Learning Factory facts for kids

Learning factories are special places that look and feel like real factories. They are used for education, training, and research. Imagine a mini-factory where you can learn how things are made, practice new skills, and even invent new ways of working! Many of these learning factories have been built in universities and companies around the world.

What is a Learning Factory?

A learning factory combines two main ideas: 'learning' and 'factory'.

• 'Learning' means you develop new skills and knowledge.
• 'Factory' means it's a real-life place where products are made.

Experts from the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP) agree on a clear definition. A learning factory is a place where:

• You work on real-life tasks, like making a product from start to finish. This includes both technical steps and how the work is organized.
• The setup can be changed, just like a real production line.
• A real product is actually built.
• There's a special teaching plan that helps you learn by doing. You get hands-on experience right there in the factory.

Depending on what the learning factory is for, you might be teaching others, getting training yourself, or doing research to find new solutions. This helps people learn new skills or create new ideas. These factories also need a good plan to keep running smoothly.

Learning factories are different from "model factories" because they have a clear teaching plan and a way to keep operating for training.

History of Learning Factories

The idea of a 'learning factory' first started in the United States in 1994. The National Science Foundation (NSF) supported a group from Penn State University. They created a large space (2000 m²) with machines, tools, and materials. Students could work on real problems from industries in a realistic setting. This program even won an award in 2006 for being innovative in engineering education.

In Europe, more learning factories began to appear in the last ten years. One of the first was the 'Center for Industrial Productivity' (CiP) at the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany, started in 2007. In 2011, the 'European Learning Factories' group was formed, leading to more teamwork across Europe. By 2017, this group became the 'International Association of Learning Factories', including factories from all over the world.

Examples of Learning Factories

University Learning Factories

TU Darmstadt: Process Learning Factory CiP

The Process Learning Factory CiP at the Technische Universität Darmstadt helps people learn about lean production and Industrie 4.0. It opened in 2007. It acts like a small or medium-sized company, showing how raw materials are received, machined, checked for quality, assembled, and packed. Learners can try out lean methods and solve problems themselves. The factory can show different situations, from wasteful production to a very efficient, digital setup. They offer many learning modules that mix hands-on practice with classroom teaching.

Technische Universität Wien: Pilot Factory

The Pilot Factory at TU Wien focuses on Industrie 4.0. It's a real test environment with actual machines and production lines. They make a 3D printer that can be customized. This factory shows how processes can adapt, how people and machines work together, and how data can be used to improve things. Robots move materials, and workers get help from smart systems and sensors.

Stellenbosch University: Stellenbosch Learning Factory

The Stellenbosch Learning Factory at Stellenbosch University in South Africa offers training in lean operations and ergonomics. It's also a place for Industrie 4.0 research. They have a system to track products using RFID and show performance data in real-time. Their product is a model train set.

University of Windsor: iFactory

The iFactory at the University of Windsor in Canada focuses on integrated product systems and Industrie 4.0. They assemble desk sets and car parts. They use RFID tags to track processes and plan production. This factory is designed for research, teaching, and showing new ideas to students and companies. It was set up in 2011 and was the first of its kind in North America.

Université du Luxembourg: Operational Excellence Laboratory

The Operational Excellence Laboratory at the Université du Luxembourg helps companies try out lean tools and new Industrie 4.0 technologies. This includes things like RFID, augmented reality, and digital manuals. Engineering students also get training here. The factory is used to test how new technologies work in assembly lines. Their product is a hole puncher.

Technische Universität München: Learning Factory for Lean Production (LSP)

The Learning Factory for Lean Production (LSP) at the TU München focuses on lean production. They make a real gearbox with many different versions. The factory has areas for assembly, problem-solving workshops, and classroom teaching. It shows the whole process from logistics to packaging. Students learn how to turn an inefficient process into a lean one.

Ruhr-Universität Bochum: LPS Learning Factory

The LPS Learning Factory at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum was started in 2009. It focuses on lean production, Industrie 4.0, and using resources efficiently. They make bottle caps and other custom products using various machines, robots, and assembly stations. Many students practice exercises here each year, and the factory is also used for research projects.

Hochschule Reutlingen: Werk150

The Werk150 at ESB Business School is a real-world place for learning, developing, and researching. It has modern equipment for training students and researching new methods for adaptable work and logistics systems. The Werk150 acts like a model company, showing the whole process of making a product, from receiving materials to assembly and shipping. It also explores Industrie 4.0 ideas, using a "digital twin" (a virtual copy) that is linked to the real factory. This allows for planning, simulating, and monitoring production in real-time.

Dresden University of Technology: Process-to-Order Lab (P2O-Lab)

The P2O-Lab at the Dresden University of Technology is a learning factory that explores how to make products for fast-changing markets. It uses ideas from modularization, digitization, and artificial intelligence. The goal is to create a suitable production process directly from a customer's order using existing factory parts. The discoveries from this research are then used in teaching at the TU Dresden. Students and others can also get hands-on experience here through workshops.

Industry Learning Factories

MPS Lernplattform

Since 2011, the MPS Lernplattform at Daimler AG has been making different products to teach about lean production. It uses real factory parts and smaller models. It simulates parts of the car industry like the press shop, body shop, paint shop, assembly, and logistics. The products made during training, like roof control units or sun visors, can be reused. Experienced employees with teaching skills lead the training, which is 20% theory and 80% practice. They work with universities like TU Darmstadt.

Festo Learning Factory Scharnhausen

The Festo Learning Factory in Scharnhausen, run by Festo AG since 2014, focuses on four areas: mechanical processing, valve assembly, automation, and factory administration. They make pneumatic valves and valve terminals in four rooms. Over forty learning modules are offered at fourteen different workstations. The training is mainly for Festo employees, especially new workers and those wanting to improve their skills. Team leaders train the operators, and special "Train-the-trainer" modules have been developed. The training is always being updated with new products and processes.

How Learning Factories Help You Learn

Learning factories offer great ways to learn. Because they are so realistic, learners are often more interested and learn skills more easily. You can learn by solving problems, working on projects, or doing research. Learning by doing has big benefits compared to traditional classroom teaching. New methods and technologies can be used in real companies more easily. In a learning factory, you can practice without stopping a real production line in a company.

Learning factories are designed in three main ways:

• The first level plans the whole learning program and the factory's physical setup, including machines, processes, products, and people. It considers who will be learning and what the goals are.
• The second level designs the different learning modules. Each module can use different parts of the factory. This level structures how the learning happens.
• The third level focuses on the specific learning activities within each module. These activities can involve exploring, experimenting, organizing information, or reflecting. This level also plans how to prepare the factory and what learning materials will be used.

Challenges of Learning Factories

Even though learning factories are great, they also have some challenges. Planning, building, and running them needs a lot of money and people. Physical learning factories need a lot of space. Machines and other equipment must be bought and kept in good condition. Also, partners and staff need to be willing to take part. It's important to have a plan to keep the factory running for a long time.

Another challenge is that learning factories can only show a limited part of a real production environment. One learning factory cannot cover every challenge in every industry. They usually focus on specific industries, topics, or production processes. Their ability to show everything is limited.

See also

• Manufacturing
• Lean Production
• Competency
• Industrie 4.0