German SME association Industry Business Network 4.0 e.V. (IBN 4.0) is collaborating with a number of companies on the open source project IndustryFusion . As a manufacturer-independent concept for the smart factory, the software showcased at an IBN 4.0 community event will in future network assets, factories, and cloud platforms, without being tied to the proprietary solutions of specific machine manufacturers or platforms.

During a live demo, the project partners showed that the basic functions are already usable. In the domain of machine monitoring, the audience was able to follow the demo of the laser cutting of a component to see how much power a filter system consumes during the cutting process and how much time it takes to execute the task, and, at the same time, check the pressure applied to the central gas system. Given the increasing prominence of the open source approach and the scalability of the solution, the development cooperative hopes this will make it easier for SMEs in particular to enter the digitalization market.