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DISCOVER May 1/2005
Flexible Festo Didactic production system in Thailand
Didactics Model for Masters Courses
A matter of honour: Dr. Heinrich von Pierer (center) at the launch of the Festo Didactic
Flexible Manufacturing System at the TGSS |
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Since November 2004, the Thai-
German Graduate School of Engineering
(TGGS) has a new
building. The many guests at
the ceremonial laying of the foundation
stone for the new building, on the
campus of King Mongkut's Institute of
Technology in North Bangkok, included
the industry partners of the education
and research institute. Guests
of honor from politics and industry included
Thai Deputy Prime Minister
H.E. Phinij Jarusomba, German
Federal Minister for Economics
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Labor Wolfgang Clement,
and Dr. Heinrich von Pierer, former
CEO and current Chairman
of the Supervisory Board
at Siemens AG.
The laboratory is equipped
with a Festo (Siemens partner
in didactics) Didactic
Flexible Manufacturing System
for training participants
from regional indusretry.
All guests were impressed by the
high educational standard of the facility,
which is comparable to international
standards.
Partnership for success
The TGGS has been offering four-semester
international M.Sc. courses
since 2002. The TGSS was founded in
2001 as a center for industry-oriented
academic engineering education, technology
development, and economic
partnership between Thailand and
Germany. Its German partner institution
is the Aachen University of Technology
(RWTH).
Simatic PCS 7 in Switzerland
The Cutting Edge of Technology
Up-to-date,
true-to-life
training with
the Simatic
PCS 7 process
control system:
Pilot rectification
plant at the
Zurich University
of Applied
Sciences
Winterthur |
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At the Zurich University of Applied
Sciences Winterthur
(ZHW), great importance is
attached to state-of-the-art
and industry-relevant education. For
this reason, the university has recently
chosen to install the process control
system PCS 7 as the control unit for its
pilot rectifying plant.
Around 150 students are currently
registered on the three-year course in
biology and biological chemistry at
ZHW. Distillation and rectification, or
the complete breakdown of fluids into
their component elements, is one of
the fundamental procedures covered
on the course. Using the pilot rectifying
plant enables students to become
more familiar with the "real" dimensions
of the application. "Students can
see the effects of their own manipulations.
Many find the sheer size of the
rectifying plant fascinating – and it
therefore commands a certain respect", explains Professor Thomas
Spielmann, lecturer at the ZHW and responsible
for the new process control
system. It is also hoped that PCS 7 will
improve cooperation between the different
programs of study:
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For example,
students in mechanical engineering
also work with Simatic, which
means that these students also come
into contact with the rectifying plant as
a part of their studies, and thus gain
basic skills in using the equipment.
The new process control system was
put into operation in mid May.
Successful education in Switzerland
A Swiss Education
| Collaboration with Swiss institutes of higher education also plays a
major role for Automation & Drives (A&D). Several years ago, as a
part of the "Siemens Automation Cooperates with Education" (SCE)
program, a range of projects was initiated with the aim of informing
students and teachers alike of the latest developments in automation
technology. Since then, strong partnerships have been |
Prüfung der neuen Kursinhalte |
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established at all levels of education, from traditional and technical universities to technical and vocational colleges.
Hans Menzi, responsible
for SCE at A&D Switzerland,
identifies the problem
at the heart of the education
situation: "In practice, it is
often the case that graduates are
highly-qualified young people,
but unfortunately they are not up
to date with the latest technologies.
The short innovation cycles
present educational institutions
with a real challenge." To help the
Swiss institutions meet this challenge,
a few years ago Menzi and
his colleagues began to set up targeted
projects for more intensive, hands-on
communication of the latest knowledge
in the area of automation. As is
now being demonstrated, they have
achieved great success.
At all levels
In addition to technical education colleges,
specialist secondary colleges,
and vocational colleges, A&D also supports
the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology (ETH) in Zurich and Lausanne.
In collaboration with Professor
Dr. A. H. Glattfelder, a laboratory in
Zurich has been equipped with the
process control system PCS 7 and the
process visualization system Simatic
WinCC. In Lausanne, A&D organizes an
"Automation Day" for electronics students,
with lectures by experts from
the industry. At the Zurich University
of Applied Sciences in Winterthur
(ZHW), with Professor Urs Glauser,
A&D provides laboratory equipment,
and also offers support for diploma
dissertation students. Thanks to
Siemens worldwide network, an exchange
program has even been set up
between the ZHW and the Georgia Institute
of Technology (USA). Siemens
has also played an important role in
the realization of three national Profi-
net competence centers in Switzerland
(ZHW, BFH, SUPS1).
Real-world contacts
In particular due to the close relationship
with practical experience, A&D has
also won partners in the Swiss specialist
secondary vocational colleges (formerly
known as technical colleges).
"The collaboration with Siemens is also
very important for us", explained
Thomas Zürcher from the specialist
college HFT Biel. "The labs were
quickly and competently equipped,
and we can count on support from A&D
at any time." A&D also maintains intensive
contact with vocational colleges.
At this level in particular, the
company demonstrates its experience
in continuing and further education
for teachers. Despite its status as a private
company, Siemens Switzerland
has been selected as a partner of the
Swiss Institute of Educational Science
(SIBP) to organize further education
courses for teachers. As a "pioneer" in
teacher development, A&D Switzerland
is responsible for the content of
the PLC courses and for the choice of
speakers, who must be able to demonstrate
the requisite industry experience
in the area of automation technology.
Simatic PCS7 and TIA in the USA
Education with a World-Class Brand
Professor Dr. Oscar
D. Crisalle and two of his
students conducting an
experiment at the PCS 7 plant |
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With almost 50,000 students,
the University of Florida in
Gainesville is one of the largest
and best-renowned universities
in the US. The Georgia Institute
of Technology (GA Tech) in
Atlanta, Georgia, also ranks
among the top ten universities in
the country for research
activities. With the implementation
of the process control
system Simatic PCS 7 and Totally
Integrated Automation (TIA),
both universities are now setting
international benchmarks in
education standards. |
In terms of size alone, the faculty of
chemical engineering at the University
of Florida is in a class of its
own, with over 500 registered students.
Every year, around 100 of these
students carry out experiments in the
Unit Operations Laboratory as a practical
component of their chemical engineering
course. As a part of its introduction
to experimental methods and
the basic principles of applied control
engineering, the faculty laboratory is
equipped with two industrial-
size distillation
columns and a large dimensioned
double evaporation
system. Simatic
PCS 7 version 6.1 has
been in use for some time as a process
control platform for the two experimental
systems.
Practical, industry-relevant learning
By using PCS 7, students can experiment
with the distillation columns and
evaporation system. This enables them
to grasp the theoretical principles of
mass movement and heat transfer in a
practical, industry-oriented, hands-on
environment. It is also possible to operate
the system from the student residences
using the integrated Web navigator.
Professor Dr. Oscar D. Crisalle,
one of the staff members responsible
for purchasing the PCS 7, is impressed
with the controls: "Simatic PCS 7 really
is a world-class system, which is perfectly
suited to all the key requirements
of an academic laboratory."
Good Ticket for Georgia
Simatic PCS 7 and TIA are also used in
research and teaching at the Georgia
Institute of Technology, where researchers
in the mechanical engineering
faculty are studying the movement
characteristics of a crane that can lift
loads of up to 10 tons. This research is
part of an innovative project to develop
algorithms for the elimination of vibrations.
In order to study the detrimental
effects of vibrations, around 50
students on the "System Dynamics und
Controls" course are working with the
system controlled by Simatic. A further
12 students are taking the senior level
practical course, which involves research
work requiring three months of
experiments on the crane. Approximately
15 students on the "Advanced
Controls" course are using the crane to
develop and test advanced control algorithms.
Staff in Georgia are also enthusiastic
about the new controls. "The apparatus
provided by Siemens has enabled us to
equip our crane with the best oscillation
control system in the world", explains
Professor Dr. William E. Singhose,
who has overall responsibility for
the project.
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