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Modular Open-Source Platform for Industrial Automation Education

Company: PSU Department of Industrial & Mechanical Engineering

Major(s):
Primary: IE
Secondary: EE
Optional: CMPEN, CMPSC, ME

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

The Harold & Inge Marcus Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University is launching a new course in industrial automation and robotics. They are seeking a low-cost, open, and modular tabletop training platform that supports hands-on learning in industrial control systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), system integration, and digital twins. Existing commercial training systems demonstrate similar capabilities but are expensive, closed source, and difficult to modify or service for academic use, limiting their suitability for iterative prototyping and student experimentation. The student team will design and prototype an MVP tabletop production cell that sorts small colored cylinders representing workpieces in a manufacturing line. Key requirements include modular and reconfigurable mechanical design, predominantly 3D-printed or easily fabricated components, low assembly complexity, 24V PLC compatibility, minimized custom electronics, and sourcing of all major components from established suppliers. Core deliverables include: (1) a working physical prototype, (2) full documentation (CAD, BOM, assembly drawings, and source code), and (3) a digital twin modeled in ProtoTwin. Stretch goals include multi-size LEGO sorting, a bulk hopper with automatic singulation, and interoperability with other tabletop cells to create an end-to-end automated workflow. Total build cost should target ~$100 with a maximum of ~$500.