The MTA SZTAKI Smart Factory: Platform for Research and Project-oriented Skill Development in Higher Education

Nowadays, the potential of learning factories as test beds and research plants is gaining recognition, and several facilities are extended or built up already with these complementing purposes in mind---among them the Smart Factory at the Fraunhofer Project Center at MTA SZTAKI currently completing a major stage of development. The paper presents the structure and key design principles of the plant, and explains how the composition and functionalities of the equipment implement focal principles of the Industry 4.0 and Cyber-Physical Systems concepts. Furthermore, it is shown how the Smart Factory provides students with challenges and resources for project-oriented development of their skills, and where these opportunities fit into technical higher education by hosting both individual student projects and courses with a specific structure of progress

Workstation Configuration and Process Planning for RLW Operations

The application of Remote Laser Welding (RLW) has become an attractive assembly technology in various branches of industry, as it offers higher efficiency at lower costs compared to traditional Resistance Spot Welding (RSW) when high volumes of sheet metal assemblies are to be produced. However, the introduction of RLW technology raises multiple new issues in designing the configuration, the layout, and the behavior of the assembly system. Since configuring an RLW workstation and planning the welding process are closely interrelated problems, a hierarchical decision process must be applied where configuration and planning go hand in hand. The paper presents a hierarchical workflow forworkstation configuration and process planning for RLW operations, and proposes methods for solving the decision problems related to each step of this workflow. A software toolbox is introduced that has been developed to facilitate a semi-Automatic, mixed-initiative workstation design and t o guide the expert user throughout the configuration, planning, programming, evaluation, and simulation of the RLW workstation. A case study from the automotive industry is presented, where the software tools developed are applied to configuring and planning the behavior of an RLW workstation that replaces RSW technology in assembling a car door