factory, also known as the Industry 4.0 concept with the focus on the effective integration of knowledge sources with a production process. This integration uses cloud manufacturing principles whose integral part is the cloud-based process planning. This paper will present such a system that utilizes cloud technology and services for defining process plans as well as expert heuristic knowledge for optimizing process plans and selecting the best solutions.