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Smart Learning Factory

The Purdue Smart Learning Factory is a microcosm of modern industrial manufacturing environments, demonstrating end-to-end production that utilizes the latest technologies of Industry 4.0 and beyond. 

Educational Application

From smart warehousing to collaborative human-robot assembly, students will experience not only the physical flow of raw materials into components and fully assembled products, but also the digital flow of data required within and outside of the connected factory.  The facility is intelligently monitored and controlled by IoT connected devices, optimized by local and cloud AI and machine learning algorithms, and protected by OT cybersecurity solutions. 

The Smart Learning Factory is a state-of-the-art teaching facility with opportunities for graduate studies, academic research, and industry collaborations.  A digital twin of the factory is being developed to provide a virtual sandbox for student experimentation, and their best improvements will be implemented physically in the real-world systems. 

Available Equipment

  • Smart Warehousing

    • Addverb Technologies Dynamo 200 and Veloce – Autonomous mobile robots for automated component transportation, storage, and retrieval
  • Component Manufacturing

    • Milacron Q90 – 90-ton injection molding machine
    • Haas VF4SS with Phillips Meltio Integration – 3+2 vertical machining center with metal additive capabilities
    • Markforged Mark Two – 3D printing of composite base filament with options for continuous fiber reinforcement
  • Fully Automated Assembly Cell

    • Epson Robots – Scara and 6-axis robots demonstrating hands-off, high-batch production
    • Connected Workers Assembly Line
    • Connected Worker Cells – Seven modular worker stations designed for the flexibility of high-customization, low-batch production
    • Universal Robots Cobots – Collaborative robots for human-robot interactions within a shared workspace
    • LightGuide Systems – Projection-based system for displaying work instructions and tracking operator actions
    • Promach Shuttleworth Conveyance – Three-lane conveyor with slip-torque technology and production pallet tracking
  • Digital Infrastructure

    • Flexware Innovation SparkMES – Manufacturing execution system that manages all devices and material flow on the factory floor
    • Addverb Technologies Warehouse and Fleet Management Systems – Software that oversees the logistics of smart storage and retrieval
    • Microsoft Azure Cloud and On-Premises Computing – Platforms to deploy data collection and data analytics, including AI and machine learning
    • Fortinet Industrial Cybersecurity – Solutions for OT security and the OT-IT convergence
    • Digital Twin – A virtual copy of the Smart Learning Factory for testing and prototyping
Campus/Location Facility Location Faculty Contact
West Lafayette DUDL 4353 Grant Richards, Stephen Musick, Ragu Athinarayanan