Meet the uncle of digital manufacturing

Primafila Senior Editor Leane Clifton learns about individualized manufacturing for Siemens AG.

By Leane Clifton, Primafila New York

Recently I got the chance to speak with Professor Emeritus Yoram Koren from the University of Michigan’s Mechanical Engineering Department. Our topic was individualized manufacturing and I realized shortly into the conversation that Koren’s research and work over the last 50 years has made this possible. If he is not the father of digital manufacturing systems, he is at least the uncle.

In the 1970s Koren designed the first Computer Numerical Control (CNC) for manufacturing machines. In the 80s his team created a robot that can sense and maneuver around objects, and the inflatable robot snake. His concept of Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS) reinvigorated the US auto industry in the 1990s. Professor Koren’s ideas and solutions have been elegant and effective.

Without Koren’s concepts, the future of manufacturing would be completely out of tune with the digital era: no digital control systems, no collaborative robots and production systems would have to be completely overhauled to make changes in product production.

Read the article on Professor Koren’s achievements for Siemens AG here.