Developing an engineering tool for Cyber-Physical Production Systems

Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) form the basis of the next industrial revolution. However, many manufacturing companies are reluctant to adopt this disruptive technology due to a lack of know-how and a high project risk. In this paper, we present the development of a design tool that addresses common challenges of CPPS engineering, including the complexity of CPPS and the collaborative, multidisciplinary nature of the engineering process. The tool is based on the combination of existing and emerging reference models, standards and methods from software engineering, production automation and Industry 4.0, embedded in a new model of collaborative engineering for CPPS. The paper describes the foundational concepts of the tool, highlights its innovations, and reports some of the insights gained during its development and its usage in an industrial scenario.