Is it possible to use a single software that adapts to the maturity (TRL) of a high-performance material manufacturing process?
Developing and mastering a new manufacturing process requires extremely fast and accurate characterization data analysis to assist decision-making experts. This decision-making cycle is divided into three parts: data analysis, process control strategy (choice of equipment or set of equipment) and decision. This cycle allows manufacturers to upgrade their innovative process and make it more mature by crossing the different scales TRL (Technology Readiness Level) necessary for the final qualification and production start of the process. At each TRL level (from 1 to 9) corresponding to the 4 major development phases (Fundamental, R1D, Ramp-up and Production), the teams of experts will have to analyze different types of data that will evolve according to the maturity of the process. This variability induces two main problems:
- Problem n ° 1:
How to combine all these data to understand complex processes as quickly as possible?
This concerns the fundamental phases, R & D and the start of the pilot line. The challenge is the ability to automatically analyze and merge large volumes of heterogeneous data from multiple characterization facilities, expert knowledge process equipment parameters, and modeling / simulation software.
- Problem n ° 2:
How to improve yields?
This problem concerns the pilot line phases when the process begins to mature sufficiently and then the production phase. The challenge here is the capacity to anticipate and detect any manufacturing defect or measurement error coming from a characterization equipment necessary for process control.