“Curiosity is always the first step to resolving a problem,” is something that Galileo Galilei, Italian mathematician, philosopher and physicist, already knew. This is also helpful if the problem is “itchy feet”. Carolin’s solution in this case could be absolutely to Galilei’s taste: curiosity with regard to the unknown, encountering new people and cultures, pack your rucksack and off you go! Just as, a few years ago, when she was between two projects, she made her way to New Zealand, where she roamed through Kauri forests, climbed volcanoes and explored Milford Sound in a kayak. All alone and on her own initiative. “You always meet up with other backpackers, it’s never boring,” she comments with pleasure.
It seems very unlikely anyway that boredom should ever occur when Carolin is around. In 2005, she was already pursuing the dual study course she completed at EDAG PS in a field that was then still largely unknown: virtual engineering “For me, this was the perfect mixture of technical principles and creativity,” says Carolin. Not exactly a classic domain for women. But she wasn’t going to let that put her off. “I have always been very interested in maths and science.”
Simulation is something she finds particularly fascinating, as it enables an entire production system to be set up in a CAD system prior to production, and all planned processes to be examined down to the finest detail. “Using simulation systems such as Tecnomatix Process Simulate or Dassault Systèmes Delmia, I position the equipment and check to make sure that the robots with the guns, grippers or other tools can reach everything that they should,” reports Carolin. In this way, ever higher levels of maturity can already be achieved during the development phase of even complex system concepts.
To this end, Carolin draws on her extensive technical knowledge in the fields of robotics, joining technologies and system processes, while also benefitting from her lively imagination coupled with the ability to think spatially. “Before testing it in the system, I usually have a clear idea in my head of what the component will need to look like later, so that it can be produced. This means that I can achieve my targets faster.”
“The coordination of robot technology, planning, 3D design, the electrical equipment and virtual commissioning in the simulation is essential if the system is later to work as planned. “Taking a virtual walk through a factory that only exists in CAD, and checking that everything works as we intended it should is not just good sense, but also good fun,” says Carolin.
With her enthusiasm for discovery and exploring, she is the ideal person to ensure that ingrained patterns and standards are left behind and new themes developed.
“I think in terms of possibilities rather than restrictions. Letting your imagination run free is not just allowed, it’s essential,” she says. The advantage of virtual engineering is that the developer can here and there try things out in a digital environment without running up enormous costs and using up resources.
“In Production Solutions, we work in very close cooperation, combining all sorts of departments and skills: product developers, safety engineer, electrical engineers, designers, but also with the colleagues who will later have to construct and commission the systems we have planned,” explains Carolin. “As the system will also need to be serviced, this is, of course, an important aspect in its planning and simulation. In addition, there is also input from our customers.”
With her team, she not only keeps an eye on the details, but also on the big picture: from the initial idea, through engineering, to the completion and assembly of the robot or the system in the production plant. In this way, she supports product development and can – if necessary – intervene at any time to control or correct the adjustment of the product to the plant.
In the fast-moving digital world, Carolin has to make sure that she is always up-to-date. “To this end, I enjoy an in-depth exchange of ideas with robotics and automation colleagues, and also study technical lectures,” she explains, describing her personal training programme.
Having said that, Carolin is anything but an IT nerd whose sole pleasure is the computer. Sport is at least just as important to her as working on the computer. She started swimming when she was four, and today still swims two kilometres two or three times a week. She plays volleyball in her “ladies’ team”, and six months ago, discovered yoga, namely the dynamic hatha flow style. “This is a brilliant way of chilling and focussing the mind,” she enthuses.
Her passion for travel and discovery is an asset in her job. Last year, Carolin spent three months in Mexico, where she took care of quality assurance and cycle time optimisation in an installation managed by EDAG PS. “At the outset, we were there with a multicultural team from all over the world. That was great,” reports Carolin. And there was always time at the weekend to explore the country.” Now, she is off to China, where she will assist a Chinese plant manufacturer with the engineering inspections for a plant in South Africa. “Every day there will be an experience,” she says. There it is again, that combination of curiosity and itchy feet. Galileo Galilei would probably have enjoyed it.
