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 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 and 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).  Information www.siemens.de/sce/partner 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 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: 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 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.  Information www.hftbiel.ch 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 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.  Information More information at: http://singhose.marc.gatech.edu/siemensGTL