Interreg

Digitalization of manufacturing processes, commonly known as Industry 4.0, will shape the industry of the future. Constant monitoring of industrial processes by “Smart” machines will lead to a more efficient and sustainable production process. Within SABER PRINT the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB and the RESOLV cluster of excellence Duisburg) and Maastricht University will collaborate with two regional industrial actors (Garlock GmbH and Yookr B.V.) to investigate the potential role of smart biosensors in the process of reshaping the process industry as we know it. The aim of the project is to integrate these sensors into existing industrial processes, monitoring various crucial chemical parameters and communicating with other machines in the production line to adjust the industrial process based on changes in the observed parameters.

The central innovation that will be developed within SABER PRINT is a prototype for monitoring industrial processes and communicating with other devices through an IoT web application. The sensor design will consist of a flexible sensor sticker that can be directly integrated into e.g. gaskets in order to allow for online monitoring of industrial processes. This sticker will be coupled to an electrochemical read-out platform developed by RUB and validated in a laboratory environment. The prototype will monitor paramaters such as pH and concentration of analytes (e.g. glucose) in-line leading to an improved control of industrial processes that will benefit the end-users by reducing installation and maintenance and improve overall productivity in the future. The project thereby allows the universities to further valorize a previous invention into an industrial prototype that highlights its economic potential by stimulating this public-private cooperation.

To project (external link)