Innovative Research Model for the Integrated Design and Simulation of Robotic Cells in an Italian University - Industry Partnership

Many investigations and surveys on collaboration between Research and Industry in R&D activities have largely demonstrated western industries need to hold the globalization blast innovating design methods, developing new products/engineering processes and investing in advanced technologies. Such approach often requests the support of government institutions and results particularly demanding for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises which often suffer a lack of capital, time and human resources to invest in R&D activities. At the state of the art University and Research Institutes play a really important role to support enterprises in such challenging tasks. The present paper describes the experience realized at the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering of Modena to promote high-quality interdisciplinary research on design methodologies and robotics and to actually realize the tech-transfer toward the local industrial texture. Some existing laboratories were structured as a network into an High Tech District (HI-MECH), to offer specific competences on integrated design and simulation (SIMECH net-lab), while new hybrid structures (both academic and industrial) were founded to allow R&D engineers sharing experiences, knowledge and instruments with students and researchers on specific themes (La.P.I.S. - Integrated Design and Robotic Cell Simulation Lab). Working in such operating scenario, successful experiences were realized, carried out to design and prototype a new generation of robotic cells deeply based on virtual modelling and offline programming.