Training simulators for manufacturing processes: Literature review and systematisation of applicability factors
Benjamin Knoke, Klaus‐Dieter Thoben
Abstract
Abstract Training simulators are fundamental for training in areas, such as aviation, medicine, and the military. While new applications emerge in conjunction with the development of human–machine interface (HMI) technologies, only a few applications for manufacturing processes are used in industrial practice. This study provides a literature review on simulation‐based training in manufacturing processes and applies the definitions of DIN 8580:2003 to structure the research. The identified applications are further analysed regarding their HMI design and the process‐related benefits and limitations that were described within the publications. Although 202 applications were found, most focus on a small number of processes, and the others rarely mature past the prototype stage. The distribution implies that certain process‐specific factors impact the applicability of simulation‐based training in manufacturing processes. In this context, applicability factors are defined as characteristics of the original training process that affect the training adversely and that can be avoided or reduced in a training simulation. A systematisation of these applicability factors is developed as a step towards a process analysis methodology.