XWAVE: A Novel Software-Defined Everything Approach for the Manufacturing Industry

TL;DR

Rigid, hardware-centric manufacturing architectures limit scalability and reconfiguration. The paper analyzes three Software-Defined domains—Software-Defined Automation, Software-Defined Communications and Computing ($SDC^3$), and Software-Defined Manufacturing Systems—and presents XWAVE as an integrated framework to virtualize automation, networking, and Digital Twins. It outlines domain-specific advances (e.g., Dockerized soft PLCs with deterministic latency, edge-to-cloud orchestration with QoS and security, and realistic, interoperable Digital Twins) and a roadmap toward a conceptual lab-scale demonstrator by 2027. The work aims to accelerate the transition to flexible, scalable, and secure factories by addressing current interoperability, latency, resilience, and cybersecurity gaps through a modular, software-defined architecture.

Abstract

The manufacturing sector is moving from rigid, hardware-dependent systems toward flexible, software-driven environments. This transformation is shaped by the convergence of several Software-Defined technologies: Software-Defined Automation virtualizes industrial control, replacing proprietary PLCs with containerized, programmable solutions that enable scalability and interoperability. Software-Defined Compute and Communications provide a means to distribute intelligence seamlessly across devices, networks, and cloud platforms, reducing latency and enabling dynamic reconfiguration. Software-Defined Manufacturing Systems, usually implemented as Digital Twins, are real-time virtual models of machines and processes, allowing predictive analysis, optimization, and closer integration between human operators and intelligent systems. This work presents XWAVE, a project that unites these three Software-Defined paradigms to present a modular, fully software-defined manufacturing system.