Learning Factory Concept Tailored for Engineering Programmes for Underserved Communities

Access to learning factories for underserved persons is challenging, including limited access to design tools, innovative manufacturing methods, and low skill levels. More importantly, the alignment of learning goals of education curriculums for manufacturing-related programmes is often unclear. This limits the effectiveness of the learning factory (LF) concept, relating to its design, development, and deployment for underserved communities. These communities face additional social-technological and economic barriers, further limiting conceptualisation, development, and deployment.
This paper proposes an approach addressing the design, development, and deployment phases of learning factory concepts tailored for manufacturing and engineering-related programmes in resource-limited settings. The LF concept addresses educational and technological limitations and aims to provide students with the necessary tools and experience to learn innovative advanced manufacturing methods. Moreover, the concept is realized, aligning with the learning goals of engineering programs. As options, the configuration integrates rapid prototyping and injection moulding technologies, design workstations, assembly stations, and storage spaces.
To enhance access and ease of deployment, the LF concept is configured to fit a retrofitted shipping container. This is to realize wider access to the concept, where several higher institutions can share the same resources.