Innovation Center for Industry 4.0: Co-innovation, data ecosystems and testbeds for digital manufacturing in Dresden
Smart Systems Hub GmbH
DresdenNew on Amplifa
About Smart Systems Hub
Smart Systems Hub GmbH is an innovation center for Industry 4.0 based in Dresden, at the heart of the microelectronics region Silicon Saxony. As part of the Digital Hub Initiative Germany, the hub connects more than 950 partners from industry, research and the start-up world to jointly develop automation and digitalization solutions. Its offering includes co-innovation formats such as exploration workshops, Thin[gk]athons, technology sprints, validation sprints and implementation sprints – from the first idea to the market-ready prototype. Technical infrastructure is provided by the Inno:Lab for Industrial AI and robotics, the mobile Manufacturing-X PopUp Testbed for data ecosystems, and a virtual data room for sovereign data exchange. Partners and customers include Endress+Hauser, SICK, SAP, ZEISS, Deutsche Telekom MMS and GlobalFoundries. The hub targets industries such as industrial automation, microelectronics, Industrial IoT, robotics, AI and energy/hydrogen technology.
- Site
- Dresden
- Processes
- Inno:Lab – experimentation field for Industrial AI, robotics and use cases, Manufacturing-X PopUp Testbed (mobile demonstration system for data ecosystems), Virtual data room (data ecosystem / Manufacturing-X), Roller pressing for forming of bipolar plates (electrolyzer, Referenzfabrik.H2), Machining (grinding, milling, drilling) with AI-supported ECC4P process monitoring, Adaptive robotics / robotic systems for production, Co-innovation formats (exploration workshop, creative session, Thin[gk]athon), Technology sprint
- Materials
- AI-supported process monitoring (Edge Cloud Continuum for Production), Manufacturing-X PopUp Testbed, Adaptive Robotics, Hydrogen systems (Referenzfabrik.H2)
- Industries
- Industry 4.0 / industrial automation, Microelectronics / semiconductors, Industrial IoT, Robotics, AI / machine learning, Manufacturing industry
- 01
Exploration workshop / problem capture
- 02
Solution conception / creative session
- 03
Thin[gk]athon – prototype development
- 04
Technology sprint – piloting
- 05
Validation sprint – real operation
- 06
Implementation sprint – productive integration
Technologies and Processes
AI-supported process monitoring (Edge Cloud Continuum for Production)
Monitoring of machining and forming processes with the smartGRIND, smartTOOL and smartNOTCH sensor systems and machine-adjacent edge data analysis.
Manufacturing-X PopUp Testbed
Mobile demonstration system that makes the benefits of a data ecosystem for industrial production environments physically tangible.
Adaptive Robotics
Robotic systems that respond flexibly to changing production conditions based on real-time data.
Hydrogen systems (Referenzfabrik.H2)
Demonstration of cost-effective production of electrolyzer stacks and self-sufficient energy systems such as the microgrid in a shipping container.
Locations
Dresden
DEMain site / innovation center (hub:station)
- Lot size
- Workshops (up to 1 day), sprints (2–3 months), projects (up to 12 months)
- Materials
- Software, edge/cloud systems, robotics, sensor technology
- Manufacturing-X PopUp Testbed (mobile)
- Inno:Lab experimentation field (Industrial AI, robotics)
- ECC4P Edge IPC
- smartGRIND / smartTOOL / smartNOTCH sensor systems
- Microgrid in a shipping container (Referenzfabrik.H2)
- HyVentus electrolyzer stack (Referenzfabrik.H2)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Inno:Lab – experimentation field for Industrial AI, robotics and use casesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing-X PopUp Testbed (mobile demonstration system for data ecosystems)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Virtual data room (data ecosystem / Manufacturing-X)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Roller pressing for forming of bipolar plates (electrolyzer, Referenzfabrik.H2)Forming | – | – | – | – | Bipolar plate material (metal, unspecified) |
| Machining (grinding, milling, drilling) with AI-supported ECC4P process monitoringMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Adaptive robotics / robotic systems for productionAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
8 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor system for grinding processes | Fraunhofer IWU smartGRIND | – | – | – | Dresden |
| Sensor system for milling and drilling processes | Fraunhofer IWU smartTOOL | – | – | – | Dresden |
| Sensor system for forming processes | Fraunhofer IWU smartNOTCH | – | – | – | Dresden |
| Edge IPC (industrial PC) for machine-adjacent data analysis | Fraunhofer IWU ECC4P Edge IPC | – | – | – | Dresden |
| Mobile PopUp testbed (Manufacturing-X demonstration system) | Smart Systems Hub Manufacturing-X PopUp Testbed | 1 | – | – | Dresden (mobile) |
| Adaptive robotics / robotic systems (industrial robots) | Fraunhofer IIS/EAS | – | – | – | Dresden |
| Electrolyzer (HyVentus stack) | Fraunhofer IWU HyVentus Elektrolyseurstack | – | – | – | Dresden (Referenzfabrik.H2) |
| – | Fraunhofer IWU Microgrid | – | – | – | Dresden (Referenzfabrik.H2) |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 2018
Michael Kaiser was appointed Managing Director of Smart Systems Hub GmbH in Dresden in November 2018; the hub is part of the Digital Hub Initiative Germany.