VMAP User Forum 2025

Advancing Digital Innovation in Manufacturing

Industry leaders and experts gathered at the prestigious Schloss Birlinghoven in Sankt Augustin to advance the VMAP Standard and address the critical demands for interoperability and digitalization in manufacturing. 

𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗔𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴
Digitalization is transforming the manufacturing landscape. Process integration, standardized data flows, and semantically structured data have become essential elements for:

• Optimizing simulation processes
• Developing sophisticated material models
• Designing sustainable production aligned with circular economy principles
• Implementing comprehensive digital product passports

𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺
The forum featured rich discussions spanning multiple domains:

• Additive manufacturing innovations
• Material sciences breakthroughs
• Multi-physics modelling advancements
• Data standardization requirements

30 industry experts participated in this 2-day knowledge exchange, with a special bio-informatics presentation serving as motivation to showcase the established benefits of ontology and knowledge graphs in biomedicine.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:

• Extension & Advancement of VMAP: DLR presented the current developments of the working group and spoke about the importance of wrappers to streamline the data transfer to VMAP Standard.
  
• Additive Manufacturing: Critical insights on standardizing data for powder bed laser processes (Inshape) and the versatility of laser DED showcased through ALABAMA Project and GEAR-UP Project use cases presented by SINTEF Manufacturing.

• Open Innovation Platform: Introduction of the PIONEER project platform by AIMEN Centro Tecnológico

• Materials Science: Plattform MaterialDigital PMDco presentation by Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung featuring a lightweight mid-level ontology for materials science and engineering (MSE)

• Multiphysics Modelling: Aerobase Innovations AB presentation on laser-based manufacturing standards with use cases from RESTORE - Sustainable Remanufacturing, ALABAMA & GEAR-UP project.

• Semantic Manufacturing Data: DiMAT project's bottom-up approach to semantic data management

• Sustainable Production: GGS project's vision for environmentally responsible "green steel" manufacturing

• Battery Passport Innovation: Semantic modelling as a cornerstone of the BASE EU: Battery Passport for Transparency & Circularity developing comprehensive digital battery passports

• Automotive Transformation: Volkswagen's presentation on shifting paradigms in the auto sector, featuring virtual testing and certification processes and the demand for data standardization.
  

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Become a Member
Learn how to join our community of engineering and scientific professionals. We are a community largely formed by engineers from mechanical and computational engineering domains.

Who is the VMAP standard aimed at?
You work as an employee or freelancer in the field of mechanical engineering or the integration of CAx tools. If you have a lot to do with the exchange of data between different tools in the field of virtual development and physical measurement, then you can benefit from the VMAP standard. Instead of having to work with many native data formats, the VMAP standard allows them to solve IO problems much more easily using a single open data format.

Who can join?
If you think, you can benefit from the VMAP Standard and contribute to the development & extension of the VMAP Standard, then we would be happy to hear from you. The VMAP SC is open to any institution from industry, software-domain, and academia as well as for natural persons.

How can I become a member?
Applications for Membership should be submitted in writing to the VMAP SC Board. The application of a legal person should state the name of the natural person designated to represent the applicant. The Association should be informed of any subsequent change in the power of representation. The short letter of intent should be written on the company (in this case applicant) letterhead. The VMAP SC will process your request promptly and will then be able to offer you membership.

What are my benefits?
Members of the VMAP SC can actively influence the long-term strategy and technical development of the standard at an early stage. Current developments, ongoing R&D projects and new extension approaches for the standard are presented, discussed, and finally voted on at the quarterly plenary meetings.

What’s expected of me?
Members of the VMAP SC are invited to quarterly plenary meetings. Technical documents (specifications, implementations, applications) are distributed before and after these meetings - members are asked to evaluate these documents and then contribute their constructive opinions at the meetings. Members are of course also invited to actively participate in individual working groups to help shape the standard and its extensions.