The School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Johannesburg recently opened their doors for the 31st Southern African Universities Power Engineering Conference (SAUPEC). This prestigious conference focuses on power engineering, a crucial field that deals with the design, development, and maintenance of power systems as well as equipment. It plays a vital role in ensuring the reliable and efficient generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.

Festo Didactic, a global leader in technical education, sponsored this conference as part of its dedication to the advancements of teaching. The leading company is proud to contribute to a prominent platform that brings together experts in the field to share knowledge and advance the power engineering industry. During this conference, Festo exhibited its Cyber-Physical Factory, a cutting-edge system that utilises Industry 4.0 technologies. Attendees also had the opportunity to interact with their technical experts and learn more about this training system's technology. 

Cyber-Physical Factory

The Cyber-Physical Factory that was on display is a modular learning system for training in Industry 4.0. It authentically replicates the stations of a real production system, integrating relevant mechatronic and automation technologies. With its training flexibility and expandability, the CP Factory represents numerous aspects of the industry 4.0 value chain, including the integration of manufacturing divisions into digital production, automated and manual assembly, to mention a few. 

With the electricity shortage at its peak in South Africa, one of the key benefits that the CP Factory offers is its ability to measure the total energy system and the subsystems. The advanced system and subsystems allow the highest energy optimisation to be achieved. This, therefore, results in energy savings for the factory's owner and reduces the factory's energy input.

Festo learning systems are equipped with innovative industrial technologies so that the knowledge required for digital production can be imparted while simultaneously developing skills through hands-on trial and error. Due to its superior technology, Festo has become the performance leader in its industry. This success is attributed to its continuous innovations and problem-solving competence in various aspects of automation, as well as its unique and wide range of technical training and education programs.