Marco Troncossi

TAILOR: Technology and Automation for Industry LabORatory

The TAILOR laboratory is the result of the long-term collaboration between the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Bologna and the Company Siropack Italia.
To support the applied research based on the synergy between University and Industry, Siropack provided the Department with a 300 m2 area in its industrial plant.
The collaboration, established in a framework agreement, is to include: (i) assets and instrumentation; (ii) joint research activities; (iii) advanced courses; (iv) support to teaching activity; (v) promotion of national and international partnerships; (vi) dissemination and knowledge transfer.

TAILOR MISSION
In the current industrial context, where the impulse toward automation is increasingly rapid and pervasive, the research focused on innovation is fundamental to guarantee technological development and Company competitiveness. In this context, characterized by a highly dynamic approach, TAILOR laboratory offers the necessary characteristics to support and boost innovation: (i) involvement of Professors and young Researchers from the University of Bologna to carry out advanced researches on pioneering technologies; (ii) proposal, development, and application of cutting edge solutions, through the direct involvement of Companies, resulting in immediate knowledge transfer.

TAILOR VOCATION
The main and fundamental objective of TAILOR is the support to teaching activity. In a laboratory, where concrete and not obvious problems occur, the active practice allows a complementary and integrative educational activity to University and facilitates the acquisition of a specific competence for the industrial context. Specifically, in TAILOR laboratory, the education of professional figures will be carried out at different levels: (i) training of Engineering students through the through experimental practice; (ii) introduction of students into the industrial sector through internship and Degree thesis; (iii) high qualification research activities for PhD students; (iv) development of advanced competences for workers.
TAILOR is not only an industrial research laboratory, but it is a tailored centre where new talents have the opportunity to develop and employ scientific excellence, curiosity and passion about industrial innovation. The name TAILOR comes from laboratory vocation. The name suggests the idea of a laboratory intended as a prolific environment where the practice makes it possible to learn a job, enhancing awareness and responsiveness.

COLLABORATION WITH SIROPACK
The collaboration between the University of Bologna and Siropack, within TAILOR laboratory, includes the research actually conducted by 2 PhD students and 3 Professors, who work in the following sectors: Industrial Mechanical Systems Engineering; Mechanics of Machines;Mechanical Design and Machine Construction.
In the short term, the research will be focused on the development of automation in the mechanical sector, with specific reference to: (i) end-of-life extension of products through condition-based and predictive maintenance; (ii) design of mechanisms with high performance; (iii) prototyping and experiment in test benches in laboratory; (iv) definition of advanced control strategies for industrial robot and collaborative robots; (v) development of innovative plant solutions, through design, realization and test of prototypes in laboratory; (vi) system and plant integration to improve the efficiency of the resource use; (vii) integration of systems for rapid prototyping and 3D printing in the production process.

COLLABORATION WITH OTHER COMPANIES
With the mission to boost innovation in SMEs and big Companies, TAILOR offers the opportunities to develop specific research projects with the aim to satisfy different Company needs. Some collaborations with other Companies has already started: (i) implementation of a robotic cell, where two innovative industrial robots work together to solve recognition and traceability problems; (ii) implementation of test benches with innovative mechanical, electric and pneumatic components; (iii) management and control of assets, machines and processes through new-gen software.