At Ohio University (OHIO) in Athens, OH, a team of professors is undertaking the creation of a virtual factory thanks to a new grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The project’s purpose is to create a virtual reality factory for an apprenticeship training model. Students in the program will receive a professional-level experience using digital tools without the need for or the expense of a physical factory.
Particularly in manufacturing, workforce education has not been technology-based. It traditionally takes place in the field and involves in-person instruction, one-on-one apprenticeship, and printed manuals. There exists a growing skills gap in trained, qualified workers. To solve this, higher education institutions are stepping in to fill the gap and programs are being developed that employ augmented and virtual reality to teach workers new skills.
The team developing the virtual factory at OHIO is led by Dr. Jesús Pagán, an associate professor in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. The grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded Pagán and his team $295,643 toward their project, which aims to benefit the Appalachian region of Ohio and will promote accessible career-oriented training. Plans are for the virtual factory to be available for students in Spring 2022.
“The project planning stage has been completed,” said Dr. Pagán. “We are reviewing some documents and started the analysis and documentation process for the design and creation of our CAD models. All necessary digital twin components will have to be uploaded and verified before a functional virtual smart factory can be integrated. We expect to have a prototype ready by the beginning of the Fall semester 2021 that we can use for curriculum piloting and then deploy it in a course for the Spring semester 2022.”
The technology involved in establishing the virtual factory will allow students to receive high-level training from virtually anywhere. “The work and development [of the project] are being done here on the Athens campus, but students can access the system remotely. The application being used is a cloud-based emulation platform and multiple devices using various communication protocols can connect and control the virtual smart factory,” Pagán explained. Although the need for this type of software existed before the pandemic, “COVID-19 has accelerated the implementation and use of digital tools in order to solve manufacturing issues,” he added.
The university isn’t starting from scratch with the project, and the goal is for the virtual factory environment to eventually lead to hands-on experience in the field. Students will be able to utilize the program to gain professional experience, and they will be able to do so at their own pace. “Our plan is to model existing systems from partner industrial and educational institutions. Students should be able to use the virtual smart factory system to start learning remotely,” Dr. Pagán exlained. “Towards the end of their course experience, we hope students will be able to visit the partner institutions to experience the real physical factory, but if transportation or access is an issue, we plan to connect remotely. We are also planning to introduce VR and AR technology that can be used with the virtual smart factory.”
As for the industries initially targeted in OHIO’s virtual factory project, “the systems we are looking at are general industrial applications using robots,” Pagán said, “and they can be classified in four or five major areas: CNC machining operations, machine tending operations, laser etching or serialization operations, assembly operations, and packaging operations. We will also be looking at conveyor systems in sorting and distribution operations.”
The goal set by Dr. Pagán and his team, including Dr. Yuqiu You and Dr. Gursel Suer of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, is to use this new technology to accelerate workforce development training for the Appalachian region while meeting and exceeding industry recognized credentials. To this end, the university is collaborating with the Appalachian Ohio Manufacturers Coalition (AOMC) on the project. Both students and employers will benefit from this program, with one of the main advantages being OHIO’s ability to provide virtual access to equipment in automation, robotics, machines, and other resources in an industrial remote environment.
Ohio University is an educational member of the AOMC, a nonprofit with the mission of developing manufacturer-led solutions in partnership with education, workforce, and economic development that motivate and prepare students and incumbent workers through skills, training, and credentials to enter and advance in manufacturing careers. Working together, OHIO and the AOMC will identify students to participate in the virtual training—both new students and individuals currently in the workforce who need additional or advanced training—as well as provide assistance in finding placement for students who complete the program.
“We reached out to AOMC for support and guidance in this grant. They agree to help us by participating as a member of our advisory board,” Pagán said.
Linn Yost, AOMC president, said,“I am excited about the possibilities to help uplift our region while educating and preparing a modern workforce.”
“This industry is moving forward with changes in technology and it is also being affected by COVID-19. Our project will be providing a platform for easy integration of tools which will allow the manufacturing community to plan, deploy, and optimize systems in a virtual environment before or while development and implementation are being executed,” Pagán said. “Training of a workforce that is able to work in this environment will be a crucial part of the transformation process.”
Pagán’s project will target eight counties in southeast Ohio to leverage existing infrastructure and develop virtual assets that can strengthen workforce learning. “The region we are targeting is falling behind in the engineering industry despite economic development efforts. This program has been designed to create opportunities for the underserved Appalachian region by providing access and unique resources to those stepping into and working in the industry,” he said. “At this point, we are concentrating on the development and piloting of the virtual smart factory. The numbers may be small at first—10 to 20 students and mostly Ohio University students—but we hope, upon a successful deployment, to scale up quickly and share our experiences going beyond our university.”
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