The advent of three-dimensional (3D) printing has found a unique and prominent role in Industry 4.0 and is rapidly gaining popularity in the manufacturing industry. 3D printing offers many advantages over conventional manufacturing methods, making it an attractive alternative that is more cost-effective and efficient than conventional manufacturing methods. With the Internet of Things (IoT) at the heart of this new movement, control over manufacturing methods now enters the cyber domain, offering endless possibilities in manufacturing automation and optimization. However, as disruptive and innovative as this may seem, there is grave concern about the cyber-security risks involved. These security aspects are often overlooked, particularly by promising new start-ups and parties that are not too familiar with the risks involved in not having proper cyber-security measures in place. This paper explores some of the cyber-security risks involved in the bridge between industrial manufacturing and Industry 4.0, as well as the associated countermeasures already deployed or currently under development. These aspects are then contextualized in terms of Industry 4.0 in order to serve as a basis for and assist with future development in this field.

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Modern infrastructure, such as dense urban areas and underground tunnels, can effectively block all GPS signals, which implies that effective position triangulation will not be achieved. The main problem that is addressed in this project is the design and implementation of an accurate vehicle location system using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in combination with GPS and the Global system for Mobile communication (GSM) technology, in order to provide a solution to the limitation discussed above. In essence, autonomous vehicle tracking will be facilitated with the use of RFID technology where GPS signals are non-existent. The design of the system and the results are reflected in this paper. An extensive literature study was done on the field known as the Internet of Things, as well as various topics that covered the integration of independent technology in order to address a specific challenge. The proposed system is then designed and implemented. An RFID transponder was successfully designed and a read range of approximately 31 cm was obtained in the low frequency communication range (125 kHz to 134 kHz). The proposed system was designed, implemented, and field tested and it was found that a vehicle could be accurately located and tracked. It is also found that the antenna size of both the RFID reader unit and RFID transponder plays a critical role in the maximum communication range that can be achieved.

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