# Opportunities for Industry 4.0 to Support Remanufacturing
## 4 Case Illustrations
### Smart Repair Cell  
Currently, most remanufacturing tasks are highly labor intensive, as returned cores vary greatly in terms of their form and condition. Even though human intelligence is capable of adapting to such variations and performing adaptive manual repair tasks, dealing with variability in the part profile and form accuracy of each core still remains challenging for the remanufacturing process. This is particularly a concern for aerospace part repair, as the sector has stringent requirements for compliance to the original part specifications. To achieve consistency and high flexibility in remanufacturing operations, a smart remanufacturing cell, with special focus on repair operations, has been simulated at the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC). The smart cell, as graphically described in Figure 2, comprises the following layers:  
* _Shared database_--in this layer, all virtual data pertaining to every individual repaired component are stored and organized based on the design and existing repair information. By organizing the repair data, backtracking the core's repair process history and failure information is a well-established process. * _Software platform_--this layer defines all the software tasks related to the data flow and machine-to-machine communication channels. With a common software platform, high-speed computations are carried out both in real time and offline, helping seamless data transfer between machines without any loss in data quality. * _Physical process_--this layer of the smart cell defines the actual repair tasks to be carried out on the core. Since the process requires physical transfer of the component and its storage container across the actual repair processes, it relies heavily on factory automation to conform to Industry 4.0 standards. In standard manufacturing protocols, design of the component using computer-aided design (CAD) precedes part manufacturing. Yet, in the remanufacturing process, the type and level of damage to the core will affect repair decisions. Some of the damage modes include, but are not limited to: cracking, wear, physical distortion, high-temperature damage, surface corrosion, etc. Upon entering the cell, cores will be registered in the shared database using identification markers during a process termed \"_Part Registration_\". This process provides the system with core information, such as original part number, serial number, raw material identification, bill of materials (if it is an assembly), OEM CAD design information, and repair history. Once cores are registered, a single/series of repair processes will be planned for each core in a sequence suitable for its identification and condition, based on established standard OEM repair protocols or other approved methods. The repair sequence will involve the utilization of several machines and manufacturing processes, such as brazing, thermal/cold spray, and laser cladding to regenerate the damaged area of the core. Process-related information will be updated in the database via wireless transfer and will constitute the digital \"life-story\" of the parts. This registration process is crucial in product life-cycle management (PLM) to improve the product design in the future and to ensure an appropriate decision-making process at the next remanufacturing cycle. As most of the repair processes result in addition of material to the parts, further machining processes need to be carried out to bring the repaired component back to its original dimensions. This is a critical stage of the repair process, as it will determine the accuracy and tolerances of the final repaired part. To generate the optimum tool path, automated adaptive machining is adopted. Firstly, the as-received physical dimensions of the core need to be defined in 3D digital format. This could be realized using various three-dimensional scanning methods, such as laser triangulation, structured light, probing methods, etc., to create the digital twin of the core.