UT Knoxville students experience collaboration at the forefront of smart manufacturing through a program launched in April 2023 by the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE).
The East Tennessee Initiative for Smart Energy Management (ETISE) brings Engineering Vols together with participating regional companies in a program supported by the Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office of the Department of Energy (DOE), together with the UT Center for Industrial Service and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
“The program will create a regional model for technical assistance and workforce training to effectively integrate smart manufacturing in energy management systems into energy-related business practices,” said Mingzhou Jin, ISSE director and head of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE).
The ETISE team collected data through a survey of small and medium enterprise (SME) manufacturers in the East Tennessee region to gauge levels of smart manufacturing implementation for energy management and emission reduction. That info, together with their research results in the areas of smart energy management and decarbonization, helped them develop training, which began in the fall semester, for student consultants from industrial, mechanical, and electrical engineering disciplines.
Training covers smart manufacturing and energy-management techniques and terminology, understanding energy bill components, and applicable concepts such as power factors. It also includes workshops in utility bill analysis, economic analysis, and calculating power and lighting. These lessons prepare the students to assess each company’s situation.
“Before each one-day assessment visit, the students will do the data collection (e.g., energy bills) and initial analysis,” said Jin. “During the assistance visit, the students will meet company personnel, observe their orientations, do certain testing—such as thermal testing—and create suggestions for manufacturers to improve energy efficiency through smart manufacturing.”
The students provide companies with reports on their observations and recommendations, then follow up after six months.
“If appropriate, UT will provide further assistances through senior designs, graduate student projects, or further technical assistances through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) platform,” said Jin.
ETISE will offer technical assistance to three companies for fall 2023: Allison Boats, Dalen Products Inc., and Technical Response. ETISE will hold a one-day training and workshop for small and medium-sized manufacturers in the region on November 30 at ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility.
Plans are to expand the consultations for more than 12 companies in the region over the next two years, sharing the Engineering Vol spirit while giving students valuable, cross-discipline industry experience.
Contact
Randall Brown (865-974-0533, rbrown73@utk.edu)