Learning Journey to Rockwell Automation

On 3 Aug 2018, 18 participants comprising staff from Science Centre Singapore (STEM Inc.) and officers from the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD), MOE, attended a learning journey that was organized by Rockwell Automation.

On arrival, a brief introduction of Rockwell and the hosts was provided.

Participants were briefed on the safety precautions before making their way to the factory where the main bulk of the manufacturing processes takes place.

It was an eye-opener for all of them as they were guided through one section of the production line to the next.

What impressed them the most was how each raw material could be traced through barcodes and how seamless data management was as the lab supervisor demonstrated how easy it was to pull out real-time information from the production lines.

The next part of their learning journey took place at the Customer Experience Centre where they learnt how various products work together to make a connected enterprise.

Some of the featured technologies included augmented reality where a prototype model of a cookie packaging machine was shown and how it was linked to real-time monitoring control systems.

There was a demonstration of how real-time monitoring control systems would work in a typical Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition control centre system. And also, a demonstration of a light curtain and how it could act as a safety device.

The last part of their learning journey involved logical thinking as they were split into four teams each consisting of 4-5 persons.

They were tasked with a simulated mission of repairing a fictional robot and in order to successfully repair the robot, they had to satisfy a specific set of conditions.

It started off relatively easy until they had reached the third mission where the conditions to successfully repair the robot seemed to contradict. It was quite a while before the teams had managed to figure out how to tackle each set of conditions successfully.

A feedback session on how the learning journey could be tailored to suit the learning needs of the students was also conducted.

In this learning journey, the participants learned a number of things: the manufacturing processes that Rockwell Automation employs for their Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs); their various products; and insights into their Customer Experience Centre to get a sense of how their products worked together to make up a connected enterprise.

The learning journey concluded with a brief summary of what they had experienced before a group photo was taken.

Written by: Edmund Khee (Education Officer)