Artificial intelligence in the mechanical engineering industry

Everyone is talking about AI. In the field of mechanical engineering, the possibilities of AI are almost unlimited. The possible increases in efficiency are particularly interesting for customers, for example through greater automation of production or the development of brand-new products. But what does the buzzword AI mean?

What is artificial intelligence?
Computer scientists have been working on the topic of AI for 50 years. In many cases, artificial intelligence is implemented using complex statistics. In the sub-area of machine learning, the algorithm finds statistical relationships between given characteristics in learning data. The algorithm then applies this data to similar external data. The latest achievement is called Deep Neural Networks (Deep Learning). These networks, which were set up in 2015 with the help of Google, enable artificial intelligence to learn relevant characteristics on its own. In this way, a robotic arm can find its own optimal movement and theoretically even its task in a specific environment.

How can AI be used in manufacturing and automation?
The possibilities for using AI range from predictive maintenance and simplifying simulations to complex automation in production. Let’s look at the opportunities using the example of predictive maintenance: With the help of simple machine learning, statistical knowledge can be generated during maintenance. When does which part usually break and how does it bring production to a standstill during the repair? Thanks to AI, predictive maintenance systems can be serviced at favorable times before a defect occurs.

The possibilities of artificial intelligence continue to grow every day. Predictive maintenance will get more and more important in the mechanical engineering industry.