EuProGigant: Ideal Component Matching Use Case
by Gernot Baumgartner, Clemens Neuwirth & Lukas Schwab
EuProGigant is an Austrian-German initiative focusing on creating a secure, sovereign data exchange ecosystem for the European manufacturing industry, aiming to establish a federated Gaia-X compliant production ecosystem in 2025. By focusing on data sovereignty, cross-company value chains, and data-driven business models, EuProGigant addresses precision manufacturing challenges across sectors like automotive, aerospace, and industrial machinery. Tight tolerances are critical for ensuring functionality and reliability in components, yet variations in production processes often hinder efficiency.
🎧 Listen to the latest episode of Gaia-X Unclouded where Gernot Baumgartner from concircle discusses the Ideal Component Matching Use Case by EuProGigant. This initiative addresses key challenges in the manufacturing industry by establishing a secure, transparent, and efficient data ecosystem.
Overview of the Use case
Main Stakeholders and Roles
PTW TU Darmstadt:
- Role: Production of the outside socket which is used in combination with the inside socket. These two parts need to be perfectly and tightly aligned for the spindle to function properly. This illustrates the importance of ideal component matching as such instances are common in the manufacturing industry.
- Responsibility: Manufacture the outer bushing component with tight tolerances and share the measurement data for matching.
Tec-Lab TU Wien:
- Role: Production of the inside socket which needs to be in-sync with the corresponding outside socket to ensure functionality. TU Wien is providing its expertise in producing both the inside socket and creating the “Profitrainer” which uses the final assembled spindle.
- Responsibility: Manufacture the inner bushing component with precise specifications and contribute measurement data for optimal matching.
Service Provider concircle GmbH – Ideal Component Matching Service (BTM – Bauteil-Matching-Service):
- Role: Service provider for measurement data processing and component matching.
- Responsibility: Provision of service for analysing measurement data to ensure precise matching of components and maintaining data sovereignty and transparency.
Other Part Suppliers:
- Role: Supply additional components required for the assembly of the multifunctional spindle.
- Responsibility: Ensure their parts meet the required standards and integrate them with the Ideal Component Matching Service for data sharing.
Pilotfactory TU-Wien:
- Role: Assembly of the multifunctional spindle.
- Responsibility: Utilise the precisely matched components to assemble the final product, ensuring reduced reworking efforts and increased efficiency
Context and Challenges
Problems Addressed:
- Rework and Higher Costs: Time-intensive rework to meet tolerances increases costs.
- Lower Quality: Mismatched components reduce product reliability and performance.
- Measurement and Matching Challenges: Accurate pairing of components requires significant resources.
Solution Overview
Key Features:
- Measurement Data Collection and Analysis: Components manufactured by different suppliers are measured with high precision to capture their exact dimensions and tolerances. This measurement data is collected and stored securely.
- BTM Service: The BTM Service acts as a service where measurement data is processed and analysed. This service ensures that only components meeting the tight tolerances are paired together. It facilitates secure and transparent data exchanges between different stakeholders.
- Integration with existing systems: The solution is designed to integrate seamlessly with the existing manufacturing execution systems (e.g.: SAP Digital Manufacturing) and processes of participating companies Technological Foundations.
The role of technology
- Cloud Computing Platforms – A1 Exoscale: A1 Exoscale is currently in use, providing the cloud infrastructure needed for improved scalability and performance.
- Containerisation with Docker: Docker is used to create and manage containers that encapsulate the JavaSpringBoot backend and MongoDB. This ensures a consistent and portable deployment environment.
- Container Orchestration with Kubernetes: Kubernetes manages the deployment, scaling, and operation of Docker containers, ensuring efficient resource utilisation and high availability.
- SpringBoot and MongoDB: The JavaSpringBoot framework is used for developing the backend, managing dependencies, and maintaining clean code. MongoDB, a non-relational database, runs within the SpringBoot environment and is managed as a Docker image, providing flexible and scalable data storage.
- Security and Data Sovereignty with Gaia-X, Keycloak and deltaDAO: Keycloak handles authentication and authorisation, managing tokens for OAuth to secure data exchanges. DeltaDAO, using the Pontus-X network, ensures the solution aligns with the Gaia-X architecture, facilitating secure and sovereign data integration.
End-User Benefits:
- Increased Quality: Reliable, high-performance products.
- Cost & Time Savings: Less rework and faster assembly.
- Improved Efficiency: Streamlined workflows across the ecosystem.
Added Value through Gaia-X:
- Data Sovereignty: Maintains control over proprietary data.
- Transparency and Trust: Ensures traceable, secure data exchanges.
- Interoperability and Federated Services: Standardised protocols enable collaboration across industries.
- Innovation and Efficiency: Boosts efficiency and product quality, advancing Gaia-X’s vision for a federated digital infrastructure.
- Compliance with the European Legal Framework: Gaia-X facilitates that all data transactions comply with European legal standards, including GDPR. The EuProGigant project adheres to these regulations, providing a legally secure framework for data exchanges.
Next Steps:
The project’s next steps involve transitioning to deltaDAO’s newer generation autonomous network, which uses an immutable distributed ledger to enhance privacy, cybersecurity, scalability, and ensure resilient, federated participation without lock-in. This seamless upgrade serves as a model for future Gaia-X projects and potential collaborations, showcasing the benefits of Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) and smooth identity transitions.
📖 Read the full use case here.