ABB is writing the future of digital industries at Hannover Messe

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2019-04-01 15:39:00

From building the factory of the future to creating the winning formula for e-mobility, ABB will showcase how increasingly smart digital technologies are coming together to transform the way we power, produce, work, live and move.

• Factory of the future demonstrates how ABB is making mass customization a reality today.
• Innovative ABB Ability™ digital solutions improve productivity across industries.
• First solution of Dassault Systèmes partnership on show, including advanced digital twin technology.

At this year’s Hannover Messe, ABB will provide a glimpse into the groundbreaking collaboration and digitalization technologies that are at the heart of its transformation as a leader focused in digital industries. The new ABB is streamlined into four entrepreneurial businesses offering innovative solutions in Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation. Each business is a leader in its market and will offer a single interface to customers, maximizing proximity and speed.

This year, Sweden takes center stage as the Hannover Messe 2019 partner country. With its Swedish heritage dating back to 1883, ABB is proud to present its world leading smart industry solutions at its own booth as well as at the Swedish Pavilion, which showcases Sweden as a greenhouse for co-creation and innovation. A proof point of ABB’s innovation strength is the first emission-free shuttle service, which will be jointly operated with Volvo to smoothly drive visitors around the exhibition space.

Today, thousands of customers across the globe are channeling ABB’s expertise in digital industrial technology to achieve new levels of flexibility, efficiency and performance that are at the core of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These groundbreaking technologies are on display at the Hannover Messe in Germany this year and include a factory of the future which is ABB’s answer to the trend of mass customization that is sweeping over the industrial world.

The factory on display features a model production line assembling wristwatches in lot sizes of one, in real time. Such agility is essential as it enables manufacturers to bring tailor-made products and solutions to the market quickly. An array of ABB’s flexible and efficient digital manufacturing products makes this possible: YuMi® collaborative robots offer unmatched precision in assembly operations, while the SuperTrak flexible transport system orchestrates the timely movement of parts from one station to another.

ABB Ability™, the common digital platform offering tailored solutions across ABB businesses, will be highlighted at Hannover. ABB Ability™ harnesses the powers of network connectivity and data analytics to unlock greater value for customers. ABB Ability™ Connected Services - one of ABB’s more than 210 digitally enabled solutions – is a device health and performance monitoring system that increases customer productivity by ensuring proactive maintenance, faster response and recovery time. In the future, ABB Ability™ will build on autonomous technologies and artificial intelligence to help industrial systems adapt and learn in complex, data-rich environments.

Industry consumes more than 40 percent of the electricity produced. Today, one third of the world's electricity is converted by motors into motion. There is huge potential to save energy by using state-of-the-art motion technology. In this context ABB recently released its new ABB Ability™ Smart Sensor for mounted bearings, as part of the ABB Ability™ Smart Sensor suite of products that will be showcased in Hannover. The new smart sensor makes it possible to perform a “health check” on bearings by simply attaching the sensor to the bearing.

Partnering with industry leading companies is a crucial element of ABB’s strategy. The first joint solution of ABB’s landmark global partnership with France’s Dassault Systèmes will be showcased at Hannover Messe this year. The partnership, announced in February, combines the power of ABB Ability™ and Dassault Systèmes' collaborative 3DEXPERIENCE® platform to offer an end-to-end digital portfolio. This includes an advanced digital twin technology service where customers can test their operations and ABB solutions through virtual representations of factory models and product lines. The partnership completes a list of successful strategic alliances ABB already has in the digital space with IBM, HPE and Microsoft.

The benefits of ABB Ability™ extend to the transport sector where fast-charging solutions for electric buses, trains, ships and trucks are paving the way to sustainable mobility. The Terra High Power electric vehicle charger displayed at Hannover Messe can add 200 km of range to an electric car in just eight minutes. More than 10,500 ABB fast charging stations sold in 73 countries come equipped with ABB Ability™ services to monitor connectivity, ensure high network uptime and availability. ABB is showcasing for the first time a new compact 24kW DC fast charger which is ideal for installation at offices, dealerships and public parking places and uses ABB Ability™ Connected Services to integrate with payment platforms.

ABB, which has been participating at the Hannover Messe for 70 years, has been shortlisted as one of the three nominees for the coveted Hermes Award which recognizes excellence in industrial technology. The prize, which will be awarded during the opening ceremony of Hannover Messe on March 31, recognizes outstanding products, innovations and solutions that are being displayed for the first time at the fair.

Product innovations and highlights:

• Factory of the future (robot cell with B&R components)
• ABB Ability™ Connected Atomizer
• Expanded charging portfolio: DC wallbox and Terra 54 DC fast charger
• Solid state circuit breaker
• Expanded eco-efficient MV switchgear portfolio
• Non-invasive temperature sensor (NiTemp, Hermes Award nominee)
• First commercial Modular Automation solution based on Plug & Produce
• ABB Ability™ Condition Monitoring for Digital Powertrain including the ABB Ability™ Smart Sensor for bearings
• Food safe solutions for F&B industry
• SF6-free 145 kV Live Tank Breaker
• Digital Generator Circuit Breaker

As of April 1, 2019, detailed information about each of those innovations can be found at https://social.abb/en-hm19-presskit

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