‘Glass Machines’: a Dual Approach for the Machine Tool Study

Ever increasingly, universities have to face the demands of their students regarding tools and methods to complete their education in preparation for the industrial environment. On the other hand, the university has to meet a Research and Development function oriented to the improvement of the competitiveness of that environment. These are two different functions that the university must unite to offer an optimum service. Hence, the university needs tools that can meet this dual function: teaching and researching. This paper proposes the concept of a “Glass Machine” as a dual purpose approach based on the adaptation of machine tools to satisfy that dual function. This concept has been applied to a machine tool by means of two machines: a turn-milling centre and a feed-drive test bench, which have been used for practices in the subjects of 4th and 5th year of Industrial Engineering, allowing at the same time the usual research activity of the High Performance Machining Team. In short, this work is about the optimization of the available resources of the university, thus satisfying the needs of the students and the industrial environment.