Bogdan Rosca
Congratulations to our team members for winning third place in the Design & Manufacturing Competition 2022!!!
The project presented by our members consisted of the use of intelligent pneumatics in the construction of vehicles with air motors (CAV - Compressed Air Vehicle), an idea based on research, innovation, and creativity. The competition was a good opportunity to get in touch with the level of concerns and achievements in the field at a national level.
In November, the Faculty of Technological Engineering and Industrial Management Brasov, through the Department of Manufacturing Engineering organized the second edition of the National Student Design & Manufacturing Competition 2022. This competition aims to promote creativity in the manufacturing process, providing the engineering community with new perspectives in the conceptual development of products, and create, develop, and maintain a student forum to popularize new and innovative ideas.
Competition topics include:- Computer Aided Manufacturing/Robotics;
- Development of manufacturing systems and processes;
- Applications of new materials in automotive, aerospace, prototyping, and manufacturing;
- Software/hardware solutions contributing to the improvement of manufacturing processes.
There were 12 projects entered presenting models or mock-ups in the field of manufacturing science and engineering which were supported by 29 students under the guidance of 15 teachers. Participants were from six university centers: Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Robotics in Bucharest, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Robotics and Production Management in Cluj Napoca, Faculty of Engineering in Galati, Faculty of Managerial and Technological Engineering in Oradea, Faculty of Machine Building and Industrial Management in Iasi, Academy of Land Forces in Sibiu and Faculty of Technological Engineering and Industrial Management in Brasov.
After a long covid break, the organizing company Emerson could once again invite student teams to Hungary to compare their strengths and compressed air-powered vehicles. Thirteen teams took to the start line to compete in three disciplines: the Long distance race, where the vehicle that travels the longest distance on a single cylinder wins, the Arcade race, where the aim is to complete three laps of the circuit as quickly as possible, and the Drag race, which is won by the fastest vehicle over a 220-metre timed course.
The team “UPBAIR” passed the organisers’ entry check and qualifying without a single problem.
Next year the team has two races coming up. In addition to the classic race in Hungary, the organizers want to organize a competition in Germany.
How did the team and their car do?
Long distance: 8th place
Arcade race: not finished
Drag race: 10th place
Teacher's race: 12th placeThe team of talented young students reached the goal they had set for themselves: they are the first team of the Politehnica University of Bucharest to qualify for the races Long distance and Drag race.…
Today, 15 July 2022, the first online course on the use of the PAC Machine Edition software platform took place.
The course was organized by SPL together with Emerson UK and Emerson/Aventics Eger, Hungary.
The course was attended by Mihai Ghinea (SPL director) and students Vlad Hasciar (responsible for the Pneumatics IIoT experimental booth) and David Holociuc.
The trainers were Steven Ward and Zsolt Piukovicz. During the two hours of training, several modules were presented on how to use the software platform, and configure and program a PAC (Programmable Automation Controller).
The Smart Pneumatics Lab
The Smart Pneumatics Lab is placed in room CB110 in the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Robotics (FIER) and belongs to the Department of Robots and Manufacturing Systems. Its history begins in the ’80s as a computer center of the Department of Machine-Tools and Gears, one of the greatest academia and engineering departments. During the communist regime, between the ’70s and `80s, Romania was a great manufacturer of machine-tools, pushing the academia to create great engineers.
Following the revolution of 1989 until 2008, the laboratory had a purpose as a teaching facility for new disciplines that used the computer. Some of these disciplines were CAD Techniques and Computer Programming, disciplines that made a lot of UPB students participate in extracurricular activities. As time passed, the equipment has become obsolete, thus making the room unusable for modern teaching activities.
Things changed in 2008 when room CB110 became the first Technology Transfer Center in the Faculty of Engineering of Management and Technological Systems (FEMTS at that time). The Timișoara company Bibus SES, Romanian representative of Bibus AG, came up with a significant investment to bring students as close as possible to the engineers of employing companies. The main objective was to interface industry and academia with the help of this innovative, dynamic and private company who represented a very wide range of industry producers from all over the planet.
The Bibus Technology Center became a place where students made first contact with the industrial engineering market. They met many representatives of multinational companies new to the Romanian market. The investment of Bibus SES helped a lot of students to write their Bachelor’s projects or research papers, and at the same time, develop creativity and skills that later would be used by future engineers at work.
The UPBAIR team was born in 2017. This team has built a continuous research project and successfully won the annual participation at the international Pneumobile competition powered by Aventics in Eger, Hungary. The need to study and take a closer look at advanced pneumatic systems makes the laboratory upgrade in 2020, paving a new way into the field of pneumatic industry. Thanks to the help offered by the Aventics – Eger specialists, we began studying to create a complex experimental stand, aimed to help us understand better smart pneumatic systems. The integration of pneumatic systems through IIoT has become the main goal of our laboratory, and we are trying to bring as close as possible to industry students, graduate students, Ph.D. candidates and engineers.
PROJECT
The 2022 project coincided with the start of the development of the smart pneumatics IIoT experimental stand. In the desire to develop an engine with improved performance, the study of the behavior of pneumatic cylinders and gas consumption was considered absolutely necessary. In the next phase, the experimental stand will be equipped with a mechanical loading system for the pneumatic engine, so as to simulate all frictions and variations in additional weights.
COMPETITION
This year’s edition was a jubilant one, marking 15 years of Pneumobile. The new organizer, Emerson, decided that for the first time the competition would not be held in Eger, so the teams competed for the first time on the circuit in Kecskemet, near Budapest. 20 teams were invited but for various reasons only 11 were present. The team from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest was the only representative of Romania at this crossroads edition. Representatives of the Emerson company promised a complete change of the competition for future editions, with its organization in multiple European cities.
TEAM
Mihai Agud (PhD) – Team Leader
Preoteasa Mihail
Agud Mark
Nita Florin
Constantinescu Victor
COMPETITION
As the pandemic was still present in Europe, the organizers considered it impossible to physically organize the competition in Eger. As a compromise solution, it was proposed to organize an online edition, with special trials held at the participating universities. Films were then made of these trials and sent to the competition jury in September 2021. The circuit was built in the UPB courtyard, near the Aula, and was smoothly covered by the new team driver, Victor Constantinescu.
PROJECT
For this edition, the team built a new prototype, complying with the new regulations that imposed the development of prototypes with only 4 wheels. The PAC (Programmable Automation Controller) RSTi-EP CPE115 Standalone Controller was used for the first time for electronic control. There were some problems related to programming this PAC, but on the filming day the car performed impeccably.
TEAM
Dedinoiu Maria Ioana (Graduate)
Ungureanu Liviu (Graduate)
Stanciu Bianca (Undergrad)
Macovei Dragos (Undergrad)
Marin Flavius (Undergrad)
Competition
Compressed-air-powered vehicles – known as “pneumobiles” – designed and created by engineering students are competing at the annual event. The vehicles, which are based on Emerson’s AVENTICSTM pneumatics components, are tested for endurance, manoeuvrability and speed. This competition further demonstrates Emerson’s long-standing commitment to STEM programs that support the future workforce, including supporting over 350 academic institutions globally.
Project
This year’s project had the largest number of UPB students participating (14 of which 9 made the trip to Eger). This meant that the competition had become more attractive and was drawing more students towards applied engineering. With a new, more aerodynamic design, the prototype achieved the best results so far (4.3 km covered with a single cylinder and 34 km/h). In addition to the main team, Mercouffer Eduard Mihai, Preoteasa Mihail, and Barbu Andrei also participated as supporters.
He was born on the 26th of March, 1978, in Iasi, Iasi county, Romania. Between 2012-2018, I attended the bachelor’s (Faculty of Mechatronics-Robotics) and master’s (Advanced Mechatronics Systems specialization) of the University of Oradea. Since 2018, I have been a Ph.D. student in Industrial Engineering at the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, with the title of thesis: “Researches regarding the performances of the pneumatic systems”.
Since 2000, he has been an employee of SC PLASTOR SA Oradea, in the following positions:
– Production Technician in charge of the production flow, leading more than 30 persons,
– Process Engineer aiming with CAD and CAE projects,
– Department Manager aiming for the projects for Automotive industries.
Since 2016 he collaborates with team UPBAIR and participated as team leader in 2017, 2019 and 2021.…
Team
Mihai Ghinea – Associate professor, PhD
He is not just “the coach”, but the permanent interface between the needs of our team and officials, industries, sponsors, organizers etc
Dragos Chereches – 3rd year Bachelor student
New entry in UPBAIR team
Daniel-Robert Stanciu – 4th year Bachelor student
He is our chief mechanic, good at all and good friend of everybody. He is responsible with the protorype functionality, with the tools, our computer and our strategy
Bogdan Mihai Zbircea – 3rd year Bachelor student
New entry in UPBAIR team
Liviu Ungureanu – 4th year Bachelor student
He is our second mechanic, agood biker, and he will be our fast driver
Competition
Even the organizers themselves were surprised by the interest in the first race. Most of the participating teams brought very simple vehicles built of many bicycle parts and only a few of them used elector-pneumatic units. However, some interesting and smart designs popped up, such as the wheel-integrated drive.
So today’s pneumobiles are equipped with dual brake systems, massive framework four-point safety belts among others and only sit-in constructions are allowed, where the frame structure surrounds and protect the pilot all around.
Project
The new UPBAIR project in 2018 introduced electronic control of the pneumatic equipment for the first time. The new members Dragos and Bogdan complemented the more experienced Liviu and Robert well. The new issues that arose did not greatly decrease the results of the previous participation, but certainly brought added experience to the team.
Team
The supporting instructor: Mr. GHINEA Mihai
Mr. AGUD Mihai – team leader
Mr. HAJDEU Vasile – team member
Mr. STANCIU Robert-Daniel – team member
Mrs. NICA Loredana-Ioana – team member
Competition
The story of the Pneumobile started in 2008 when the ancestors of Aventics Hungary Kft., named Bosch Rexroth Pneumatika Kft. and Bosch Rexroth Kft. organized the first competition. Back then, it was located at the factory’s park in Eger.
Inventors of the competition Ferenc Bolyki, Richárd Fülep, Endre Tamás, József Avar and László Szabó are engineers working at the firms mentioned above. They wanted to create a technical event where future engineers have the opportunity to inspect the mysteries of pneumatics and get acquainted with alternative applications of the products made in Eger. This is how the idea of the Pneumobile competition was born.
In 2008, 18 teams from 12 Hungarian universities entered the competition. 16 teams managed to build a working vehicle, the best of them were the engineers from the University of Debrecen. Teams from the College of Kecskemét, University of Miskolc, University of West Hungary, Szent István University, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and Budapest College of Technology made it to the podium.
Project
The first participation of the UPBAIR team from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest meant the only pure pneumatic engine prototype at the competition. It was a success, the team ranking in the top half of all three competitions. With a modest budget but ambition and hard work, the four members of the team managed to attract the sympathy of everyone, and with their prototype having a design inspired by the ancient Roman battle chariots, they brought a pleasant uniqueness to the competition.
- IIoT in Pneumatics
- XR in Engineering
- Machine-Tools: Research, Development and Control
- European Unviersities EC program – EELISA alliance
- ATHENS Network
- Double-Degree program: ENSAM PT France – Eastern Europe
- AVRENG – Collaboration with Institute Image Chalon sur Saone, France
- Habilitation thesys summary
- The offer of doctoral studies for European students in Industrial Engineering
- PhD Thesys
- Research contracts
- Research articles and communication
He was born on the 22nd of July, 1964, in Urziceni, Romania. Graduated of Polytechnic Institute in Bucharest in 1990, Machine-Tools specialization, when he also started working in the same department that trained him.
His professional activity is composed of three main periods:
– technical studies and his debut in professional academic activity (1985-1995);
– after his specialization in IT&C, I focused myself on CAD, CAM and CAE utilization in engineering (1996-2013);
He further develops in two main pillars of the Industry 4.0, respectively Pneumatics and AR & VR for engineering. Currently, is Associate Professor at the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest and director of a Smart Pneumatics Lab. Since 2018 is the local coordinator in UPB within the European academic network ATHENS, and since 2022 is the project manager for UPB within European alliance EELISA, participating in the European Commission’s project: European Universities.
He is a graduate of the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, currently being a university professor at the Faculty of Industrial and Robotics Engineering, director of the Department of Robots and Production Systems. He has been an engineer doctor since 1998, when he defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Research on optimizing the characteristics of superfinishing machines for fragile materials”.
He has a vast training in areas related to higher education, following different courses and training stages such as: “Technology Entrepreneurship Education: Global Faculty Colloquium” / University Management, University of California at Berkeley, U.S.A. “foresight for public policies”, within the “quality and Leadership for Romanian higher Education” program, “Quality Management in higher Education”, within the project “University Community for quality Management in higher Education”, “internationalization, Equity and University Management for quality higher Education” within the project POSDRU 52867 – SMIS, “Interactive and interpersonal Communication – Instrument for Management of the institution’s activity” supported by TAK Education, “European and national legislation and policies in the field of higher education” supported within the pilot training / improvement center of USAMV Bucharest, “ISCAR’s Romanian academic Seminar” ISCAR Headquarters, Israel.…