Lemgoer Modellfabrik: Innovationen der IT-basierten Automatisierungstechnik praktisch erproben und erlebbar machen

Automation technology is the leading discipline for the development of intelligent technical systems. However, it is a "hidden" technology that cannot be experienced directly. This circumstance leads, among other things, to acceptance problems in society up to the increasing problem of inspiring young people for automation-related courses of study. At the same time, research questions increasingly require a very good understanding of the system environment and a suitable environment to investigate research results with regard to their system conformity. Using the example of the Lemgo Model Factory, which is jointly operated by the Institute for Industrial Information Technology (inIT) of the OWL University of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer IOSB-INA in the Lemgo Centrum Industrial IT (CIIT), the advantages, but also the limitations of an elaborate apparative test field will be discussed. For the research areas of adaptable machines, i.e. the expansion or adaptation of machines with minimal setup time, the energy-optimized operation of machines and human-machine interaction, the benefits of a model factory for research questions and the resulting "tangibility" will be presented in this article.