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Industry 4.0, as a high-tech strategic plan, refers to make use of Cyber-Physical System (CPS), to digitize and intelligentize the supply, manufacturing, and sales information in production, and finally achieve fast, effective, and personalized product supply. The transformation from centralized control to decentralized enhanced control will eventually establish a highly flexible production model of personalized and digital products and services.  However, after the actual production process is coordinated with various business management systems, the future manufacturing system will become more complex. The research and development, quality control, and failure analysis, etc. of the system will become more important for the operation of the entire Internet of things (IoT) system.

In the Industry 4.0, field operators input different customized requirements into each product chip.  Then online production machinery read relevant data through induction device.  According to the pre-designed program, the production line is automatically adjusted to the manufacturing process of the product.  In this way, the problem between “mass production” and “customization” has been greatly resolved. Under current fierce market, the multi-variety mixed-flow production model has become a norm of many enterprises.

BASF Corporation has a history of 150 years. Its products include chemicals, plastic products, oil and gas etc.  In recent years, BASF has collaborated with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence to design consumer-oriented IoT systems. BASF’s smart factory in Kaiserslautern is the R & D base of the group’s customized production line. Although there is only one production line, it can produce ever-changing shampoos and shower gels, which can be completely customized.  The IoT system helps in transforming mass production into mixed-line production, and each production link incorporates variety of analysis technologies.  ULVAC-PHI's PHI5000 Versaprobe is used in the research and development, quality control and failure analysis to analyze the material composition and chemical state, which makes the operation of the entire production line faster and more efficient.

▲ULVAC-PHI XPS PHI5000 Versaprobe

▲PHI5000 Versaprobe helps in mixed-line production

As a leader in the field of surface analysis instruments, ULVAC-PHI has industry-leading surface analysis technologies and products, which can provide multi-level technical support for key links in scientific research and high-tech industries and help advance the process of Industry 4.0!

*Image and video source: BASF

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