Machines for Industry 4.0 in Higher Education

Abstract

Industry 4.0 is the concept coined to refer to the fourth industrial revolution; it is an ecosystem where several digital technologies converge to generate products and services of high added value. Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality (AR) and Additive Manufacturing (AM) are key elements of Industry 4.0. Nowadays, jobs demand on engineer’s skills in such technologies. Unfortunately, in current academic programs the digital technologies of Industry 4.0 are not part of the curriculum yet. This paper shows how to incorporate IoT, AR and AM technologies into a pair of experiments of mechatronics laboratories, and therefore build industry 4.0 machines with the support of free and open resources. Two study cases are presented: an automotive transmission gearbox and an extruder machine. The experimentation demonstrates the feasibility of developing competencies during students’ hands-on activities, in the framework of the IoT, AR and AM, in a simple way and low cost.