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SCHUNK News
SCHUNK receives award for future-oriented training
With the competition "Industry 4.0 Talents", the Allianz Industrie 4.0 Baden-Württemberg" (Alliance Industry 4.0 of Baden-Wuerttemberg) honors innovative projects for the digitalization of training in industry. The network awarded SCHUNK for its project "Digital Twin in Training". For this purpose, trainees from different areas jointly developed four digital twins of computer-controlled production machines. They can now use these for programming in production.
For the first time, the Allianz Industrie 4.0 Baden-Württemberg was looking for "Industry 4.0 talents" within the federal state – and found them at SCHUNK. The family-owned company for gripping systems and clamping technology won over the jury with its project "Digital Twin in Training". The newly launched competition honors companies that focus on innovative learning formats, structured training programs or implementation projects related to Industry 4.0 in the area of training.
An important criterion is that the companies actively involve the trainees or students in the process. The network initiated and funded by the State Ministry of Baden-Wuerttemberg for Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing Construction aims to illustrate the implementation of Industry 4.0 projects in training with this ongoing competition. Its coordination office is located at the VDMA (Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) e.V. Baden-Württemberg.
Trainees from the areas of IT, cutting mechanics and mechatronics at SCHUNK worked as a team to create virtual images of computer-controlled production machines (CNC machines) for the "Digital Twin in Training" project. To do this, with the help of their instructors, they mirrored the data, algorithms and sensors of the real CNC machines onto digital infoboards they built themselves. Until now, these were used to make content such as the SCHUNK intranet, the MLS digital learning platform and the digital report book accessible to the trainees. This resulted in two digital twins for the lathe area and two for the milling area.
The CNC machine and its digital twin: In the "Digital Twin in Training" project, SCHUNK trainees developed four digital twins of computer-controlled manufacturing machines. With more virtual copies, more trainees can now practice programming on their own machine.
More machines to program
The digital twins are now being used in training. The four additional machines will allow more apprentices to work on their own machine instead of sharing CNC machines for practice. With more virtual copies, the trainees also learn in a real environment at an early stage without being afraid of making mistakes. Because even if there is a programming error, no damage can occur here.
If everything works with the program simulated on the digital twin, it can later be transferred to the real machine. The mobile digital copies also enable mutual learning: If the CNC machine and digital twin are next to each other, the more advanced trainee on the CNC machine can help the beginner on the digital copy with programming without always having to call in the instructor.
On February 22, SCHUNK received the "Industry 4.0 Talents" award at a digital awards ceremony. The company is therefore one of the first winners of the competition. This is actually the second time that the Allianz Industrie 4.0 Baden-Württemberg has honored the manufacturer of gripping and clamping systems. In 2017, SCHUNK was already one of the "100 locations for Industry 4.0 in Baden-Wuerttemberg". At that time, the network honored companies and facilities that had successfully implemented digitalization solutions into their daily operations.
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