Manufacturing
What is Manufacturing and Why it is important?
The production phase involves physically creating or assembling a product based on design specifications, encompassing tasks like material sourcing, machining, assembly, quality control, and packaging. This stage is a key driver of resource consumption, and optimizing manufacturing processes for resource efficiency can reduce demand for raw materials, energy, and water, promoting environmental conservation.
Implementing circular practices during manufacturing can significantly cut waste, conserve resources, and minimize environmental impact. Additionally, this phase is a hub of innovation, where Industry 4.0 technologies like automation, IoT, and data analytics can be employed. These technologies facilitate streamlined operations, real-time monitoring, and agile responses to market dynamics, ultimately enhancing efficiency and competitiveness
Industry 4.0 technologies applied in the Manufacturing phase

System Integration
System integration within the manufacturing phase plays a pivotal role in optimizing production processes. It fosters seamless coordination between different components and equipment, facilitating the smooth flow of data and information. By doing so, it enhances efficiency, minimizes downtime, and ultimately improves overall productivity in manufacturing operations.

Robotics
Robotic technology in remanufacturing offers benefits like improved process repeatability and precision, leading to increased productivity by taking over costly tasks. Moreover, it enhances process efficiency by handling tasks unsuitable for manual labor, such as heavy lifting and chemical cleaning.

Simulation
Digital twin and simulation in manufacturing utilize virtual models for precise control of production processes, including production simulation, digital production lines, and equipment monitoring. This approach boosts efficiency and productivity while offering sustainability benefits through virtual adjustments before physical production.

Additive manufacturing
It offers significant advantages in terms of material efficiency and waste reduction, especially when compared to subtractive methods. It enables the production of end-use components, often using powder materials that minimize waste. Additionally, it allows for on-demand, in-house production, reducing the need for large component inventories.

Augmented and virtual reality
AR enables remote assistance with visual instructions during manufacturing, eliminating the need for on-site technicians. By using a camera to connect remotely, technicians can provide guidance, improving efficiency and problem-solving. This technology enhances worker productivity and troubleshooting capabilities.
Manufacturing Examples
Nagami Studio, a pioneer in innovative design, leverages artificial intelligence, 3D printing, robotics, and augmented/virtual reality.
Sometimes when developing new furniture products, a certification and validation is needed before selling it to customers. This validation is made nowadays through physical prototypes, that are tested in testing laboratories, according to different testing standards, depending on the final use of the product. In many cases, and at this point of the development of the product, very serious delays can be produced before commercialization, since several tests may fail, and some redesigns may occur consequently.
An exemplary creation is Mawj, a chair showcasing the possibilities of 3D robotic printing in custom furniture. Crafted with advanced polymer plastics, Mawj is meticulously designed for comfort, structural stability, and ergonomics, representing a prototype developed using highly advanced design and production methods. It’s a composition of lines traversing space, forming the layers to be followed by 3D printing in a single continuous volume. These lines create sinuous curves while wrapping around the form. In each new layer, the curve inverts with a negative value, generating a wave-like pattern that emerges with larger waves on the surface. This pattern not only enhances structural rigidity but also contributes to a unique aesthetic that naturally arises from the parametric design of the chair.
Sustainability benefits:
- The chair is crafted using advanced polymer plastics through 3D robotic printing. This method allows for precise material usage, minimizing waste and contributing to overall material efficiency.
- The meticulous design for comfort, structural stability, and ergonomics, along with the use of advanced materials, suggests a focus on creating a durable product. Long-lasting furniture reduces the need for frequent replacements, lowering the overall demand for resources and energy associated with manufacturing.


Compared to other sectors, the integration of robotics in textiles lags behind. This is partly due to the challenges in handling flexible materials. For a robot, handling solid materials such as wood or steel is standard. However, textile materials pose a unique challenge in robotics, although nothing is impossible.
The greatest challenge in robotics within the textile industry is the fineness and separation of fabric layers, considering the many variations that exist. As a result, different gripper technologies are required for robots, which must be adapted based on the material’s fineness. For thin fabrics, a roller gripper can be utilized. Rubber parallel grippers are also suitable for special fabrics. Small robots, usually handling payloads under ten kilograms, are employed for carrying tasks. These robots operate in minimal spaces and, thanks to their robust construction, they achieve maximum repeat accuracy and continuous precision at high speeds, ensuring high production quality. Robots utilize internal media sources for air, electricity, and data. Textile companies are offered and developed robots by firms such as Kuka.
More info: https://www.kuka.com/
The entire group of robots in a factory is managed by a central IoT platform, which collects and displays data from all in-house robots transparently and clearly. Access is available from anywhere, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Key features of this platform include device management, preventive maintenance, fault detection, and alert notifications. Reports are visualized to aid in the easy interpretation of data and effective error resolution. This approach minimizes downtime and maximizes operational uptime.
Sustainability benefits:
- High reliability, consistent quality and safety.
- Reduced material and energy costs.

Robotic arm and control device
