Factory Image: Knowledge Driven Real Data Integration in VFF

In this paper is proposed a real time data feeding through the Factory Image (FI) in order to improve process manufacturing in current industries and the design for future factories. FI allows enhanced robustness with product variability and changing production requirements supporting the data processing and simulations with real data. Data processed by the FI and the knowledge extracted will be sent to the VF Manager (VFM) by the Virtual Factory Manager Interface (VFMI). The FI plays the role of a functional software module from the point of view of VFM, integrating the Virtual Factory with the Real Factory. In order to realize this integration a VFM Connector had been developed as part of the FI. Experimental trials show how under data flow of real conditions, the FI is capable of calculates the scripts and performs data feeding to the VFM.