Design - Collaborative Automation | T7013T

How it works

As part of this course, students from the mechanical engineering and engineering design programs collaborate with companies to find solutions to automation challenges with a focus on collaborative robot cells. This solution provides the opportunity to create efficient sustainable production solutions where humans and robots work together.

In the course, students develop the ability to apply robotic and ergonomic simulation for analysing production cells. The project tasks, a total of about 60 hours per student, are about developing a solution for an existing manual production cell, from current situation analysis to new concepts for collaborative automation. In this work, the above-mentioned simulation tools are applied to verify and visualize different concepts taking into account both social and economic sustainability.

What does the client/company get?

Resource: 200 person-hours per group of 3 to 4 students who are at the end of the fifth year of the civil engineering program in mechanical engineering and the fourth year of technical design, with a focus on production. Supervision of various experts within the university.

Period: mid-April to the end of May

Deliverables from projects:

• Simulation and analysis of existing production solution with proposals for work environment and productivity improvements.
• New concept based on collaborative robots
• Project report
• Presentation material
  

What results can I expect as a client?

The work is done in such a way that the students choose a topic to study in depth. Students also have the opportunity to discuss their choice of topic with potential supervisors at a workshop. The writing of the thesis includes (at least) four submission and thus review sessions. As soon as possible, a draft outline and purpose should be submitted to the supervisor for assessment. Once the focus of the work has been determined, supervision is provided as needed. After about seven weeks, the student submits a rough manuscript. After review, the supervisor decides whether the thesis is ready for the final seminar. If so, a revised final manuscript is submitted to the supervisor and opponent. After corrections, the thesis is sent to the examiner who makes a final review. The thesis is then e-published.

What is required of the client?

• Act as an external client/client for the students
• Formulate questions based on current needs
• Provide a contact person to whom the students can turn with questions and act as a sounding board during the project.

How does cooperation work

Teachers and companies examine whether it is possible to formulate a suitable assignment. Students and companies are then responsible for further defining the assignment. Teachers guide the students in the work, which is carried out at Luleå University. The students collect information through study visits to the company and/or through other contact with the company. The assignment ends with a written report and oral presentation at the university and at the company if desired.

Examples of previous projects

Development of a production solution - Berendsen

• The company delivers rental and laundry service of work clothes, carpets, cleaning equipment and textiles.
• Project task: The area that was focused on was the handling of carpets as this is done manually today and has a large load for the worker. Resulting in a number of solutions that are expected to provide improved ergonomics and increased productivity as well as a more far-reaching solution.

Goods handling at Willy's, Storheden

• Handling and packing of goods in customer bags can be an ergonomically unsuitable and inefficient process, something that is becoming more apparent with the increasing e-commerce.
• Project task: Willy's wants help to analyse the current situation in order to identify and project areas of improvement. The students' work responded to this and also resulted in a future-oriented robotic solution.

• Syllabus T7013T Digital Factories External link, opens in new window.

Expression of interest

• Register your interest here External link, opens in new window.
  (Opens in Swedish)