Industrial Internet of Things based cycle time control of assembly lines

Dynamic cycle time setting and line balancing are the most significant problems in modular manufacturing. Industry 4.0 and IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) based production management systems connect decentralized production units and information sources to increase productivity and flexibility. We developed an IIoT based solution to ensure a real-time connection between products and assembly lines. The proposed dynamic cycle time setting algorithm takes into account the varying complexity of the product based on the real-time information provided by smart wireless sensors and an Indoor Positioning System (IPS). In this paper, we overview Industry 4.0 based assembly line management solutions, present the developed IIoT based infrastructure, and demonstrate the applicability of the proposed cycle time setting algorithm in a simulation example motivated by an industrial open station conveyor.