2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Successful assembly processes positively impact the U.S. manufacturing sector’s economy by optimizing the manufacturing system, lowering the production cost, and increasing the profitability for manufacturers, all of which enhance supply chain resilience and reinforce sustainability. Given the significance of the assembly process in manufacturing and its considerable impact on the U.S. economy, developing new instruction methods for teaching assembly practices in manufacturing is crucial. Educators and researchers have been developing new methods for teaching assembly processes to help develop a skilled workforce and prepare students to contribute to the future growth of the manufacturing sector. Many of the exciting methods currently employed in manufacturing education are pivoted on applied teaching, like project-based and competition-based learning and other applied hands-on teaching methods. Such methods have been proven effective; however, they exhibit limitations and challenges related to the cost of the equipment, lab space, regular maintenance, and other constraints related to securing a safe and friendly environment for students. In this context, we present the utilization of Mixed Reality (MR) technology as an immersive and engaging tool for teaching manufacturing assembly processes. MR is the forthcoming evolution of the human-machine interface in the real-virtual environment utilizing computers and wearables. The technology can be a practical pedagogic tool for teaching students' assembly practices in manufacturing education. For this reason, an interactive MR module on hydraulic gripper design and assembly has been developed as a proof-of-concept and incorporated into the MET:230 Fluid Power class at Purdue University, where a research study has been conducted to explore MR's effectiveness in teaching assembly processes. The module is developed and deployed in an MR setting using the Microsoft-driven platform Mixed Reality Tool Kit (MRTK) for Unity via HoloLens 2. It offers a wide range of capabilities and functionalities, such as introducing students to the grippers’ basic components and subsystems, allowing them to visualize the internal structure of two different gripper designs, conduct assembly/disassembly procedures, and learn about the grippers’ operation and mechanisms. The study findings reveal the effectiveness of the MR module in exposing students to assembly procedures in engaging lab activities. Before experiencing the lab, 55% of the students were unconfident about individual assembly, but 93% gained confidence after the lab. Additionally, 95% reported immersion and excitement during MR assembly. Such results show that the developed interactive MR module will serve as a perpetual mutable platform that can be readily adjusted to allow future add-ons to address future educational opportunities.