Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NEPTUN (New approach to innovative technologies in manufacturing)
Période du rapport: 2022-11-01 au 2025-10-31
Industrial development requires a new approach to manufacturing, backed by scientific community to develop new technologies, be innovative, more competitive, digital and decarbonized. Scientific community needs to cooperate with the industry to be on par with the latest trends and developments to educate engineers who will be ready to operate in the industry of the future, armed with relevant knowledge and skills. Also, universities, especially technical ones need to constantly increase their level of excellence to be able to keep up with the latest developments in industry. Industry needs to adjust to the rapid changes taking place in the manufacturing processes. This difficult task needs guidance from the leading academic instututions. Project context is based on GDANSK TECH strategies:
1) Introduction of mechanisms supporting the development of research activity, scientific development of academic teachers;
2) Creating favourable conditions for innovation and using innovative solutions for the development of the university and the whole region;
3) Development of cooperation with industry, other academic institutions on national and international level, to enhance the influence of the university on the development of modern, innovative manufacturing and its implementation in industry.
4) Development of research teams obtaining national and international financing in crucial areas of science and industry;
5) Supporting the organization of clusters in order to prepare ambitious projects of crucial meaning to the economy and obtain additional financing following the principles of open science;
6) Development of curricula tailored to he needs of Industry 4.0 and above, and allowing the education of engineers ready for the industry of tomorrow;
7) Enhancing competences of researchers by providing them with the opportunity of participating in important international conferences, working in advanced project teams and encouraging them to take up innovative research projects.
Objectives
1: Improvement of excellence, scientific and technological capacity of GDAŃSK TECH in modern manufacturing, through a scientific approach to the Industry 4.0-related topics.
2: Activating the potential of GDAŃSK TECH (employee training, workshops, presentation, study visits) in advanced optimization of processes and production systems, including the development of new algorithms for optimization of process parameters and process planning.
3: Conducting common Exploratory Research Project related to the wider use of additive technologies in industry.
4: Helping GDAŃSK TECH staff to improve their proposal preparation and project management/administration skills. Upgrading a research management/administration unit by fully utilizing the experience and best practices of the internationally leading partners.
5: Introducing the principles of Industry 4.0 into the manufacturing processes of SME’s. Disseminating the gained knowledge and outcomes contained in Compendium of Good Manufacturing Practice within the scientific and industrial members of Cluster of Excellence and through the activities, assistance and guidance of NEPTUN Advisory Board for Manufacturers.
Impacts:
a) organization of Summer School dedicated to cyber-physical systems in manufacturing and planning, modelling monitoring and optimisation of manufacturing, along with other forms of virtual and stationary trainings
b) sending the members of Gdansk Tech to renowned international conferences
c) increasing the number of published scientific papers, increasing the number of patents, innovative solutions and research initiatives
d) setting up NEPTUN Advisory Board for Manufacturers, an entity composed of academic researchers, entrepreneurs and representatives of local government.
e) development of NEPTUN’s Cluster of Excellence which will raise the research and innovation capabilities, triggering structural changes and building stronger links between industry, authorities and academia.
f) publication of NEPTUN’s Compendium of Good Engineering Practice - a collection of information on I4.0 its principles and methods of introducing them to such areas as application of AI in planning and optimization of manufacturing processes, remote monitoring and manufacturing processes and machine vision for product defect detection
1) Introduction of mechanisms supporting the development of research activity, scientific development of academic teachers;
2) Creating favourable conditions for innovation and using innovative solutions for the development of the university and the whole region;
3) Development of cooperation with industry, other academic institutions on national and international level, to enhance the influence of the university on the development of modern, innovative manufacturing and its implementation in industry.
4) Development of research teams obtaining national and international financing in crucial areas of science and industry;
5) Supporting the organization of clusters in order to prepare ambitious projects of crucial meaning to the economy and obtain additional financing following the principles of open science;
6) Development of curricula tailored to he needs of Industry 4.0 and above, and allowing the education of engineers ready for the industry of tomorrow;
7) Enhancing competences of researchers by providing them with the opportunity of participating in important international conferences, working in advanced project teams and encouraging them to take up innovative research projects.
Objectives
1: Improvement of excellence, scientific and technological capacity of GDAŃSK TECH in modern manufacturing, through a scientific approach to the Industry 4.0-related topics.
2: Activating the potential of GDAŃSK TECH (employee training, workshops, presentation, study visits) in advanced optimization of processes and production systems, including the development of new algorithms for optimization of process parameters and process planning.
3: Conducting common Exploratory Research Project related to the wider use of additive technologies in industry.
4: Helping GDAŃSK TECH staff to improve their proposal preparation and project management/administration skills. Upgrading a research management/administration unit by fully utilizing the experience and best practices of the internationally leading partners.
5: Introducing the principles of Industry 4.0 into the manufacturing processes of SME’s. Disseminating the gained knowledge and outcomes contained in Compendium of Good Manufacturing Practice within the scientific and industrial members of Cluster of Excellence and through the activities, assistance and guidance of NEPTUN Advisory Board for Manufacturers.
Impacts:
a) organization of Summer School dedicated to cyber-physical systems in manufacturing and planning, modelling monitoring and optimisation of manufacturing, along with other forms of virtual and stationary trainings
b) sending the members of Gdansk Tech to renowned international conferences
c) increasing the number of published scientific papers, increasing the number of patents, innovative solutions and research initiatives
d) setting up NEPTUN Advisory Board for Manufacturers, an entity composed of academic researchers, entrepreneurs and representatives of local government.
e) development of NEPTUN’s Cluster of Excellence which will raise the research and innovation capabilities, triggering structural changes and building stronger links between industry, authorities and academia.
f) publication of NEPTUN’s Compendium of Good Engineering Practice - a collection of information on I4.0 its principles and methods of introducing them to such areas as application of AI in planning and optimization of manufacturing processes, remote monitoring and manufacturing processes and machine vision for product defect detection
Over 36 months, NEPTUN delivered a coordinated program of capacity-building and research in three complementary areas: design of additively manufactured lattice structures, safe human–robot collaboration (HRC) for fine disassembly, and lightweight digital transformation methods for SMEs. Partner-led trainings and the NEPTUN Summer School (40+ hours, 200 participants) built proficiency and seeded joint research. Equipment was procured to support pilot testing in additive manufacturing and HRC. Pilot #1 developed a validated virtual workflow for LPBF Ti-6Al-4V lattices, linking geometry to performance. Pilot #2 created a reliable HRC cell for hinge disassembly with safe, repeatable execution. Pilot #3 produced a digital transformation toolkit aligning Industry 4.0–5.0 principles. The resulting demonstrators enable model-based lattice design, safe HRC operations, and SME adoption planning—advancing efficiency, safety, and sustainability in advanced manufacturing.
NEPTUN achieved three results beyond the state of the art. (1) A virtual test bench for LPBF Ti-6Al-4V lattices integrates parametric and µCT-based geometries, inverse-identified materials, and validated FE analyses predicting stiffness and failure, yielding design rules linking nodal fillets to mass and performance—reducing AM trial-and-error. (2) A repeatable HRC pattern for fine disassembly combines 3D/2D vision, controller-resident motion, force-torque feedback, and compliant grippers, achieving safe, accurate hinge extraction and faster cycles. (3) A cross-domain interaction (CDI) framework connects technology choices to people and organisation, turning digital maturity into actionable adoption steps. Together they advance predictive AM design, replicable HRC practices, and structured SME transformation, improving safety, efficiency, and sustainability while fostering uptake through shared data, guides, and training.