CoE D-1

Sub-Project D-1 "Cognition-enhanced, Self-Optimising Production Netwoks" of the Aachen Cluster of Excellence "Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries"

The Aachen Cluster of Excellence "House of Production" aims at controlling the complex interplay of heterogeneous processes in a highly dynamic environment in high-wage countries. The central hypothesis in the sub-project D-1 is that establishing mechanisms of self-optimisation leads to a quicker achievement of an optimum under changing input parameters. The Vision is to design a viable and changeable production management system to improve the dynamical adaption to optimal operating points.

Research Area D-1 "Cognition-enhanced, Self-Optimising Production Networks" of the Aachen House of Production aims at designing a viable and changeable production management system to improve the dynamical adaption to optimal operating points. This is the next logical step in the evaluation process of the corresponding Research Area of the first phase of the Aachen Cluster of Excellence. In the first phase a biologically inspired cybernetic reference-model for management of self-optimising production systems has been created and cases and prototypes for self-optimising control have been developed, which can be enhanced and integrated in phase 2.

Concrete objectives in the second funding period are: (1) Verify and validate the cybernetic reference model of self-optimising production management with consideration of human decision making and integrating the perspectives of production and quality management (2) Build test-beds for experimental research in a real production environment and develop prototypes of cybernetic solution components and (3) Establish a comprehensive demonstrator to enable future integrative research beyond the traditional boundaries of disciplines.