Enhancing the energy-efficient production of tempered glass by using simulation-based optimisation

Abstract

In many industrial manufacturing processes energy use is one of the most important cost factors. Especially in energy-intensive industries like steel production or glass processing minimizing energy use is a key measure to save resources and reduce manufacturing costs. The research project OptPlanEnergie concentrates on the production of tempered glass. In this project we apply simulation and optimization techniques to identify and reduce energetic losses that occur during the fabrication process. The aim of the project is to supply a toolchain for creating high-performance simulation models of crucial production steps and integrating these models in scheduling frameworks to facilitate the optimization of loading sequences and capacity allocation to reduce energy consumption. In OptPlanEnergie we prototypically study the production of tempered glass, but our approach allows a simple adaptation to a wide range of industries.