Gateway Technical College (GTC) is helping shape the workforce of tomorrow with its Smart Factory lab located at the SC Johnson Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology (iMET) Center in Sturtevant, Wisconsin. As the first publicly funded technical college in the United States, GTC continues to lead by preparing students with the skills needed for Industry 4.0.
This advanced lab simulates a real-world production line where students gain hands-on experience in “lights out” manufacturing, automation, and data analytics. Learners work with programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), industrial controllers, and smart sensors to understand how modern factories operate. By integrating connectivity and data analysis, the lab demonstrates how to unlock siloed information and apply it to real-world decision-making.
One of the lab’s most exciting features is its development of a digital twin—a virtual replica of the physical environment that collects and processes real-time data from robotics, machinery, and sensors. This allows students to explore artificial intelligence, advanced automation, and smart technologies that are rapidly transforming the manufacturing industry. By engaging with this innovative environment, students are better prepared to become the highly skilled employees industry partners need today and in the future.
Absorption is a critical separation process in chemical engineering, widely applied in industries such as environmental engineering, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals. Pignat’s absorption training systems provide hands-on learning by simulating real-world gas–liquid interactions, enabling students to explore both the theory and practice of mass transfer operations.
These systems are designed for flexibility and precision, helping learners understand core concepts such as absorption efficiency, column design, and operating parameters. Whether used in an undergraduate classroom or an advanced research lab, Pignat’s absorption units bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industrial practice.
Adsorption plays a vital role in chemical engineering and industrial applications, from gas purification and pollution control to water treatment and chemical recovery. Pignat’s adsorption training units enable students to study surface phenomena, adsorption isotherms, and regeneration techniques.
These versatile systems demonstrate the behavior of gases and liquids when interacting with solid surfaces, offering real-world insight into adsorption processes that industries rely on daily.
Crystallization is a widely used process in chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries for product purification and separation. Pignat’s crystallization units provide a hands-on approach to studying solubility, cooling rates, and crystal formation.
Students gain real-world understanding of crystal nucleation and growth, learning how operational conditions affect product quality and purity.
Distillation is one of the most common and important separation methods in the chemical process industry. Pignat’s distillation training systems bring industrial operations into the classroom, teaching fractional distillation, column efficiency, and reflux control.
These systems allow students to analyze mixtures, understand boiling point differences, and optimize process conditions—all while reinforcing real-world chemical engineering skills.
Understanding vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) is essential for designing separation processes. Pignat’s ebulliometer training systems allow students to investigate boiling points, azeotropes, and thermodynamic properties directly in the lab.
These systems bridge theory and practice, giving learners critical insight into the phase behavior that drives distillation and other chemical processes.
Evaporation is widely used in chemical, food, and environmental industries to concentrate solutions and recover solvents. Pignat’s evaporation training units provide hands-on learning of heat transfer, phase change, and energy efficiency.
These systems allow students to evaluate operating conditions and optimize processes, preparing them for practical applications in industrial environments.
Liquid–liquid extraction is a versatile separation technique, commonly applied in pharmaceuticals, environmental engineering, and chemical production. Pignat extraction units give students a hands-on platform to explore solvent recovery, phase equilibria, and distribution coefficients.
By operating real equipment, learners connect theoretical concepts to industrial practices, gaining valuable process engineering skills.
Filtration is a core separation method across industries, from chemical production to environmental management. Pignat’s filtration training units let students experiment with solid–liquid separation, pressure effects, and filtration media.
These systems prepare learners for real-world challenges by linking academic knowledge with industrial filtration applications.
Reaction engineering is the foundation of chemical process design. Pignat’s reaction training systems enable students to explore kinetics, reactor operation, and process optimization in a controlled lab setting.
These systems reinforce critical concepts in chemical engineering, preparing learners to design and scale up industrial processes effectively.
