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MxD Factory Floor

A collaborative space where members and partners demonstrate the future of manufacturing

Digital Twin Testbed for Process Manufacturing

Putting the Tools of Tomorrow into Manufacturers’ Hands Today

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Assembly Line Testbed

Using Digital Technology to Improve Manual Assembly Processes

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MxD Cyber Wall

With Real Attack Examples, Manufacturers Learn How to Identify Cybersecurity Threats and Protect OT

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MxD Sensor Kit

Connecting analog and digital sensors to read data from legacy equipment

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Lungs-in-the-Loop

Showing How Digital Twin Technology Can Accelerate Medical Device Manufacturing Advances

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Dow & Siemens in collaboration with MxD

Digital Twin Testbed for Process Manufacturing

Putting the Tools of Tomorrow into Manufacturers’ Hands Today

MxD’s Digital Twin Testbed for Process Manufacturing teaches manufacturers how to implement advanced technologies in their own operations.

To create the testbed, MxD partnered with Dow and Siemens, who said at the project’s 2021 launch that it allows companies to see how to design, monitor, and maintain their products more effectively, efficiently and, even remotely, using data and digital tools.

Key to the testbed is a digital twin, a virtual replica of a physical asset, process, or system that enables simulation and detailed analysis. MxD’s testbed integrates a digital twin with other cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), and mobile worker tools to demonstrate how they can be combined with hardware to enhance process manufacturing (where many methods and workflows have remained relatively untouched for decades).

Through hands-on demonstrations, manufacturers see how digital twins can improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and enable remote operations.

In addition to developing a framework for gathering and analyzing essential data from a process manufacturing line, the testbed team created a proof-of-concept “mobile worker” solution. It shows how operators can receive tasks on a mobile device, access data needed to perform the task in the field, and update and share information immediately.

To demonstrate this, AR glasses and an industrial-grade tablet are paired with two-way video call software to display what a worker at a remote location needs to see.

The call software uses a QR code linked to the IP address of the remote device. The glasses scan the QR code to process the IP address and initiate the call software. The call information can then be displayed on the tablet or on a monitor, delivering work instructions, diagrams, or other information to a worker wearing the glasses.

AR glasses could be utilized for remote repair and safety work. For example, a supervisor could direct a maintenance worker at a job site, enabling that worker to repair a machine. Mobile worker tools can also improve safety by, for example, restricting the number of people sent into a physically challenging environment, such as a chemical plant.

The testbed serves as a dynamic lab, allowing manufacturers to experiment with the tools essential to the industry’s digital transformation.

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Read an In-Depth Report on the Testbed
Read Project Details

Assembly Line Testbed

Using Digital Technology to Improve Manual Assembly Processes

MxD’s Assembly Line Testbed demonstrates ways digital technology can enhance a manual assembly processes that are an essential part of many manufacturing operations.

With a range of digital technology use cases, the Assembly Line Testbed illustrates how to seamlessly integrate technology with the people working on the line, helping them to do their jobs safely and more effectively.

“One of the misconceptions of digital manufacturing is that automation is required,” said Tony Del Sesto, MxD Tech Fellow. “That is certainly not the case. Digital manufacturing and automation are not the same thing. There are many circumstances, either technical or financial in nature, where automation is simply not a good fit.”

“Rather than trying to replace operators with expensive and inflexible automation,” he added, “these technologies are used to help operators be more adaptive, safe, and efficient, while maintaining flexibility.”

The line has many types of equipment, and as it has done with other testbeds, MxD maintains a high degree of flexibility on the testbed so that the work can apply to manufacturers of various sizes and industries.

Stations on the line include an augmented reality (AR) system for training and data analytics. Purpose-built fixtures, presses, soldering irons, and parts bins typical of any factory assembly line are also featured. The line, modeled on a typical U.S. factory assembly line, demonstrates use cases ranging from line balancing to materials management.

Key to the testbed’s impact is the way it illustrates how data can solve manual process challenges.

It demonstrates, for instance, how a bill of process can be transformed into a digital solution that eliminates paper and allows for automatic process revisions. It also shows how data can be used to get to root causes and validate corrective actions with limited human intervention.

In one example, there’s a backlog of material at the soldering station. In many such situations, it would be easy for a supervisor to blame the jam on the operator (who in this case is hand soldering a controller board to a motor). Timing data, however, shows that the problem is not the operator. It shows that the operation where controller board wire leads are inserted into the motor is inconsistent. Further investigation leads to the discovery that the controller board lead wire length had arrived from the supplier with variations as high as 10 millimeters. With such a wide variation, it is difficult for the operator to get all of them inserted into the motor at the same time. The root cause of this problem turns out to be a material issue, not a training issue.

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Virtually Visit the Assembly Line Testbed on MxD’s Factory Floor Tour

Opscura in collaboration with MxD

MxD Cyber Wall

With Real Attack Examples, Manufacturers Learn How to Identify Cybersecurity Threats and Protect OT

As manufacturers adopt Industry 4.0 practices, operational technology (OT) becomes an increasingly tempting target for cyberattacks. The MxD Cyber Wall raises awareness about that risk, helping manufacturers quickly identify solutions.

Designed by MxD engineers, with later upgrades by MxD member Opscura, the MxD Cyber Wall demonstrates the importance of protecting OT from cyberattacks in addition to showcasing how software and hardware can combine to protect OT.

The Cyber Wall references the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), homing in on the first two segments: “Identify” and “Protect.”

To demonstrate “Protect,” the MxD Cyber Wall uses two identical industrial control systems. Each control system is made up of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and is attached to a unique network, made up of PCs, routers, switches, and firewalls. One system is protected; the other is not.

One demonstration centers on allowlisting, which blocks unknown software. To illustrate this, a USB drive is loaded with a malicious executable file. When the USB drive is plugged into a PC on the protected side of the wall, the allowlisting software does not recognize the executable and blocks it. On the unprotected side of the MxD Cyber Wall, the executable is able to start its malicious activity.

A second demonstration is on a “machine-in-the-middle attack,” which is when hackers position themselves on a network between a user and a machine to intercept data in transit with the intent to steal information or access and alter machine commands. On the unprotected side of the MxD Cyber Wall, there are no cybersecurity solutions in place to restrict an external bad actor from accessing any device on the network. A bad actor with network access can freely monitor and steal user information, access OT controls, and even shut down or damage production machinery. Utilizing pneumatic pistons and a human-machine interface (HMI) screen, the demonstration shows how the presence of a bad actor on the network can affect manufacturers’ ability to make products safely and effectively. The protected side is contained within its own segmented network with access controlled via a firewall, software tools, and network tunneling hardware — effectively blocking the hack and keeping the manufacturing processes running smoothly despite a bad actor’s attempt to access the OT equipment.

A third demonstration on the MxD Cyber Wall showcases the importance of protecting legacy equipment in smaller production and machining environments. A legacy CNC’s controller is replicated onto a PC. A simple “drag-and-drop” file sharing system is on a second PC to represent a designer or engineer dropping an image file onto a CNC’s hard drive. A protective network tunneling device is set up between the two PCs, ensuring that an unauthorized computer on the network cannot send a corrupt file to the CNC. If that protection is missing, as demonstrated by an operator shutting off the protective hardware, a bad actor might be able to get onto the CNC’s hard drive, potentially halting the equipment’s ability to produce or operate safely and effectively. This further showcases how having a diverse set of cybersecurity options for OT can protect even legacy equipment within a manufacturer’s network.

The consequences of an attack targeting OT systems can be severe. Disruptions to manufacturing processes can halt production lines, damage equipment, and put a company out of business. The MxD Cyber Wall helps manufacturers quickly grasp ways to prevent that from happening.

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Virtually Visit the MxD Cyber Wall on MxD’s Factory Floor Tour Any Time
Read About NIST’s Cybersecurity Framework

MxD Sensor Kit

The MxD Sensor Kit allows manufacturers to go digital in an easy, quick, and low‑cost way

Digitalization is one of the greatest challenges facing small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs). Recognizing this, MxD created the MxD Sensor Kit.
Connecting analog and digital sensors to read data from legacy equipment, the MxD Sensor Kit allows manufacturers to go digital in an easy, quick, and low-cost way.

“Manufacturers can use the MxD Sensor Kit to monitor a machine and its health, or actually monitor the manufacturing process itself and how a product is being made, to make sure they’re getting the best quality they can out of their processes,” said Eric Kozikowski, MxD Lead Systems Integration Engineer.

Ergoseal in Carol Stream, Illinois, is among the SMMs relying on the MxD Sensor Kit, including for monitoring a pump life cycle.

“We’re finding the MxD Sensor Kits are very simple to use, very reliable,” said Egroseal COO Christine Verni. “It’s great because we’re able to set it and forget it.”

The compact device, with a stack-light, can connect up to four analog and four digital sensors. Most digital solutions are bespoke, meaning they are designed for only one type of data or use case. But the MxD Sensor Kit allows for a variety of digital and analog sensors to be used. It also lets users set parameters on what levels are acceptable vs. those that require attention from the operators.

During development of the MxD Sensor Kit, MxD engineers engaged a variety of SMMs to find appropriate use cases that would deliver value with the least disruption of ongoing processes.

In addition to Ergoseal, SMMs are using it in a variety of ways. At Kent Displays in Kent, Ohio, the MxD Sensor Kit measures the temperature and humidity of a clean room. The device is able to tell Kent Displays if their parameters are being met for humidity and temperature.

At MK Morse in Canton, Ohio, the MxD Sensor Kit is measuring the vibration of a bandsaw and correlating that to tool life. And in Williamsport, Indiana, Coffing CNC is monitoring a legacy CNC machine’s coolant levels to alert operators when it’s time to refill the tanks. When something goes wrong, a stack light or a notification alerts the Coffing team.

The MxD Sensor Kit also has applications in the organic industrial base (OIB) for data collection on legacy equipment that is often prohibitively expensive to replace.

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Read more about the MxD Sensor Kit
Learn more about Kent Displays and Its Work With MxD

Siemens in collaboration with MxD

Lungs-in-the-Loop

Showing how digital twin technology can accelerate medical device advances

Ventilators were in short supply at the start of the pandemic, forcing hospitals to put two patients on one device. How could that be done safely? With funding from the U.S. Department of Defense via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, MxD and Siemens teamed up to find out — and to boost U.S. manufacturing’s COVID-19 response.

MxD and Siemens’ Rapid and Secure Deployment of Medical Devices and Instrumentation system (also known as “Lungs-in-the-Loop”) combines a physical testbed and a simulation model. Internet of things (IoT) sensor integration and digital twin technology deliver real-time insights on how a single ventilator can be safely used by two patients, which is not something ventilators were designed to do, said Daniel Reed, MxD’s Manager of Technical Programs during this project.

A single ventilator that works for two people could be designed. But the medical device industry’s stringent approval and validation process means that could take years. Lungs-in-the-Loop, Reed said, demonstrates how digital technologies, such as digital twins, could be used to accelerate the process — something crucial in emergency situations such as a pandemic.
“Lungs-in-the-Loop,” said Reed, “is something we can use to teach people how to make their life-saving devices better, more intelligent, and able to change or adapt to circumstances that they didn’t predict when they first were designing it,” he said.

Lungs-in-the-Loop demonstrates:

  1. What you can do with a digital twin that you can’t do any other way. “In particular,” Reed said, “it’s about being able to pull together a very agile simulation along with information from the real world.” The Lungs-in-the-Loop digital twin, for instance, provides warnings about patient health issues that go beyond what a ventilator’s built-in safety systems can monitor.
  2. How to use edge computing to improve patient privacy and security in a connected-care setting. In this case, an edge device is receiving the data from the patient, and only the analytics — not the patient data— go up to the cloud.

“Using digital tools as is done in Lungs-in-the-Loop, you can simulate what’s going to happen with a pretty high degree of confidence and watch what’s happening,” Reed said. “By monitoring, you can see if you can safely use the equipment for something it wasn’t designed to do.”

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MxD and Siemens Lungs-in-the-Loop video
Engineer Innovation Podcast: Breathing Life into the Digital Twin
Interview - Breathing life into the digital twin.
Siemens case study
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