Learning Factory at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture

Learning factory was established at the beginning of 2022 at the Department of Industrial Engineering within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb. By researching the existing solutions and needs of manufacturing companies, it was decided that the learning factory will simulate discrete manufacturing processes. The system consists of five workstations that accurately simulate real-world manufacturing processes. Workstations that simulate the change of properties (pressing), particle separation (drilling), storage and input/output of the production line are connected by a belt conveyor to achieve the possibility of a circular process. Manual workstation is separated from the others and a mobile robot was acquired to connect them. Each workstation can work on its own or be connected to other workstations, allowing system modularity and production flexibility. In addition to these modules, the learning factory also consists of smart maintenance and energy monitoring systems that greatly contribute to increasing the sustainability of the system and production. Each learning factory module is equipped with many sensors connected to programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that enable system operation. All modules are connected using a manufacturing execution system (MES) that manages all processes by collecting and analyzing big data from sensors. The learning factory was established with the aim of facilitating the education of students and workers on discrete production systems within Industry 4.0. In the future, it is planned to expand the established learning factory with additional workstations and systems for machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The learning factory was established with the aim of facilitating the education of students and workers on discrete production systems within Industry 4.0. In the future, it is planned to expand the established learning factory with additional workstations and systems for machine learning and artificial intelligence.