Annual Mechanical Engineering Forum

The speaker emphasized the importance of PetrSU as the forum venue and called the university a place where future professionals for Russian industry are trained. 

“It is great pleasure to see young people here. I would like to thank the Rector of Petrozavodsk State University, Professor Anatoly Voronin. The synergy between us and the university is unique. In terms of mechanical engineering, Petrozavodsk State University is a flagship university for us. We plan to continue our cooperation. 

Dmitry Rodionov, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, welcomed the participants and guests on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Karelia. He noted that the industry of Karelia demonstrates significant growth and the production index in the region increased in 2023. 

“Only through joint efforts can we achieve sustainable development of the industry. Coordinated actions of the council members, including the introduction of innovative approaches, will not only maintain the achieved results, but also significantly improve the position of the region, Dmitry Rodionov said. 

The speakers' reports were devoted to such topics as “Digitalization of the Karelian industry. Successful cases of the members of the Karelian branch of the Union of Mechanical Engineers”, “Digital competencies as a tool for developing the human resources potential of mechanical engineering enterprises” and many others. 

Denis Gurkov, Minister of Industry and Trade of Karelia, emphasized the importance of the forum: “Last year, the main focus of the forum was on the relations and building connections between businesses and government. This year we are discussing further development that is digitalization. Nowadays real development in production without digitalization is impossible. The old paradigm is a thing of the past. Today all technologies are based on digital transformation and the transition to a digital format. It is important to note that today, together with Petrozavodsk State University as a flagship university, we are holding a leading position, and due to this, many of our enterprises are implementing modern technologies. 

After the opening ceremony in the Assembly Hall of the university, the forum continued its work at the educational environment 'Tochka Kipeniya – Petrozavodsk' ('Boiling Point – Petrozavodsk'), where PetrSU students presented their projects aimed at the digitalization of enterprises. They are related to the Petrozavodsk-based company 'AEM-Technologies'. The projects tasks include controlling the surfacing and welding processes, as well as monitoring the condition of the equipment. Some of the projects are currently being tested, while others have already been launched. The projects of the laboratory of industrial artificial intelligence and video analytics have received grant support from the Head of the Republic of Karelia in 2024. 

One of the projects was presented by Mikhail Mokhov, a second-year Master's student at the Institute of Physics and Technology of PetrSU. In addition, he works as a technician at the AEM-Technology branch. Mikhail is supervising the project on the development of a mobile machine vision system for analyzing a surface quality using capillary flaw detection method. Such control method allows to assess the surface quality of products and detect defects. The system generates a report on the quality of the product. Currently, the system is being developed and implemented at the enterprise. The system is being tested on finished products. 

“We have a setup comprising a camera, a tripod, a rangefinder, and a laptop connected to it. First, we take away the surface of the product. The product may be a pipe or a pipeline for nuclear power plants. Then we get an image of the surface and send it all to a laptop with an algorithm for analyzing the surface. The result of the work of the algorithm gives us indicator traces with their sizes, quantity, position and a report on the quality of the product. 

This system will be able to significantly reduce the workload of specialists and increase the accuracy of identifying indicator traces. In addition, it is an automated system that will be able to automatically make cartograms, which is rather time-consuming at present,' Mikhail Mokhov said. 

“The idea of presenting projects that Petrozavodsk State University is developing with 'Petrozavodskmash' is very interesting because it is very practical. It is about a specific case that can be solved, which implies reduced labor costs. This will also enhance the acceptance quality level,' concluded Igor Kotov, the CEO of the Mechanical Engineering Division of 'Rosatom'.

At the forum, agreements on interaction and cooperation were signed. One of them is a tripartite cooperation agreement between Petrozavodsk State University, Joint Stock Company 'AEM-Technologies' and the Karelian branch of the Union of Mechanical Engineers of Russia ('SoyuzMash'). The agreement concerns interaction and cooperation in the field of implementation of artificial intelligence technologies in mechanical engineering. 

The forum ended with an award ceremony for employees who made a great personal contribution to the development of the industry and distinguished themselves with many years of conscientious work. Certificates of appreciation were given to Vadim Kostyukevich, Director of the Institute of Forestry, Mining and Construction Sciences of PetrSU, and to Vera Vorobyeva, Engineer of the Department of Innovation and Production Activities of PetrSU. 

The first degree medal for distinguished labour was awarded to Anatoly Voronin, the Rector of Petrozavodsk State University. 

“It is a great honor for us to host our colleagues and partners at the university. The mechanical engineering industry is actively developing in Karelia and requires highly skilled personnel. 

In the field of mechanical engineering, the university and 'Petrozavodskmash' have built an ideal system of interaction. In recent years, a large number of projects have been implemented, and active work is underway. 

Within the framework of cooperation, the plant has had a specialized university department for many years. The department is engaged in resolving all formalities related to internships, creating and working on joint projects and discussing the implementation of the roadmap and new projects. 

Today, an industry engineer must be proficient in digital technologies, and a digital programmer-developer must understand the problems of both industries, be able to model production processes and systems in order to effectively use these competencies. We can do this through our joint efforts. This cannot be done without industrial partners. This cannot be learned solely in the classroom — practical experience and participation in projects are necessary. I suppose we are successful in doing it,' emphasized the Rector of PetrSU, Professor Anatoly Voronin.                               

PetrSU Press Office