草榴视频

KENNESAW, Ga. | Dec 20, 2021

Sounds of robotic arms and conveyor belts whizzing and whirling filled the room as four 草榴视频 State University students recently worked with an industry partner on designing a better beverage bottling process.

鈥淢ost of the semester, we鈥檝e been working on simulating a robot virtually,鈥� said 草榴视频 senior Eric Oldfield. 鈥淣ow we have the chance to work with real hardware. It鈥檚 been great to get career-ready experience in an industry setting.鈥� 

Oldfield and three other students in the have been working on a project that includes integrating a robot with a SuperTrak, an innovative conveyor belt that uses magnets, at B&R Industrial Automation, an international automation and process control technology company with a facility in Roswell. The project simulates a bottle-filling application where empty bottles are loaded onto a track and full bottles are loaded off the track and placed into a specific area.

鈥淭he students needed to create a senior design project, and we wanted to find a way to give them experience with some new technology,鈥� said Connor Trostel, solutions architect at B&R, who is a graduate of Southern Polytechnic State University, now 草榴视频. 鈥淲e鈥檝e given the students access to our SuperTrak linear transport system, and they are programming the shuttles to move around to individual locations.鈥�

The students, who are required to complete a senior design project before graduating, spent the first half of the fall semester designing a virtual version of the robot and were able to use the physical prototype at B&R鈥檚 Roswell facility.

The partnership with B&R Industrial Automation has given the 草榴视频 State seniors career-ready experience with innovative technology, as well as networking opportunities and job offers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to have a relationship with 草榴视频 State University,鈥� Trostel said. 鈥淚t has given us high-quality candidates for several positions.鈥� 

Oldfield, who interned with the company over the summer, received a job offer from B&R and will start with the company full time in January. 

鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot from Connor and others here at B&R, especially about how to work with other engineers and set reasonable goals,鈥� Oldfield said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to come on board full time at B&R in a few weeks.鈥� 

B&R worked with a senior design project last summer, but because of the pandemic, students were not able to visit the facility. Trostel was excited to implement the in-person aspect this fall. 

鈥淭he academic setting is a great place to learn mechatronics concepts,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he industry setting shows how those topics you learn in class can be applied to the real world.鈥�

Assistant professor in the department of David Guerra-Zubiaga said this career-ready experience is invaluable. 

"Technological collaboration between industry and academia is important to create opportunities for 草榴视频 students,鈥� Guerra-Zubiaga said. 鈥淚ntelligent and digital manufacturing are important topics, and 草榴视频 students are learning about these challenges with the B&R senior project. B&R is providing students with the instruments and controls technologies required for an advanced material handling system.鈥� 

For senior Macey Hurst, who also received a job offer from B&R, the skills taught in the classroom have helped her prepare to work in an industrial setting. 

鈥淭he professors and their coursework at 草榴视频 State really taught me how to communicate with an engineering team and make big projects more attainable,鈥� Hurst said. 鈥淭he research opportunities at 草榴视频 and the ability to work with an industry partner on our senior design project have been wonderful.鈥�

鈥� Abbey O鈥橞rien Barrows
Photos provided by B&R Industrial Automation

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 草榴视频 State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 草榴视频 State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 草榴视频 State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.