TRUMPF opens smart factory in Chicago

Machine tool manufacturer TRUMPF has opened a new 50,000-sq.-ft., $15 million technology center in Chicago. According to the company, it is the first smart factory for Industry 4.0 systems that was designed for digitally connected production processes throughout.

The smart factory, which houses $15 million worth of equipment, offers consulting and training to customers as they introduce digitally connected production systems. The facility connects the entire sheet metal process chain, from the initial order for a sheet metal component to its design, manufacture, and delivery.

The control room and its large screens provide visitors with real-time process performance data for the current production process. A 180-ft.-long production hall houses a connected sheet metal manufacturing line, the centerpiece of which is a high storage bay that supplies materials to the machine tools connected to it. A skywalk spans the production hall, offering a bird’s-eye view of the factory and giving those who walk on it a comprehensive view of the production systems, as well as their material and information flows.