Abstract
The concept of Learning Factory has gained traction as an innovative approach to bridging the gap between theoretical education and industrial practice. Considering digitalization as one of the main pivotal concepts in the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, holistic Digital Twin applications represent a challenging way to achieve greater effectivity and efficiency of organizations’ processes. Using the project of the new Smart Mini Factory laboratory for Industry 4.0 of the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano as a case study, this paper explores the design and implementation potential and challenges of a Digital Twin-Native Learning Factory, designed from the ground up to enable inborn bidirectional dataflow among its physical and virtual entities. The Digital Twin-Native Learning Factory supports each life-cycle phase of the laboratory, relying on modern processes of point cloud scanning, Building Information Modeling, remote control of Cyber-Physical Production Systems, and advanced automation to emulate real-world industrial environments. The case study highlights the Learning Factory’s design process to foresee seamless integration of Digital Twin applications for new and legacy equipment. The findings from this use case provide valuable insights into how Learning Factories can be effectively created and leveraged to satisfy collaborative and cooperative working principles, maintaining flexibility and reconfigurability capabilities.