This case is about an international technology competition held in China where over 7000 students participated in enhancing their skills in modern industry technologies for robotics, automation, and digital twin using Visual Components-based simulation solution. The ease of use and wide industrial application of the Visual Components solution gave MeiCloud an advantage over other simulation software to be chosen as the only solution provider for this competition. The students participating received active training and technical support from MeiCloud’s team throughout the competition.

15th International Advanced Robot and Simulation Technology Competition

The International Advanced Robot and Simulation Technology Competition is the first and only high-end discipline competition initiated by Chinese universities. Students from all over the world including countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Norway, South Korea, etc. participate in this event together with their Chinese counterparts.

The main goal of this kind of competition is to promote simulation technology in colleges and universities, attract more talent to simulation and increase the skills of students by using manufacturing simulation tools together with theoretical knowledge. With the use of simulation, the students start to understand the real-life challenges of industries and learn to solve them by designing the smart factories of the future.

This was the 15th series of this competition which was held from the 1^st to the 30^th of November 2022. In total, 1510 teams participated in this competition from 369 schools. Each Team on average comprised 5-6 students. In the Online Competition, 190 teams won the first prize, 275 teams won the second prize and 320 teams ended up winning the third prize depending on the level of simulation, production knowledge, and execution of the designs.

Over the years, the competition has become an important stage for students from around the world to show their skills in robot research and development, production, and application, and build a bridge for mutual learning and knowledge exchange.

Project description

The layout below is from one of the winning teams of the competition coming from the North China Institute of Science and Technology. This team designed a smart factory that manufactures impellers, which are typically used in pumps for turbomachines.

The students used simulation technology to create a working model of a smart factory that could be used by other universities. These are the systems that are connected to the simulation model at the core of this project,

1. They used the existing university laboratory and factory of the school and built a connection with the MES (Manufacturing Execution System).

2. They Used 5G technology to collect operational data and monitor the production process of the factory.

3. Additionally, they had a central control system that displayed real-time pictures of the entire production line with workpieces flowing through each station together with real-time machine data.

The simulation model of the plant consists of three parts.

• Processing Area
• Practice Area
• Explanation Learning Area

This full-fledged smart factory project mainly used these features of Visual Components,

• Process flow simulation
• Signal connectivity module
• Robot teaching/programming
• Statistical analysis

Factory layout simulation flow

This was the material and process flow of the impeller smart factory,

–  Two parts per box pulled from the warehouse for the machining process (milling, lathe, etc) and in parallel the conveyor on the side has two parts per box that come from the warehouse that includes a fixture, base, and a clamp nut to mount the in-process impeller on it before its ready. The CAD geometries of the impeller, fixture, base, and clamp were designed in SolidWorks and were imported into the simulation model.

After another Worldwide recognition of the event, MeiCloud will continue these kinds of competitions in the future, perhaps also in other regions of the World. The competition shows the advantages of using Visual Components technology in an education setup, allowing the students to quickly master powerful simulation technology to create digital twins, practice virtual commissioning, and prepare them for the challenges they will experience once they graduate.

If your company wishes to organize similar events and needs support from Visual Components, get in touch with us today!

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The course includes a lab where students can practice the theoretical part of Industry 4.0 with advanced software in a virtual environment.

HsH acquired Visual Components software in 2018 for this purpose, to help simulate a production environment in real-time.

Simulating a restaurant-like environment – layer by layer

One of the program’s key assignments consists of students creating a webshop on which orders for hamburgers can be made in a restaurant-like environment. Students work in Python to process the orders coming in from the webshop and each student’s project runs via an Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC UA) to connect to the simulation.

Students use Visual Components for the virtual commissioning experience, specifically as it pertains to setting up a process and executing that process. By using the software, students are able to virtually simulate a production plant in real-time and experience everything from programming to control.

Full virtual commissioning experience

The primary decision-making factor for HsH to integrate Visual Components into the program was the OPC UA interface, which can access multiple machines and not only a robot controller. The concept was there from the beginning, and the software fit perfectly with the program’s needs. Also, the possibility for multiple students to access a 3D experience and take a look at the same factory floor they are working on was something the individuals running the course and the students alike much appreciated.

“Visual Components offers a full virtual commissioning experience,” says Dr.-Ing. Jens Hofshulte, Process Management and Usability Engineering Industry 4.0 Course Director. “It’s beneficial to have remote control access for simulation so that you have the opportunity to program and control a real factory environment remotely. Experiencing such a thing is truly unique.”

The post Helping students accurately simulate production environments in real-time appeared first on Visual Components.

With a heavy focus on technology and preparing the engineers of today for the challenges of tomorrow, the three-year program covers subjects such as engineering design principles, mechanical engineering systems, mechatronics, systems operations and smart manufacturing technology.

The Smart Manufacturing Technology module is completed during the second year of program study, and challenges students to think about the principles of industrial organization by making use of factory floor layout planning and simulation – and this is where students use Visual Components’ 3D simulation software to help improve performance and productivity in an industrial scenario that interests them.

“Visual Components is a pioneer in being able to replicate a wide variety of industrial scenarios, starting from creating a production line separating fruits in a box in a warehouse all the way to the production of cars and rockets,” says Dr. José Rodolpho de Oliveira Leo, one of the program’s instructors. “It goes according to the imagination and the ability of the user – there is room for everything.”

The Role of Visual Components in the Smart Manufacturing Technology Module

The Smart Manufacturing Technology module is designed to combine classic manufacturing practices with advanced, emerging ones such as Industry 4.0, automation and visual factory design. It’s broken into two parts: the first which involves digital manufacturing and the use of CAD/CAM software to plan manufacturing routes, and the second which challenges students to think about industrial organization and improvements to industrial productivity. It’s this second part where Visual Components software is used.

“When we get into the second part of the module, the first lesson is on Visual Components – then we start presenting them with all the theoretical aspects of manufacturing systems,” says Rodolpho de Oliveira Leo. “Cell layouts, assembly line layout, modular layout, etc. They study the different impacts on production, layout, arrangement, logistics and more. It helps them to understand manufacturing from a much broader perspective.”

Tablet assembly line. CU Coventry, Smart Manufacturing technology Module – Student project. 

According to course feedback, there were many things that students liked about using VC’s simulation software. The majority of students noted the versatility and wide variety of resources the software program offers. They also reported favoring the creative freedom they were presented with when it came to real-world situations. The only downside to using the software as part of this course is that it’s far more comprehensive than what is necessary in the context of the Smart Manufacturing Technology module, notes Rodolpho de Oliveira Leo.

“We’re going to try to incorporate VC in other modules so students can explore the program further,” he says. “Students are really interested in exploring it and learning it more, but they’re limited in terms of time on this module. That’s really the only aspect of the software that is challenging for students.”

Even so, the use of the software in this module prepares them for the all-important third year of the Electro-Mechanical Engineering course where students face even greater challenges.

Why Coventry Chose Visual Components 3D Simulation Software

A catalog with all the major manufacturers across various industrial segments. A friendly, intuitive interface. The ability to replicate a wide range of industrial scenarios.

Those are just three of the reasons why Coventry University selected Visual Components for simulation purposes as part of its curriculum.

“The idea was to bring in a tool that could translate into a more practical activity, something that we could use to study the concept of what the production lines, manufacturing lines, types of factory floor arrangement are – and suddenly, we had the tool to simulate the performance of the factory and the design of the layout,” says Rodolpho de Oliveira Leo. “We were very excited.”

VC isn’t something that students at Coventry University were always privy to using. In fact, it’s only recently become a part of the program as educators looked for new tools to help with student learning. When Conventry educators discovered VC and found that it could adequately simulate the performance of a factory, it was something that they were very excited to implement.

Furthermore, learning to use the software is something that won’t just help students as they progress through the Electro-Mechanical Engineering course, but when searching for a job after completing the three-year curriculum.

“Students are excited about the possibility of simulating the entire world in VC,” says Rodolpho de Oliveira Leo. ” They’re proud to put this on their resume and in their cover letter, as it increases their chances in the job market following course completion.”

For a program with the goal of preparing today’s engineers for the challenges of tomorrow, it’s tools like VC’s 3D simulation software that help students enhance their understanding of course concepts and learn new skills that will only go to benefit them in the real world.

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One such project was designing and building a fully automated production line; this was intended to illustrate Industry 4.0. Four students worked together on this project, investing a total of almost 500 hours. The project was carried out using project management tools, with regular milestone meetings where the current status was presented.

Digital twin for the smart factory

A digital model aka “digital twin” was created for the planning of the production line. The digital twin helped not only in arranging the machinery within the intended basement space, but also allowed to plan, simulate, and optimize the complete the “Smart Factory”.

For the creation of the digital twin, the factory planning and simulation software “Visual Components” was chosen. The reasons for this were the performance of the software and its wide distribution in the industry. The school purchased a low-cost classroom license; Visual Components provided free licenses to the students.

Professional software for factory planning

Visual Components is one of the world’s leading solutions for 3D factory design and simulation. With Visual Components, production plants can be designed, planned, and simulated using a library of supplied, pre-modeled factory components. The solution can be used to create “digital twins” – from individual production cells to complete factories. Such a digital twin enables optimal production planning and even virtual commissioning of manufacturing plants.

Visual Components is based in Finland; the software is used worldwide in a wide variety of industries, in the automotive and machinery industries as well as in logistics and packaging. Since there are different levels of expansion according to the needs of the customers, purchase or rental is affordable even for smaller companies.

The students learned Visual Components by themselves

The students of the Rudolf Diesel Technical School worked their way into the software completely by themselves. They found numerous very helpful videos and instructions on the “Visual Components Academy” website. This way, they were able to acquire solid knowledge. After that, the first step was to import the existing architectural plans of the basement into Visual Components so that the production line could be set up in the correct environment.

The library provided by Visual Components contains numerous pre-modeled factory components, e.g. robots, conveyors, machines and plants. In this case, only the machine tools had to be modeled. For example, the outer contours of the Emco Mill 105 and DMG Alpha CTX 500 machines were modeled using SolidWorks CAD; the models were then imported into Visual Components via its CAD interface.

3D factory simulation of the production lines

After that, the two lines of the production line were set up virtually. On line one, a Robotino, a mobile robot system from Festo Didactic, loads an Emco Mill 105. All key attributes, such as the robot’s movement parameters, are stored in the library supplied by Visual Components. This makes it very easy to perform analyses of the robot’s reach on the virtual model.

After milling is done, the workpiece is placed on a conveyor belt by a UR5 robot from Universal Robots. At the other end of the conveyor belt, another UR5 is waiting to load the workpiece into a DMG alpha CTX 500 lathe and unload it again after the turning operation is complete. On line two, another Robotino loads another Emco Mill 105 with the workpiece and also places it on a delivery conveyor after machining.

Detect and avoid problems with simulation

The digital twin also helped to get a better idea of how the plant would fit into the given space, i. e. to check if there was enough space for the machines and their operation.

Examination of the digital model revealed that a planned gallery could not be built as planned – but the plan could be modified in time. In addition, the original planning included tables in the machine room. Again, the digital twin showed that the tables would not have fit in the room, so they were removed from the design. These shortcomings, which were discovered early on, could be corrected early enough before the real implementation thanks to the digital twin.

A true highlight: Virtual Reality for training purposes

Virtual reality is not only an intense experience but also sets new standards in product development and factory planning. VR goggles are used to teach the students about Industry 4.0 as well as individual process steps in manufacturing. For this purpose, the school provided an HTC Vive Pro. Thus, the plant can be used in conjunction with virtual reality for training purposes.

Lukas Gillner, one of the mechanical engineering students at the Rudolf Diesel School is very enthusiastic about this:

“My project group and I think it is a real highlight that professional software is being used in our school to configure a complete production line, teaching the students about Industry 4.0 as well as certain process steps by means of VR.“

Very satisfied with the outcome of the project

The aim of the project was to deliver a comprehensive, interdisciplinary task, which is to be done in a team, according to professional requirements. The focus of the project is the development of professional competence. With this project, the students need to prove that they can solve a problem independently and purposefully. Solution proposals were to be systematically developed, evaluated and concepts developed. As project members, the students worked with project management tools and they applied teamwork methods.

A role model, also for other schools

The Rudolf-Diesel-Fachschule owns several classroom licenses of Visual Components, which are regularly used in class. In the “Digital Transformation” class the school offers a module for getting to know and trying out the Visual Components software. Visual Components will also be used for further project work in the coming years.

Education and training are key prerequisites for maintaining and expanding the competitiveness of industry in Europe. This applies in particular to the skills of engineers and technicians who need to develop and manufacture innovative products. For this, however, not only knowledge must be taught, but enthusiasm for innovation and technical change must also be awakened. The Rudolf Diesel School in Nuremberg has shown how this can be done with the Visual Components project. Strongly recommended for imitation!

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The university offers an Industrial Management program where students focus on the development of various business processes, which includes production systems. In this program there is a course, during which students learn the similarities and differences between various types of production systems via modelling and analysis. It’s in this course where Visual Components 3D simulation is learned, and the skills students acquire with the program are further carried over into more advanced master’s courses.

Metropolia University implemented the program as a learning tool about four years ago (2016), and it’s quickly become valuable in helping students learn new themes and concepts and complete everything from basic to more challenging assignments. In this case study, we’ll take a closer look at the Visual Components learning path for students at Metropolia University and discuss the teaching experience from an educator’s point of view. Here’s a closer look:

The Visual Components learning path

When students begin using Visual Components’ 3D manufacturing simulation program in their undergrad courses, there’s a good chance that it’s their introduction to this type of platform. It’s why students are taken on a gradual learning path with the program, beginning with the very basics before moving on to more advanced modelling and even programming. Students are given new assignments on a weekly basis and are expected to use VC to help complete them. By the end of the semester, students that likely did not have any experience working in computer-aided design software are now able to model and carry out Python programming and customization.

“The point of having a tool like VC is to offer something that can take everything a student will learn and put it in a useful package. Operations management, logistics, production systems, programming, process modeling and analysis, automation, integration with CAD— the program is able to help students with whatever career path they choose.”

Juha Haimala, the head of Industrial Management program at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

The Visual Components teaching experience

There’s always hesitation when adopting new tools into teaching curriculums. But in 2016, when Haimala began using VC’s simulation tool, any fears were immediately squelched. He found the software easy to learn and more comprehensive than those that were previously used. 

I’ve used Quest and Enterprise Dynamics in education before Visual Components. With Quest, you can do anything, but you had to be prepared to spend weeks to complete something. Enterprise Dynamics was easy to use if you could stick to the library components, but in practice you couldn’t do much. I was hoping Visual Components would be as good as Quest, and it was a pleasant surprise to see that the best features of Quest can be found in Visual Components, but you don’t have to spend weeks and months to finish a project.

Juha Haimala, the head of Industrial Management program at Metropolia University

In addition to undergraduate courses, Visual Components is also utilized in master’s classes at Metropolia University, where students tend to be more experienced using this type of 3D simulation software and are already well on their way to careers of their own.

Remote Learning during Covid-19 pandemic

The Visual Components program has especially proved valuable during remote learning periods made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first wave of the pandemic Visual Components provided temporary licenses to students, so they could run the program on their personal computers during periods of remote learning. Now that the second wave has struck all activities are based on online approaches. In the latest realization of the course using VC students are utilizing VPN and the floating licenses and it has turned out to be a really working approach.

The experience has been extremely positive. It’s a central program for learning new themes and working on assignments. Once we have found a good tool, there is no reason to switch it. I believe we’ve found that tool in Visual Components’ program

Juha Haimala, the head of Industrial Management program at Metropolia University

If you wish to include Visual Components in the curriculum of your educational courses, contact us today by filling the following form.

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TEMEX was tasked with completing automated assembly line delivery, including design, integration and delivery of the production environment for the assembly of products made from Legos, the Lego building base and electronic components. TEMEX had one year to develop this educational production line for the University’s new study programme , “Computer Systems for Industry of 21st Century.”

Read on for more about how TEMEX brought this Smart Factory project from concept to reality, and how Visual Components’ 3D production simulation software was able to help meet both deadlines and goals.

About the Smart Factory Project

The Smart Factory project was to develop a new educational assembly line for students of Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and also students from other faculties. VSB-Technical University of Ostrava ‘s idea for its Smart Factory laboratory was conceived to demonstrate various Industry 4.0 principles such as interoperability, virtualization, decentralization, real-time operating, service orientation and modularity.

As noted in the previous section, the production system was conceived to carry out automated and manual delivery of Lego blocks created using a 3D printer. Configuration of both the product and production method is selected at the beginning of each production cycle using a graphical user interface on a tablet. Once this is configured, the assembly cycle begins by taking an empty product container from stock. The manipulator takes all parts of the selected product and then loads them into the product container. Once the container is confirmed to be holding the necessary parts, it is placed on the conveyor portion of the assembly line.

Each Lego base houses a memory identifier that contains all information about the individual parts of the product and operations that are designed to be carried out. A control system will pick the appropriate workplace with production capacity and assign processing to it accordingly. The operation follows. . If automation is selected, the robots are able to produce the defined product. If manual assembly is selected, containers with product parts are instead transported to an operator to carry out the task.

At the end of the production cycle, the line will automate the inspection of each product at the test station to report back product correctness and functionality. An MES (manufacturing execution system) is responsible for warehouse management.

Visual Components Simulation Software Provides Key Assist

Since the Smart Factory project was a first-of-its-kind endeavor for VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, the good news is that TEMEX didn’t have to incorporate the production line into any existing infrastructure. However, engineers were still challenged to come up with a system that incorporated the likes of 3D printers, robotic workstations and methods of line rearrangement. The system had to be robust and include augmented reality and assisted assembly technology.

When it came to designing the line layout and incorporating all of these other necessities, TEMEX turned to Visual Components. The VC simulation software helped TEMEX engineers quickly prepare simulations of the line and the ongoing processes designed to take place on it. The VC platform also allowed TEMEX engineers the luxury of adjusting basic layouts into additional simulations of modular line layouts with ease. This all assisted with simulation in a near real-time environment to meet the University’s requirements and help keep the project on track for a summer 2020 completion.

“Preparing for this project was a great responsibility and, at the same time, a significant shift in terms of the scope of using Visual Components for simulations of the environment and all consecutive individual processes,” says Roman Vybiral, TEMEX CEO. “Thanks to this project, we realized that accurate simulations could draw attention to problems that may occur during the equipment’s commissioning. Using Visual Components prevents these problems in the functionality and throughput of the line in time and at a much lower cost.”

“Visual Components has become part of the preparation of some projects. It’s very useful to combine several interlocking elements and identify problems or weaknesses in production processes and flows in time.”

Roman Vybiral, TEMEX CEO

The End Result

The end result is a robust teaching tool that can help educate the next generation of creators and programmers at VSB-Technical University of Ostrava  — for years to come.

“The ability to see the entire production line and verify its proper functionality in almost real conditions before its production using Visual Components translated to a huge savings of time, labor and costs for all those involved in its development and production”

Roman Vybiral, TEMEX CEO

And for TEMEX, the Smart Factory project also opened up new possibilities for implementing Visual Components 3D production simulation software. As a firm that’s always striving to move its operations forward and push the envelope in what it can do technologically, it can now use the VC programs to create a digital twin of large-scale production lines, going beyond just using it for pure assembly equipment. Furthermore, TEMEX also sees an opportunity to use VC software in aluminum wheel manufacturing, palletizing and depalletizing lines, and more to continue to emerge as a technological leader in the Czech Republic.

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Mälardalen University, or MDH, is among Sweden’s largest and most prestigious universities. With a student body of about 16,000 and course offerings that range from business and health to education and engineering, the educational institute is poised to offer students a well-rounded curriculum in their chosen field of study. One major emphasis at MDH, however, is research — specifically, research to address the societal challenges that humans and civilizations face. And one major area of research focus that has received international recognition includes future energy and embedded systems.

In this case study, we’ll explore the use of automation in manufacturing, particularly as it involves a group project that students in MDH’s Industrial Automation course are required to complete. Visual Components is mainly as part of Industrial Automation course and its simulation for automation capabilities provided a big assist to students in communicating their final proposals as part of this “Sharp Project.” Here’s a closer look:

About the Project

The goal of the project was to streamline gear production cell by delivering 3600 approved items per week at a GKN ePowertrain plant located in Köping, Sweden. GKN ePowertrain are part of GKN Ltd, the world’s largest supplier of driveline technologies.

The scope of this student project was to redesign a testing cell for gear sets in which a robot is intended to feed material to two machines. The testing cell was initially designed to be automated, but it was later replaced by human operators due to increased output demand from the firm’s customers and the inability of the robot to meet these more aggressive cycle times. Another challenge was the ability to handle the defective products well. It was the students’ job to redesign this testing cell so that it could be both automated and efficient.

“The student project at GKN ePowertrain was about developing a concept to automate the process flow by replacing the operators, feeding the material to the machine with a robot without reducing the number of approved items,” explains MDH student Erik Andersen. 

The MDH students started by observing the original testing cell. It consisted of a system comprising two geared parts, which were designed to come together within the testing machine and marked with a QR code in the second machine. The two parts entered the cell in separate metal baskets, and the robot took each part and placed them into the testing machine. When that task was carried out, the robot then needed to move the parts onto the next testing machine. When it placed the two parts into the marking machine, the robot removed the parts that had received their QR codes and left them in the shared basket.

After numerous visits to the GKN ePowertrain site, conversations with on-site engineers and designers, and careful study of the robots in the testing cell, the students keyed in on three areas in which the automation needed improvement if it were to operate more efficiently and effectively. These three areas were:

• How the robot handled incoming material and outgoing containers.
• Timing of loading the test machine.
• Space for defective parts.

Based on what they observed and learned, the students proposed three different means of automating a test cell for gear sets where all three proposals producing over 4000 items exceeding the expectations and original goals of the project. GKN will utilize this study and has planned the implementation of one of the proposals that mainly include addition of another robot in the cell. In this case,

• The first robot picks and places the parts to and from the machines and,
• The second robot solely handles the material handling tasks after the parts are processed.

As a result of automating this manual production cell, at least 80% of the time of one operator was saved on this project. Visual Components 3D simulation played a vital role in this nine-week project by visualizing the proposed improvements. Of particular value was the Visual Components robot envelope feature, which allowed the students to visualize the potential reach of the robot in all directions within the cell.

The Value of Working with Visual Components

As noted, no simulations were created of the three production proposals due to the short time frame of the project. However, the visuals that were attained from the proposed concepts were valuable in proving the effectiveness and communicating the students’ work. The students were impressed by Visual Components’ user-friendly interface and how easy the platform was to use. There are plans to continue using it for additional tasks in the future. 

Next Steps

In addition to the hands-on industrial experience and freedom the students were granted in assessing the GKN ePowertrain test cell, the biggest reward came from news that the firm planned to implement one of the proposals in their production line.

“We received information about what need they had and how many approved items the robot needed to deliver to be adapted to today’s demand,” says Andersen. “In addition, we were allowed to work freely, which was fun and challenging.”

We’d say it’s a job well done by students at Mälardalen University— and an initiative that GKN ePowertrain can benefit from as well. Speaking about the use of Visual Components, Niklas Friedler, Project Manager and Lecturer at Mälardalen University said,

As a supervisor of this kind of project, it is a very good tool to use Visual components together with the students to discuss potential new layouts. Students can create a lot of concepts in parallel and do not have to choose between them too early in the project.

Niklas Friedler, Project Manager and Lecturer at Mälardalen University.

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One of the core courses offered at RACE is Attach-and-Train (AnT) for Robotics & Automation (R&A). The six-month program empowers agile engineering talents with hands-on access to core R&A technologies. The program is split into two sections: during Phase 1, students receive three months of hands-on classroom training at the academy campus. During Phase 2, trainees are placed with host companies for three months of on-the-job training, gaining valuable real-world experience from industry practitioners.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to maintain the safety of students and staff, in-person lessons during Phase 1 have transitioned to a remote learning environment. Using tools such as Zoom, lectures and presentations have continued online. Although not without its challenges, reported benefits of online learning included easier to follow lectures and step-by-step instructions, and the ability to record sessions for future review.

Simulating with Visual Components

When RACE was introduced to Visual Components, first impressions were high. Both instructors and trainees were impressed by the ease of use, the breadth of the applications, and the extensive e-catalog of robots.

With unprecedented speed, trainees were able to grasp Visual Components technology to begin working both independently and creatively. This was a noticeable improvement to workflow, as prior to simulating with Visual Components, no simulation software was being used. Instead, trainees had relied on SolidWorks to design and manually drew on paper to simulate factory automation. The switch to Visual Components proved to be significantly faster and more intuitive. According to trainees, work that might have taken up to eight hours to complete before could be finished in just three hours with Visual Components.

First impressions from students were also high, one student noting how “creative ideas and improvements come to life. Simulations ensure a perfectly balanced manufacturing environment.”

Creative ideas and improvements come to life. Simulations ensure a perfectly balanced manufacturing environment.

RACE Trainee

Better Learning Tools

Visual Components simulation software was implemented in the Industrial Robotics course of Phase 1, when trainees learn robotic arm theory, sensor and machine vision, and end effector training. This learning path takes students about four hours before they can visualize their ideas. Studies begin with layouts, conveyors, and feeders, then move to idle positions, robot PNP and task sequencing with work processing movements.

Group exercises are an opportunity to explore creativity while satisfying specific task requirements. Small teams of five trainees are given a week to complete an activity involving pick and place, a conveyor, and task sequencing. These projects are then presented over Zoom to the cohort and posted on social media in a friendly competition for engagement.

COVID-19 has influenced the learning environment at RACE, as well as the project work. One of these group simulations deployed AGVs with UVC-light disinfection to combat the spread of COVID-19 in a worker’s dormitory. Another project visualized how an additive manufacturing facility could make the customization of products easier and safer.

The Future of RACE Robotics and Visual Components

RACE is committed to the education and promotion of robotics, automation, and digital manufacturing technologies. They achieve this with a curriculum built on mentorship and applied training, and one that draws on real-world project experiences.

Adding Visual Components to the RACE training portfolio enables students to simulate the technologies they learn about theoretically. This helps with their knowledge retention and expands their horizon of technology. Since implementing the software, feedback and course satisfaction from trainees has been significantly higher.

In the future, RACE hopes to pair students with local manufactures to collaborate on research projects. They’d also like to see their education programs expanding to work with other institutions, manufacturers, and system integrators.

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The Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation section within SDU’s Mads Clausen Institute carries out extensive research within the area of digitalized production and is highly focused on developing intelligent, autonomous systems that can solve socially relevant issues. One area under active investigation is adaptive production systems.

In this case study, we’ll take a look at a recent research project into adaptive production systems sponsored by SDU and the Danish RoboCluster and show you how SDU is using Visual Components for both academic research and classroom education.

Exploring the potential of robot assistants in adaptive production

“Today’s industrial assembly systems are required to rapidly adapt their facilities to meet fast-changing customer requirements,” said Elias Ribeiro da Silva, an Assistant Professor at SDU. “To explore the potential of using robot assistants to help meet these changing requirements, we developed a full assembly process demonstration of a mobile phone-like product, combining the physical and digital systems while continuous simulations were used to evaluate its feasibility.”

The project involved multiple partners in Danish industry and academia, which contributed different resources and expertise. Aalborg University was responsible for creating the physical setup and integrating the Festo modules and different robots. SDU was responsible for using continuous simulation to test and show different scenarios using robot assistants in the production system. Integrate DK was responsible for using discrete event simulation to statistically analyze the potential for the different scenarios developed. 4Tech Apps was responsible for setting up the quick tool changers for the robots. Plus Pack supported the setup of the packaging process in the production system.

Combining the physical and digital systems

The first step in the demonstration was the creation of a modular production setup, that could accommodate robot assistants and human workers joining the operations. The robot assistants were composed of a collaborative robot on a mobile trolley and equipped with a quick tool changer and three tools.

Based on the variant of the product being assembled, a configuration or scenario for the production system was automatically chosen by the Manufacturing Execution System (MES). The MES had the ability to request different tools in the robot. Then, based on the MES, the robot knew where to position itself and what process needed to be performed.

The baseline scenario for this demonstration was a fully automated line, with no humans or robot assistants, and where all the operations occurred in the robot cells. In other scenarios, where additional processes were required (i.e. placing fuses or glueing pieces together), the MES system divided the tasks to be performed by robot assistants and human workers side-by-side. The project team evaluated five main production scenarios.

• Scenario 1: Fully automated with 1 robot assistant
• Scenario 2: Fully automated with 2 robot assistants
• Scenario 3: Semi-automated with 1 human and 1 robot assistant
• Scenario 4: Partially manual with robot cell and 1 human
• Scenario 5: Fully manual (no robots)

SDU used Visual Components to create a digital twin of the physical production setup at Aalborg University and ran continuous simulations of the different scenarios to plan, optimize, and evaluate each configuration. They also used the software to help visualize what was happening.

“Visual Components produces high-quality 3D visualizations, which helped us to develop, explain, demonstrate, and visualize each scenario,” said Elias. “We also used Visual Components to show the project’s stakeholders in a visual and intuitive way the purpose of each scenario. This made it easier for them to understand the results and the feedback was quite positive.”

Visual Components produces high-quality 3D visualizations, which helped us to develop, explain, demonstrate, and visualize each scenario. We also used Visual Components to show the project’s stakeholders in a visual and intuitive way the purpose of each scenario. This made it easier for them to understand the results and the feedback was quite positive.

Elias Ribeiro da Silva, Assistant Professor at SDU

A viable alternative to scale up production

Results of the project were presented at Aalborg University in March 2020. “The goal of this demonstration was to show the potential of adaptive production systems in industry, and specifically how robot assistants with quick tool changers could seamlessly join a production system to provide additional capacity or perform different tasks,” said Elias. “I think we achieved that.”

The project team found that robot assistants utilizing quick tool change can help to improve the productivity and flexibility of production lines, especially high-mix, low-volume production. Comparing Scenario 2 (fully automated with 2 robot assistants) to Scenario 5 (fully manual, no robots), the productivity of Scenario 2 was shown to be 18% higher.

They also showed that robot assistants are a viable alternative to slightly scale up production in a fast and flexible way, and that collaborative robots can be utilized in adaptive production systems.

“Small and medium-sized companies that use these types of production systems typically design them so that the processes are happening in the robot cell instead of being shared by different robots, making them not very flexible or scalable,” said Elias. “We showed that it’s possible to design an assembly system to accommodate on-demand resources, such as robot assistants, and that these resources could be automatically scheduled, summoned, and tasked by the MES.”

Educating the next generation of engineers

In addition to his research interests, Professor Ribeiro da Silva also teaches courses to graduate and undergraduate students at SDU. Two courses at SDU – an undergraduate course in Operations Management and a graduate course in Automation and Digitalization, incorporate Visual Components as part of their curriculums.

Visual Components is quite easy to start working with and we’ve found it to be an amazing tool for the academic environment. In only a few hours, our students are able to create different scenarios in Visual Components and discuss different aspects of production systems, which is much faster compared to other factory simulation products we’ve tested in the past.

Elias Ribeiro da Silva, Assistant Professor at SDU

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Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is a major Taiwanese research institute with research fields ranging from mechanical engineering to material science, biomedics, electronics and green energy. Their machine tool technology center focuses on machine, robot and controller design to provide customers with small flexible manufacturing cells.

To promote their flexible manufacturing system by presenting their offering more visually, ITRI adopted Visual Components as their design and development environment. They have also implemented an add-on module, which allows the software to connect directly to ITRI’s CNC and robot controllers. In total, the implementation took about three months to complete.

It is easy to start using Visual Components 3D visualization tools.

Dr. ShuoPeng Liang, Manager, Department of Intelligent Machine

Supported by a comprehensive training course and online documentation, adopting the Visual Components 3D simulation software was easier than expected. So far ITRI have been using the ready-made components provided with the online component library but in the future they are planning to also model their own components.

Cyber-physical manufacturing research

While their main use of the software is presenting their manufacturing solutions to potential customers, ITRI also sees a plenty of potential in using Visual Components in their future research. Their research project, funded in part by the government of Taiwan, focuses on creating new cyber-physical manufacturing systems (CPS). As it brings information from the machinery on the factory floor to computer systems, CPS is one of the key building blocks of Industry 4.0. Their long term vision is to build a factory floor simulator, which connects to multiple machines and multiple controllers simultaneously.

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