New Insights in Mechatronics and Systems Design for Industry 4.0

Dear Colleagues,

Mechatronics applications are typically used in multidomain systems to integrate mechanical, electronic, and controls subsystems into a single complex system. As such, they often form the underpinning asset that enables product–service systems (PSS) and systems-of-systems. Within this context, digitalization creates opportunities and challenges for developing new value propositions based on mechatronics applications. Industry 4.0 allows us to develop systems-of-systems that promise increased value creation. However, they also provide challenges due to the integration of new disciplines into the existing worlds of mechatronics and systems engineering.

In the past much of the focus has been on greenfield applications, in which the design and integration of such systems remain complex. In brownfield situations, where there is a mixture of equipment vintages in operation, this becomes increasingly challenging, especially as equipment manufacturers move towards being service providers of PSS and assuming these PSS’ are being consumed as contractual functions. The system context here is essential, as it provides insight into value creation from the system and opportunities for product development and system reconfiguration, with, for example, circularity and sustainability goals in focus, e.g., integrating new equipment within an operational system where there is an Industry 4.0 system tying them together. The integration of industry 4.0 or digital technologies allows us to move from a traditional B2B environment to one that has broader system boundaries and becomes more of a B2B2C environment.

Systems Engineering is concerned with integrating discrete systems that, from a technical perspective, can be considered holistically as an entire system. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is defined as a “systematic, controlled concept for managing and developing assets and product-related information”. There is also a tendency to focus on the engineering change management and design version control. Beyond this, the focus is typically on lifecycle costing. A sustainability-focused, lifecycle costing model at a system level that considers the different phases of an asset’s life (e.g., beginning of life, middle of life, and end of life) can be regarded as complementary to these more traditional approaches. The operational phase can be subdivided into more discrete activities: operation, planned, and routine maintenance; breakdown and repair, and asset renewal. The importance of lifecycles for identifying value-driven service opportunities across different phases of industrial assets’ life is vital within the context of PSS.

Limited research has been conducted into the impact of the Industry 4.0 technologies when integrated with traditional mechatronic equipment. However, much has been written regarding the challenges associated with digitalization and how to innovate digitally-enabled solutions or Smart Products. Some work has been undertaken on the conflicting asset lifespans of system components; for example, some standard components within a system may remain operational for decades (with ongoing maintenance and repair). This contrasts with some of the digital components, which have lifespans of only a few years.

For this Special Issue, the editors are seeking papers that address these and other associated topics:

• Industry 4.0 upgrades during the equipment’s middle of life.
• The interplay between the traditional PLC and SCADA systems with industry 4.0 technologies.
• The aspects of different lifespans for different subsystem types.
• The human interactions between the digitally enabled system-of-systems that have changed due to the integration of Industry 4.0.
• Challenges to the perdue model with alternative Industry 4.0 solutions.
• Innovation processes that address the complex system-of-system that industry 4.0 brings to a traditional mechatronics-based system.
• The design of industry 4.0 systems.
• The design of upgraded Industry 4.0-based systems.
• The impact of latency on system design.
• The application of digital twins and digital threads.
• Adaption to traditional maintenance approaches due to the integration of industry 4.0 technologies.
• Adoption of new asset management approach because of the Industry 4.0.
• The integration of operational support systems.
• The integration of lean and other operations management approaches within the Industry 4.0 paradigm.
• Business and technical decision making within the Industry 4.0-enabled mechatronic systems.
• PLM and asset management concepts for the Industry 4.0-enabled mechatronic systems.
• Integration of old mechatronic stand-alone systems within larger digitally connected systems.

Prof. Dr. Shaun West
Prof. Dr. Tobias Larsson
Dr. Christopher Ganz
Guest Editors

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