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University of South Carolina preparing students for the factory of the future with Siemens solutions

Aerospace is the second-largest industry in South Carolina, with more than 500 aerospace- related companies in the state. The University of South Carolina supports the industry with the only aerospace engineering programs in the state. Offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees, the university is preparing students for exciting careers in aerospace and related engineering fields.

The University of South Carolina is also home to the Ronald McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research, founded in 2011 to support industry through aerospace education, research leadership and industry advancement. The current focus of the McNair Center’s core research includes composite materials and production methods, combustion, predictive maintenance, unmanned vehicles and digital transformation of industry.

In 2017, Siemens donated technology to the McNair Center, including product lifecycle management (PLM) software that perfectly aligns with the center’s focus on digital twin development and digital transformation.

“With Industry 4.0 we are moving to the next level,” says Dr. Ramy Harik, associate professor of mechanical engineering. “We are trying to create practical demonstrations for things such as cyber manufacturing, the digital twin, machine learning, the use of artificial intelligence and all of these elements. The goal is to introduce students, through these demonstrations, to what we call smart manufacturing. It is the integration of information technology and operational technology, where we start sensing equipment and collecting and analyzing data to enhance and optimize manufacturing and take it to the next level.”

[continue reading | source: MidlandsBiz]