GOALS

The goal of the project was to create a hardware/software system for the continuous improvement of energy efficiency and optimization of productive milling processes in Industry 4.0 key.

In particular, the system will be applied to the flour production plants (semolina and flour) belonging to the Casillo Group, world leader in the sector and end user of the project.

GreenMill 4.0 aims to achieve:

• continuous energy efficiency through the reduction of energy consumption of milling plants;

• optimization of production processes by eliminating defects in real time (Zero-Defect Manufacturing);

• supply of a predictive maintenance program to the operators and realtime machine data visualization through augmented reality.

SOLUTION

GreenMill 4.0 (GM) includes specialized modules that work together:

• GM-DataCollector (GM-DC) is the Industry 4.0 data collector, based on hardware embedded and installed on the plant: the acquired data are sent to the GM-EfficiencyOptimization and GM-MaintenanceQuality modules for following analysis and evaluations.

• GM-EfficiencyOptimization (GM-EO) is the decision support software module that analyzes and processes big data coming from the field (through GM-DataCollector) and from automation and production management systems to achieve continuous energy efficiency of the plant and optimize production processes, calculating the optimal configurations of machines and processes and providing, in real time, a decision support to operators.

• GM-MaintenanceQuality (GM-MQ) is the hardware/software module developed on an embedded platform that analyzes and processes big data coming from the field (through GM-DataCollector) and from automation and production management systems to provide operators of a program of predictive maintenance, to signal any incipient failures (avoiding, therefore, the plant stops) and to minimize production defects in real time (correcting the grain mixtures to obtain flours and semolina with characteristics supplied by specifications).

GreenMill 4.0 Architecture

Augmented Reality

• GM-AdvancedDataVisualization (GM-ADV) allows the visualization of the reports processed by the GM-EfficiencyOptimization and GM-MaintenanceQuality modules on the data collected by GM-DataCollector, in order to monitor the status of the plant, the machines, and the production process directly on the plant itself. The operator can view information regarding the quality of the production in progress, reports of non-optimal configurations of machines and processes or the state of health of the machine.

RESULTS

SCIENTIFIC publications, papers and awards

GEM ICT Research & Development

GEM ICT Research and Development is an innovative SME of Gruppo Sistematica SpA specialized in the study and implementation of algorithms based on soft-computing techniques and in the development of embedded platforms.

Tera srl

Tera is a young innovative SME born from the fusion of the experience acquired, in several years of activity, by a group of engineers and managers operating in the renewable energy and electronic sector, both in industrial and R&D contexts.

Politecnico di Bari

The Polytechnic of Bari is a public university whose purpose is cultural, scientific and technological progress through the organization of scientific and technological research in the fields of Architecture and Engineering.

KEYWORDS