Industrial engineering

group leader

prof. Boženko Bilić, PhD

associates

prof. emer. Ivica Veža, PhD
assoc. prof. Nikola Gjeldum, PhD
assoc. prof. Marko Mladineo, PhD
Amanda Aljinović Meštrović, PhD
Marina Crnjac Žižić, PhD
Andrej Bašić, MSc Forens.

Research topics

  1. Application of multiple-criteria decision analysis in the improvement of design, production, logistics and service systems and processes.
  2. Research of modern organizational principles of “Lean, Green and Digital management” and case studies in enterprises with which there is already cooperation.
  3. Further development of the Learning Factory at FESB, modeled on the leading laboratories in Europe Union countries, which is adapted to local needs.
  4. Further development of CNC milling machine: robust spindle holder modeling and manufacturing, closing of working space for noise and particles pollution reduction, and development of rotating table.
  5. Development of I4.0/5.0 demonstration laboratory segments.
  6. Development of the M2M (Machine-To-Machine) communication based on the MQTT protocol.
  7. Management of assembly systems using specially developed management algorithms based to complexity indicators within the assembly system.
  8. Modeling and simulation of real assembly processes by creating digital twins, using robots, sensors, actuators, IoT platforms (Internet of Things) and Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software.
  9. Development of decision support procedure for the MMAL balancing process that includes the integration of assembly complexity indicator.
  10. Establishing the correlation between assembly complexity indicator and MMAL balancing problems.
  11. Quality management in the Industry 4.0/5.0.
  12. Activities regarding the membership in International Association of Learning Factories (IALF).
  13. Activities regarding to the ERASMUS+ Project ExCurS.
  14. Development of mechanized servo drived conveyor.

Description of laboratory and equipment

The Laboratory for Industrial Engineering and the Laboratory for measuring forms, dimensions and positions have the following equipment used for teaching and scientific research:

  • server with 8 computers
  • plotter
  • 80 Siemens PLM licenses (CAD-NX, Technomatix, Teamcenter)
  • 3D printer (2 pcs.)
  • 3D scanner
  • 3D television with 3D glasses
  • Pick by light warehouse support system
  • FESTO pick & place assembly cells
  • 6 assembly tables for the gearbox assembly line with supermarkets
  • conveyor belt for the gearbox assembly line
  • four assembly tables
  • assembly monitoring and management system based on RFID and RPi technology with LCD displays
  • FRANKA collaborative robot
  • automated guided vehicle (AGV) with automatic unloading system
  • 5 VisTable software licenses for 3D production system design
  • partly developed CNC milling machine tool
  • various measuring instruments
  • table for simulations with Arduino equipment

Contacts with academic and other institutions

  • Fraunhofer – IPK, Berlin, Germany
  • Fraunhofer – IPA, Stuttgart, Germany
  • Fraunhofer – ISI, Karlsruhe, Germany
  • RWTH WZL, Aachen, Germany
  • Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland
  • Reutlingen University, ESB Business School, Reutlingen, Germany
  • Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
  • Vienna University of Technology, Austria
  • University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
  • University of Mostar, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Computing and Electrical Engineering (FSRE), Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Serbia
  • University of Kragujevac, Serbia
  • Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
  • Kaiserslautern University of Technology (RPTU), Germany
  • University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FS), Slovenia
  • Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan
  • Univerity of Ulsan, South Korea
  • Ansbach University of Applied Sciences, CETPM Institute, Herrieden, Germany
  • King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • University of Cádiz, Polytechnic School of Algeciras, Spain
  • University of Aveiro, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Portugal
  • ESME School of engineering, Paris, France
  • Polytechnical Institute of Coimbra (IPC), Portugal
project title

Intelligent assembly line (INTEMON)

Description of research in a 5-year term

Research on modern organizational principles of “Lean, Green and Digital management”, and case studies from companies with which there is already cooperation will continue.

Also, the development and integration of product configurators into the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system will continue, so that the customer defines his product via the Web interface, and receives a whole range of relevant information about the product, delivery time, delivery and installation, as feedback. The configurator should be integrated in the system for managing and monitoring the gearboxes assembly.

One of the most important goals is the further development of the Learning Factory at the FESB, modeled similar to the leading laboratories in Europe, and adapted to regional needs. The aim is to provide students at the Faculty an insight into the real sector, as well as to enable them to gain practical experience on processes and work in the sector. Also, one of the goals is the possibility of attracting employees from the real sector for training to apply the principles of “Lean, Green and Digital management” and concepts related to the new industrial platform – Industry 4.0/5.0.

One of the key elements of the “Learning Factory” is the Intelligent Assembly Line, which, in addition to providing the opportunity to educate students in the field of Lean management, will also serve to demonstrate the concept of Industry 4.0/5.0. Elements that make this possible are an robot arm, an industrial RFID production monitoring system, and specially developed low-cost sensor systems for production and warehouse monitoring. It is planned to automate the bottleneck process on the gearbox assembly line with electromechanical elements.

Throughout the next period, the possibilities and advantages of using digital twins as one of the important segments of Industry 4.0/5.0 will be researched. An environment will be developed for simple modeling and simulation of assembly processes (using Tecnomatix software), rapid creation of digital twins and their testing using real assembly processes (using available IoT platforms such as the Arduino platform, sensors, actuators, automatically guided vehicles, robots and other laboratory equipment). The aforementioned research will also focus on optimization of modeled assembly processes, with the aim of integrating newly developed algorithms into digital twins.