P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Suhonen, S., & Kojo, S. (2025). Enhancing Indus ial
T aining: De elopmen o a VR G inding Simula o o Manu ac u ing Educa ion. In
Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual
Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e,
Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631327.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
ENHANCING INDUSTRIAL TRAINING: DEVELOPMENT OF A VR
GRINDING SIMULATOR FOR MANUFACTURING EDUCATION
S. J. Suhonen a,
1
, S. J. J. Kojo b
a Tampe e Uni e si y o Applied Sciences, Tampe e, Finland,
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0002-3279-3813
b Tampe e Uni e si y o Applied Sciences, Tampe e, Finland
Con e ence Key A eas: Digi al ools and AI in enginee ing educa ion;
Enginee ing skills, p o essional skills, and ans e sal skills
Keywo ds: Vi ual eali y, Indus ial aining, G inding p ocess, Simula o
de elopmen
ABSTRACT
This a icle p esen s he de elopmen and pedagogical and echnical ounda ions o
a i ual eali y (VR) g inding simula o designed o indus ial aining. The simula o
is pa o he Manu ac u ing Academy 2.0 p ojec , a collabo a ion be ween Tampe e
Uni e si y o Applied Sciences and SASKY educa ion associa ion, which aims o
add ess skill sho ages in he manu ac u ing indus y by p o iding imme si e and
scalable aining solu ions. The simula o enables ainees o engage in ealis ic and
in e ac i e lea ning scena ios ha eplica e he g inding wo k low in indus ial
se ings, wi hou he sa e y isks and ma e ial cos s associa ed wi h adi ional hands-
on aining. Ra he han simula ing he physical mechanics o g inding, he simula o
ocuses on modelling he ull g inding p ocess, including wo kpiece se up, pa ame e
selec ion, alida ion measu emen s and sa e machine ope a ion. De eloped
i e a i ely h ough collabo a ion wi h machine shops, indus y p o essionals, and
educa o s, he simula o inco po a es au hen ic g inding machine models and eal
wo kpieces. I also ea u es pedagogical enhancemen s such as a buil -in “Mas e
Bu on” which unc ions as a buil -in expe assis an , mi o ing he abili y o asking
o guidance om a senio colleague.
1
Co esponding Au ho
Ini ials Las name
e-mail add ess
1 INTRODUCTION
Indus y 4.0 ep esen s a shi owa d sma , in e connec ed, and da a-d i en
manu ac u ing. I enhances p oduc i i y, e iciency, and lexibili y while also posing
challenges ela ed o cybe secu i y, in es men cos s, and wo k o ce adap a ion
(Pe ei a & Rome o, 2017). Vi ual eali y (VR) echnologies a e inc easingly being
adop ed in indus ial aining as pa o he digi al ans o ma ion associa ed wi h
Indus y 4.0. These echnologies p o ide imme si e and in e ac i e lea ning
expe iences ha can simula e complex manu ac u ing p ocesses wi h a high deg ee
o ealism (Paszkiewicz e al., 2021). In his con ex , VR simula o s a e used o ain
employees in a ious indus ial applica ions, anging om machining and welding o
assembly and main enance. VR-based aining me hods ha e demons a ed
signi ican imp o emen s in aining e iciency, cos educ ion, and sa e y ou comes
compa ed o adi ional me hods (Fi u e al., 2021).
“Manu ac u ing Academy 2.0” is a p ojec implemen ed join ly by Tampe e Uni e si y
o Applied Sciences and SASKY educa ion associa ion. I aims o p omo e skills and
aining in key manu ac u ing p ocesses ele an o he manu ac u ing indus y in
Finland in o de o bo h espond o he labou sho age and implemen a ion o he
goals o he g een and digi al ansi ion. The p ojec will implemen a aining pilo ,
du ing which a g oup o lea ne s will be ained o espond o he g owing and
immedia e labou demand o one o he manu ac u ing indus y’s p ocesses,
g inding. The “Manu ac u ing Academy 2.0” p ojec has de eloped a VR simula o as
a aining ool, designed o imp o e skill acquisi ion in g inding p ocesses while
educing he isks and cos s associa ed wi h adi ional aining me hods. I also
enables ini ial aining wi hou he need o eal, physical g iding equipmen .
2 PEDAGOGICAL ASPECTS OF VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATORS IN
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING
F om a pedagogical pe spec i e, VR aining o e s se e al ad an ages o e
adi ional ins uc ional me hods. Resea ch indica es ha VR-based lea ning
enhances engagemen , e en ion, and skill acquisi ion due o i s imme si e na u e
(Paszkiewicz e al., 2021). The abili y o in e ac wi h a simula ed en i onmen
p o ides ainees wi h eal- ime eedback, allowing hem o e ine hei echniques
and de elop a deepe unde s anding o he p ocesses in ol ed. Fu he mo e, VR
aining can be adap ed o di e en skill le els, p o iding cus omized lea ning
expe iences ailo ed o indi idual needs. VR-based aining en i onmen s enable
lea ne s o engage in ealis ic, in e ac i e simula ions ha closely esemble eal-
wo ld indus ial se ings, he eby acili a ing hands-on skill de elopmen in a
con olled and isk- ee manne (Asad e al., 2021). This aligns wi h expe ien ial
lea ning heo ies, which emphasize ac i e pa icipa ion and e lec ion as c i ical
componen s o skill acquisi ion. S udies indica e ha VR-based lea ning p omo es
deepe unde s anding h ough ac i e explo a ion, immedia e eedback, and mul i-
senso y in e ac ion, su passing ex -based me hods in e ec i eness (Hamil on e al.,
2021). Fu he mo e, VR suppo s cons uc i is lea ning app oaches by allowing
ainees o p ac ice asks epea edly un il p o iciency is achie ed, which is
pa icula ly bene icial in complex manu ac u ing p ocesses (Agbo e al. 2023).
Addi ionally, VR enables cus omized lea ning expe iences, accommoda ing di e se
skill le els and lea ning paces, hus op imizing he aining p ocess (Be na do &
Dua e, 2022).
One signi ican conce n in using VR is he po en ial o cogni i e o e load due o he
high le el o imme sion and he complexi y o i ual en i onmen s (Agbo e al.,
2023). Addi ionally, mo ion sickness and a igue ha e been epo ed among some
use s, po en ially hinde ing lea ning ou comes (Hamil on e al., 2021). Mo eo e , he
high ini ial in es men equi ed o VR in as uc u e, including ha dwa e, so wa e
de elopmen , and in eg a ion wi h exis ing aining p og ams, poses a inancial
ba ie o many ins i u ions (Be na do & Dua e, 2022). Ano he c i ical conside a ion
is he need o pedagogically sound ins uc ional design o ensu e ha VR-based
lea ning expe iences align wi h indus y compe encies and aining objec i es (Asad
e al. 2021).
One o he p ima y bene i s o VR-based indus ial aining is he abili y o o e a
sa e and con olled lea ning en i onmen . T adi ional aining o complex indus ial
asks, such as g inding, o en in ol es exposu e o haza dous condi ions, including
high-speed o a ing machine y, lying deb is, and in ense hea . By using VR, ainees
can p ac ice essen ial skills in a i ual se ing be o e ansi ioning o eal-wo ld
ope a ions, educing he isk o wo kplace inju ies (Chand a Seka an e al., 2021).
Addi ionally, VR simula o s enable epe i i e p ac ice wi hou he consump ion o
physical ma e ials, he eby minimizing was e and op imizing esou ce u iliza ion. This
is pa icula ly ele an in indus ies whe e aw ma e ials and componen s a e cos ly,
making VR a mo e sus ainable and cos -e ec i e aining solu ion (Paszkiewicz e
al., 2021).
3 DEVELOPMENT OF THE GRINDING SIMULATOR
To ensu e he simula o accu a ely e lec s indus y p ac ices, p oduc ion manage s
and g inding p o essionals om machine shops we e in e iewed du ing di e en
de elopmen phases. Thei insigh s helped e ine he aining con en , use in e ace,
and ope a ional logic o he simula o . These discussions p o ided inpu on g inding
pa ame e s, wo kpiece handling, and p ocess sa e y, helping o ensu e ha he
simula o p epa es ainees o eal-wo ld asks. The simula o has been designed
no o simula e he physical in e ac ions o g inding a a mic oscopic le el; ins ead,
he VR simula o models he ope a ional s eps and decision-making p ocesses
in ol ed in an ac ual manu ac u ing g inding wo k low.
Addi ionally, a manu ac u e o g inding equipmen p o ided a 3D model o an ac ual
g inding machine, S ude S40 CNC (Fig. 1 A). This allowed he de elopmen eam
o c ea e a highly ealis ic i ual en i onmen . To u he enhance au hen ici y, ac ual
wo kpieces, axles (Fig 1 C), om indus ial p oduc ion we e ob ained, along wi h
hei echnical d awings, enabling he simula o o inco po a e ealis ic geome ies
and ole ances. Du ing he g inding wo k low, he ope a o needs o check ha he
dimensions a e in acco dance wi h he d awings. The e o e, also i ual
measu emen ools a e modelled o in e media e and inal inspec ion
measu emen s. Mic ome e and dial indica o a e shown in Fig. 1 B and C. All hese
asse s we e impo an in making he simula ion en i onmen isually and unc ionally
accu a e, ein o cing i s ole as an e ec i e educa ional ool.
Fig.1. Vi ual 3D model o he S ude S40 CNC g inding machine (A), Vi ual 3D models o
p ecision measu emen ools included in he g inding simula o , mic ome e (B) and dial
indica o (C) a e used o in e media e and inal inspec ion measu emen s as pa o he
g inding wo k low. In (C) also i ual models o axels a e shown. Vi ual model o he con ol
panel o he g inding machine. The in e ace includes ypical indus ial elemen s such as a
display, keypad, eme gency s op bu on, and ope a ional con ols (D).
A concep ual low cha (Fig. 2) was c ea ed ea ly in he simula o de elopmen
p ocess o suppo sha ed unde s anding among eam membe s and indus y
expe s. This diag am mapped ou he key componen s and ope a ional sequence o
he g inding simula o , helping o cla i y wha he simula o is designed o do and
how use s a e expec ed o in e ac wi h i . The cha was de eloped i e a i ely based
on p ojec expe iences and g inding ope a o eedback. I s pu pose was no only o
guide de elopmen bu also o ensu e ha he simula ion p ocess aligns closely wi h
he ac ual wo k low in indus ial g inding en i onmen s.
The de elopmen e o has equi ed app oxima ely 1.5 pe son-yea s o coding and
implemen a ion wo k, dis ibu ed among wo coding ins uc o s and wo s uden
de elope s. In addi ion, backg ound esea ch and collec ion o aci knowledge we e
ca ied ou by o he p ojec s a . While i is di icul o sepa a e he po ion
speci ically suppo ing he VR simula o , i ce ainly amoun s o se e al pe son-
mon hs o wo k.
Fig. 2. A concep ual low cha mapping ou he key componen s and ope a ional sequence
o he g inding simula o .
3.1 Technical implemen a ion
Se e al implemen a ion op ions we e explo ed ea ly in he simula o de elopmen ,
including Vi ual Reali y (VR), Augmen ed Reali y (AR), a b owse applica ion, and a
na i e 3D applica ion. The b owse and na i e applica ions we e uled ou due o
limi ed imme sion and accessibili y challenges, and AR was dismissed as i equi ed
access o a eal g inding machine, educing simula o e sa ili y.
VR was ul ima ely chosen o i s imme si e en i onmen and independence om
physical equipmen . Mode n headse s like Me a Ques 3 enable s andalone use,
making he solu ion po able and use - iendly. De elopmen was buil on a game
engine, wi h Godo excluded due o ins abili y and lack o VR de elopmen
expe ience. Uni y, hough amilia o he eam, was unsui able due o i s subsc ip ion-
based licensing. Un eal Engine was selec ed o i s high-quali y g aphics and
academic licensing model. I s Bluep in isual sc ip ing sys em p o ided an
accessible de elopmen pa h despi e he eam's limi ed C++ expe ience.
Un eal Engine also o e ed s ong compa ibili y wi h VR ha dwa e and de elopmen
oolki s, making i a u u e-p oo choice o simula ion-based aining. I s capaci y o
ealis ic ende ing suppo ed he p ojec 's goal o c ea ing an au hen ic lea ning
en i onmen ha closely mimics eal-wo ld g inding wo k lows.
The inal echnical se up a ge s he Me a Ques 3 headse , chosen o i s balance o
a o dabili y, s andalone pe o mance, and ease o deploymen . I s wi eless na u e
elimina es he need o ex e nal compu e s, making he simula o po able and
p ac ical o use in di e se aining en i onmen s. While o he VR de ices can be
suppo ed, each equi es cus om in eg a ion, especially ega ding con ol schemes.
Me a’s s anda dized pla o m simpli ies de elopmen and main enance, allowing he
eam o ocus on e ining lea ning con en and use expe ience while main aining
lexibili y o u u e expansion.
3.2 G inding exe cises
The simula o ’s aining s uc u e is composed o a se ies o modula lea ning asks,
each ep esen ing a disc e e s ep in he g inding p ocess. These asks we e de ined
in collabo a ion wi h g inding p o essionals and educa o s, and hey e lec he
compe encies equi ed o wo ke s ope a ing g inding machines. The aining
p og ession begins wi h basic s eps such as wo kpiece posi ioning and secu ing,
ollowed by pa ame e inpu and g inding wheel selec ion, and culmina es in p ocess
execu ion, in e media e measu emen s, and inal e alua ions oge he wi h p ope
documen a ion. Each lea ning ask con ibu es o a la ge , in e connec ed sequence
ha mi o s he comple e g inding wo k low. This design allows lea ne s o g adually
build hei expe ise h ough ocused p ac ice, while s ill unde s anding how each
s ep i s in o he b oade p ocess.
3.3 Indus y Insigh s o he De elopmen o he G inding Simula o
A co-c ea ion wo kshop o he Manu ac u ing Academy 2.0 p ojec was a anged o
ga he insigh s om indus y ep esen a i es ega ding he de elopmen and
op imiza ion o he g inding simula o . The wo kshop pa icipan s, consis ing o
p o essionals om manu ac u ing companies, educa o s, and s uden s, engaged in
hands-on es ing o he VR simula o (Fig. 3.), ollowed by s uc u ed discussions.
Thei eedback highligh ed key a eas o imp o emen , including usabili y,
imme sion, lea ning s uc u e, and in eg a ion in o aining p og ams.
Fig. 3. es ing he VR g inding simula o du ing a co-c ea ion wo kshop. Pa icipan s used
s andalone VR headse s o explo e he i ual en i onmen while de elope s ga he ed
eedback o e ine usabili y and pedagogical ea u es. (Pho o: Riika Kankaanpää).
Indus y ep esen a i es no ed ha younge lea ne s ound he simula o in ui i e due
o p io gaming expe ience, whe eas o he s equi ed addi ional aining o amilia ize
hemsel es wi h he con ol panel and in e ace. A s uc u ed onboa ding p ocess
was ecommended o ensu e a smoo h lea ning cu e, suppo ed by eal- ime
guidance om an ins uc o du ing ini ial exe cises. The isual accu acy was deemed
su icien , pa icipan s sugges ed inco po a ing an audio en i onmen o e lec eal-
wo ld g inding sounds, as hese audi o y cues play a ole in p ocess moni o ing.
F om a pedagogical pe spec i e, he simula o should ocus on expe ien ial lea ning
by implemen ing cause-and-e ec scena ios whe e use s lea n h ough ial and
e o . Essen ial aining modules iden i ied by indus y ep esen a i es included
sa e y p ocedu es, p ecision measu emen , and machine main enance. These
elemen s would imp o e he simula o ’s ole in ein o cing undamen al g inding
concep s.
Pa icipan s also s essed he educa ional alue o he simula o , pa icula ly o
no ice ope a o s, as i allows o sa e and cos -e ec i e aining. While he simula o
was no e en conside ed a ull eplacemen o hands-on g inding p ac ice, i was
ecognized as a aluable ool o unde s anding g inding p inciples and isualizing
in e nal machine ope a ions. The abili y o epea exe cises wi hou ma e ial was e
was conside ed impo an . The imme si e and game-like VR simula o can also
se e as an e ec i e ool o a ac ing young people o he indus y, lowe ing he
h eshold o explo ing ca ee s in manu ac u ing.
To u he suppo he lea ning p ocess and eplica e eal-wo ld wo kplace dynamics,
a "Mas e Bu on" ea u e was in en ed in he co-c ea ion wo kshop. In
manu ac u ing en i onmen s, less expe ienced wo ke s can seek assis ance om a
senio colleague o supe iso when hey encoun e di icul ies. This in o mal pee
lea ning p ocess is impo an o de eloping expe ise and p oblem-sol ing skills. To
mi o his aspec in he i ual en i onmen , he simula o 's “Mas e Bu on” unc ions
as a buil -in expe assis an . When ac i a ed, i p o ides con ex -sensi i e guidance,
such as isual cues, s ep-by-s ep ins uc ions, o bes p ac ice ecommenda ions
ele an o he ainee's cu en ask. This ensu es ha use s ecei e imely suppo
wi hou dis up ing he aining session, ein o cing independen lea ning while
main aining a s uc u ed suppo sys em. By in eg a ing his ea u e, he simula o
enhances sel -di ec ed lea ning and p oblem-sol ing while s ill p ese ing he
collabo a i e na u e o skill de elopmen ound in indus ial wo kplaces.
A e he simula o has been pilo ed in aining a companies, use eedback will be
collec ed om bo h s uden s and p o essional g inde s o assess i s usabili y and
lea ning e ec i eness. This eedback will guide u he e inemen s o ensu e he
simula o mee s he needs o eal indus ial aining con ex s.
4 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The de elopmen o he VR g inding simula o wi hin he Manu ac u ing Academy 2.0
p ojec demons a es how imme si e echnologies can add ess he e ol ing aining
needs o mode n manu ac u ing indus ies. The simula o o e s a sa e, and cos -
e ec i e supplemen o adi ional g inding ins uc ion by enabling lea ne s o engage
in ealis ic, s ep-by-s ep aining wi hou equi ing access o physical equipmen . The
ocus was on modelling he en i e g inding wo k low a he han simula ing ma e ial
emo al physics.
The i e a i e de elopmen p ocess was guided by inpu om educa o s, machine
shop p o essionals and s uden s. I esul ed in a simula o ha combines echnical
ealism wi h lea ne -cen e ed ins uc ional design wi h au hen ic 3D models, eal-
wo ld wo kpieces, and measu emen ools. Pedagogical aspec s such as modula
lea ning asks and he “Mas e Bu on” ea u e suppo expe ien ial and sel -di ec ed
lea ning while mimicking wo kplace-based pee lea ning. Technically, he simula o
is buil using Un eal Engine and op imized o he Me a Ques 3 headse , o e ing a
po able, high-pe o mance solu ion sui able o a ied educa ional en i onmen s.
Indus y eedback has con i med he simula o ’s usabili y, educa ional alue, and
po en ial o a ac new alen in o he ield. The nex s ep is o implemen he
simula o in selec ed pilo ainings, whe e i s educa ional e ec i eness and p ac ical
alue will be u he e alua ed and de eloped in au hen ic aining con ex s. The
simula o is in ended o in eg a ion in o bo h oca ional and highe educa ion
p og ams, including TAMK and SASKY s uden s, and o e ed o o he educa ional
ins i u ions. Mo eo e , companies can use he simula o o in-house aining
pu poses. Fu u e wo k will ocus on in eg a ing he simula o in o au hen ic
educa ional con ex s and e ining i s implemen a ion in bo h oca ional and highe
educa ion cu icula.
5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Eu opean Social Fund plus (ESF+) is acknowledged o co ounding he
“Manu ac u ing Academy 2.0” p ojec .
