Z-Fact0r mapped on Significant innovations and lessons learned, training aspects

Twenty-six results were identified in total and their beneficiaries hold exclusively the ownership rights, with the exemption of a single shared result. All these results add up to the integrated Z-Fact0r solution which demonstrates certain innovative and unique features. As a matter of fact, Z-Fact0r is a holistic & innovative ZDM solution which increases overall quality & customer satisfaction by reducing production costs, energy & material consumption, while utilizing almost all the state-of-the art techniques for implementing ZDM. Zero-Defect Manufacturing is currently the new trend in multi-line manufacturing, and therefore companies offering solutions similar to the Z-Fact0r emerge. However, at the moment, there are very few (if any) platforms -such as the Z-Fact0r- available in the market, offering such integrated quality control for the industry.

Eleven results were developed by SMEs in total and their beneficiaries hold exclusively the ownership rights. All SMEs conducted a patent search in order to investigated whether the future exploitation of their results could be at risk due to competition in the respective fields of activity. The technical partners reported that they do not recognize in the market any already patented solutions that could impede the commercialization of their components. The reason for that is that the components which are similar to their innovations and are either commercialized, patented or published, have different focus areas and different target markets. This finding is very important for the SMEs as it signifies that they could bring their Z-Fact0r results up to TRL9 and put them in the market, thus, fostering their financial stance and increasing their in-house know-how and expertise.

Concerning Microsemi use case: Firstly, the knowledge and physical equipment already in place will have a lasting legacy within the MICROSEMI facility at Caldicot. This understanding and equipment will continue to be used on the original use case and expanded upon as explained in the next section.

There was a large lack of understanding at the beginning of this project about what could be achieved by the type of approach being undertaken within the project and whether it could produce results in a manufacturing environment. Now we have an answer, and the Z-Fact0r approach has been a great success.

NECO, as end user, has contributed to the estimation of the benefits Z-Fact0r platform would provide to the manufacturers. In the NECO case:

• the direct losses for defective product manufacturing at the special flute grinding operation are between 10.000 and 12.000 €/year
• considering a 25% scrap reduction at this very same operation (technical KPI set for Z-Fact0r, and objectively achievable), some 2.500-3.000€ would be saved yearly in the particular WALTER pilot grinding machine
• inferring the same defective quantity reduction for all CNC machines due to the implementation of the Z-Fact0r solution, we might be talking about 15.000-20.000€ saved every year (this should be the final estimated figure window for the full implementation of Z-Fact0r at NECO facilities).

For bringing the Z-Fact0r solution to TRL 9, NECO would definitely support the Consortium intention of trying to find other funding opportunities for the future, especially in the form of other calls from the European Commission.

For manufacturing of metallic parts with less stringent dimensional requirements, the 3D scanning equipment is a fundamental part of the solution, especially if there are many parts being produced daily with the same geometry. This would allow for an automated inspection to be put in place and, if the production rate is too high, a significative number of samples could still be controlled and used for the PREDICT and PREVENT modules to be used. Of course, sensors in the machines need to be installed for enough data to be available in the machine learning processes. Then, the results could be applied not only to the samples but to all parts being produced. For products with larger added value, the robot deburring is a compulsory tool to use, as it eliminates the need of human intervention in rather sensitive tasks as are the elimination of defects originating in the production line.