Development of virtual reality machines to support training in automation

Abstract

Current market requirements in industrial sector have motivated the development and adoption of digital manufacturing software tools for control systems design, training, and process optimization to validate and ensure the production system ́s programming control and automation equipment. This practice, known as Virtual Commissioning, emulates the real process behavior in a computer software environment. This technology represents an opportunity for education where the virtual emulation of real processes can be used to equip Control and Automation laboratories where students can test, validate, and debug their control and automation strategies, contributing to student formation and solving the need of having costly, real industrial machinery to reinforce the understanding of classroom theory, with practice. This is an excellent option for universities without enough resources, mainly in developing countries, where laboratories are commonly equipped with improvised home made systems that don ́t represent what students will face in an industrial environment. The development of a general procedure of 6 stages (3D CAD creation, Conversion process, Assembly process, Animation process and VRM Validation process) for the creation of an automation simulation virtual final application called Virtual Reality Machine (VRM) is proposed. This application is oriented to automation and control training by it usage for automation and control laboratory equipping. Whose features of performance and free licensing make possible that VRM can be applied to education. Where can contribute to student’s formation and can be adopted even for low resource educational institutions.Finally an equipping solution for automation and control laboratoriesis proposed.VRM capabilities, scope, usage, and contribution to student’s formation are presented.