Italian student creates digital twin of old 70-ton eccentric press

That the digitalization of industry doesn’t always have to start with buying entirely new machines is shown by a remarkable project from Italy. A student at the Francesco Severi technical institute in Padua helped modernize a 70-ton mechanical press. Among other things, AI, digital twin technology and digital monitoring were used.

The student is Manuel Temporin, who carried out the project during a work placement at the industrial company GMG in Cartura, near Padua. The focus was an existing eccentric mechanical press from the Balconi brand. Rather than replacing the machine, the aim was to see how it could be modernized technically and digitally, while also being better adapted to current safety requirements.

The project was named “Revamping & Digital Safety”. The approach is interesting because it speaks to an issue many industrial companies face. Production machines can remain mechanically usable for years, while their controls, safety systems, sensors and data-collection capabilities are badly outdated. Revamping can then be an alternative to full replacement.

Digital twin of an existing machine

An important part of the Italian project was creating a digital twin of the press. This produces a digital representation of the physical machine that can be used to make information about the installation digitally available and to follow its operation more closely.

According to the information about the project, AI and digital tools were also used to combine operational safety with the collection and management of machine data. The ultimate goal was a machine that not only better meets current safety requirements, but can also be monitored better and linked to digital systems.

It is precisely this combination that makes the project interesting from an Industry 4.0 perspective. Many discussions about smart factories revolve around new machines that come standard with sensors, network connections and extensive software. In existing factories, however, the machine park often consists of installations of varying ages. Some machines are still perfectly usable mechanically, but have hardly any digital capabilities.

By equipping such machines with sensors, connectivity and a digital layer, they can still become part of a modern production environment. A digital twin can, for example, be used to bring machine data together in a clear overview and to make the condition or operation of an installation easier to understand.

Safety as part of digitalization

It is also notable that the project explicitly combines digitalization with machine safety. This is an important point of attention when modernizing older production machines. After all, adding new controls, sensors or digital functions does not automatically mean a machine also meets modern safety requirements.

The project in Cartura therefore looked at both the digitalization and the adaptation to applicable safety regulations. This makes it more than just an experiment with AI or a digital twin: it is about a broader modernization of an existing industrial installation.

The work was carried out under the supervision of technical supervisors from both the company and the school. Temporin also voluntarily took part in an additional summer period of the internship in order to finish the project.

From school project to national competition

The result has now been nominated for the Italian national competition Storie di Alternanza e Competenze. This competition is organized by Unioncamere and the Italian Chambers of Commerce, in cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Education. The competition is intended for projects in which students gain experience in companies and organizations during work-based and training programs. Innovation, digitalization and sustainability are among the topics on which projects are assessed.

This makes the project above all a nice example of how various developments in industry come together. It is not only about AI, but also about digital twins, the collection of machine data, machine safety and extending the usable life of existing production equipment.

And perhaps this last aspect is the most interesting one for industrial companies. Industry 4.0 doesn’t necessarily have to mean filling a factory with new machines. Even a heavy mechanical press that has stood on the shop floor for years can, with targeted modernization, find a place in an increasingly digitalized production environment.

Source: https://www.newsistruzione.it/2026/10/05/ia-officina-progetto-manuel-temporin-concorso-nazionale

Originally from AutomationNL

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