With Lino Expertise to series production of nanosatellites

For more than 18 years, Lino has been implementing innovative configuration and automation solutions for complex requirements in mechanical engineering/plant construction, such as in the packaging industry. Particularly noteworthy is the ability to work with industrial customers to quickly and productively implement even single items (“quantity 1”)—and with drastically reduced throughput times.

Nanosatellites are tiny satellites about the size of a shoebox and weighing only a few kilograms. In the “New Space” sector, nanosatellites are cost-effectively opening up a wide range of applications in telecommunications, Earth observation, and navigation. They often cooperate in multi-satellite networks for this purpose. Standardization approaches are intended to support the cost-effective production of hundreds of satellites in the future, making them economically attractive for business and science.

Lino GmbH’s many years of expertise form the basis for its participation in the pioneering FORnanoSatellites initiative. The aim is to validate and further develop the concept ideas already implemented in Lino® Hub software – including generic, universal, and integrable approaches, as well as flexible deployment models (SaaS/on-premise) – specifically for the aerospace industry through the use of a configurator. Important partners in subproject 6, “Knowledge-based web configurator,” are:

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Fey
  Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Chair of Computer Architecture
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Joerg Franke
  Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems (FAPS)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Schilling
  Zentrum für Telematik e.V., Wuerzburg

Julius Pinsker, a doctoral student at FAPS, is leading the development of a knowledge-based web configurator for nanosatellite systems in the FORnanoSatellites project with the help of Lino GmbH and is implementing it in an exemplary manner. The focus is on providing a modular, user-oriented platform that optimizes the entire ordering process for SMEs, allows for consistency right down to the manufacturing machines, and enables customized nanosatellite solutions based on rapid configuration, validation, and delivery.

This includes the intelligent integration of heterogeneous databases, the optimization of supply chain workflows via necessary interfaces, and the reduction of technical complexity through standardized reuse of components. During the three-year project period, Lino will provide the Lino® Hub integration platform with “Cosling® Configurator Service” initially as a cloud solution and later as an on-premise solution. Through topics such as module concepts and generative 3D CAD visualization on the web at runtime from a CAD system, Lino aims to further advance the topic of “generic digital 3D twins” in the project.

“We see this project as a great opportunity to test and jointly develop technological concepts under the most demanding conditions, as well as to further optimize them by implementing new requirements and concrete suggestions for improvement,” explains Rüdiger Dehn, Managing Director of Lino GmbH. “The combination of our experience and the requirements of the aerospace industry promises a real boost to innovation.”

Project partners

• Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, www.fau.eu
  Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems (FAPS)
• Julius-Maximilians University, Wuerzburg, www.uni-wuerzburg.de
  Chair of Computer Science 8
• Zentrum für Telematik e.V., Wuerzburg, www.telematik-zentrum.de
• Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., Cologne, www.dlr.de
  Institute for Communication and Navigation
• Celestial Space Technologies GmbH, Nuremberg, www.celestialspacetechnologies.com
• Embedded brains GmbH & Co.KG, Puchheim, www.embedded-brains.de
• EOMAP GmbH & Co.KG, Seefeld, www.eomap.com
• Fritsch GmbH, Amberg, www.fritsch-smt.de
• f.u.n.k.e. AVIONICS GmbH, Buchloe, www.funkeavionics.de
• Graw Radiosondes GmbH & Co. KG, Nuremberg, www.graw.de
• Kronos Mechatronics GmbH, Nuremberg, www.kronos-mct.com
• Lino GmbH, Mainz, www.lino.de
• MICRO-EPSILON Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Ortenburg, www.micro-epsilon.com
• Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, www.rohde-schwarz.com
• SCIPRIOS GmbH, Fuerth, www.sciprios.de
• SEHO Systems GmbH, Kreuzwertheim, www.seho.de
• Tesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co KG, Backnang, www.tesat.de
• VIERLING Production GmbH, Ebermannstadt, www.vierling.de