Laboratories
The laboratories that support the research activities of the PosAutomação program are located in the Departments of Automation and Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Informatics and Statistics, and Mechanical Engineering, reflecting the program’s interdisciplinary nature. In 2024, research involving PosAutomação students was conducted in the following laboratories:
Department of Automation and Systems Engineering
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Laboratory of Automation and Industrial Informatics (LAI): 1 master’s student and 2 doctoral students;
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Laboratory of Mechatronic Assemblies (LMM): workbenches for prototype construction support;
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Research Laboratory in Control and Automation (LCA): 1 master’s student, 2 doctoral students, and 1 postdoctoral researcher;
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Experimental Laboratory of Multiphase Flow (LEEM): 1 doctoral student;
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UFSCKite Laboratory: 1 master’s student;
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Innovation Laboratory of the INCT CAPE: 5 master’s students, 4 doctoral students, and 1 postdoctoral researcher;
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Information and Communication Technologies Laboratory (LTIC): 9 master’s students, 8 doctoral students, and 1 postdoctoral researcher.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Metrology Laboratory (accredited by the Brazilian Calibration Network): 3 master’s students, 2 doctoral students, and 1 postdoctoral researcher;
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Laboratory of Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems (LASHIP): 2 master’s students;
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Vibrations and Acoustics Laboratory (LVA): 1 postdoctoral researcher;
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Laboratory for Research in Refrigeration and Thermophysics (POLO): 1 master’s student.
Department of Informatics and Statistics
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Software/Hardware Integration Laboratory (LISHA): 1 master’s student;
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Embedded Computing Laboratory: 1 master’s student.
Department of Civil Engineering
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Photovoltaic Laboratory: 1 master’s student.
The listed laboratories provide various types of research equipment. Highlights include systems for signal acquisition and conditioning (MGC, PXI, SCXI, compactDAQ, compactRIO, multifunction signal acquisition boards), educational systems for instrumentation training (NI ELVIS II+), optical fiber measurement systems (interrogators), optical setups and lasers for measurement by interferometry, shearography, and stereography; industrial tomograph, coordinate measuring machines, 6½ and 7½-digit benchtop multimeters, data processing clusters, infrared thermal cameras, temperature and humidity-controlled test chambers compliant with ISO standards, a wind tunnel compliant with ANSI specifications, digital microscopy systems, unmanned aerial and ground vehicles, oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, and other electrical and electronics laboratory elements.
In the manufacturing automation area, two flexible manufacturing systems, MPS and MPS 4.0 with 10 workstations produced by FESTO, stand out. Each station is equipped with SIEMENS controllers from the 1200 and 1500 series, OPC-UA servers, SIEMENS Basic Touch HMIs, and Supervisory System WinCC servers connected through an industrial network. A mobile robot, ROBOTINO, capable of mapping the work environment, integrates the two manufacturing systems.
Additionally, PosAutomação has pilot plants for instrumentation and control of level, pressure, temperature, pH, and industrial networks (Fieldbus); an industrial-standard plant for multiphase flow measurements and the production of different flow profiles; and a microgrid for studies on generation, storage, and use of renewable energies, with resources including two hybrid inverters, solar thermal and photovoltaic panels, an 11 kW wind emulator with a rectifier system, a set of 5 lithium batteries, electrolyzers, 1.2 kW fuel cells, and a green hydrogen storage system (one of the few laboratories nationally with this technology for control and automation studies). All laboratories have essential signal acquisition and conditioning resources, such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, signal generators, and filter banks.
Laboratory of Mechatronic Assemblies (LMM)
Among the laboratories listed above, the LMM is characterized as a multi-purpose support facility, providing students with access to prototyping equipment, including a milling machine, 3D printer, SMD workstation, bench drill, hand tools, and workbenches for assembling electronic and mechanical prototypes. The laboratory also features a specific area for prototype evaluation, equipped with power supplies, multimeters, oscilloscopes, and computers available to students. Two technical staff members from the institution supervise students’ work and assist with assemblies and equipment operation.
In addition to these laboratories, PosAutomação has two environments with individual workspaces equipped with computers to support theoretical work and simulator development:
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Information and Communication Technologies Laboratory: used by master’s students, with about 30 workstations;
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Doctoral students’ room: with about 20 workstations.
Currently, all laboratories of the Department of Automation and Systems Engineering (EAS) are used by PosAutomação’s students and faculty. The full and updated list of spaces can be found on the website: https://eas.ufsc.br/laboratorios/. Furthermore, the program has specific rooms within EAS for hosting postdoctoral researchers and visiting scholars.
Institution Infrastructure
The institution offers general support infrastructure, including a central library (https://portal.bu.ufsc.br/) with more than 240,000 titles (over one million copies), sector libraries, individual and group study rooms, a central computer lab with individualized spaces for student use, integrated computer labs for classes, a university restaurant, auditoriums, and a Culture and Events Center with a 1,371-seat auditorium, exhibition hall, and multipurpose rooms. UFSC has partnerships with Microsoft and Google to provide software and services to all officially affiliated individuals. Licenses for specific software from other companies are also available, along with cloud storage services, email, WiFi access across the campus, and VoIP telephony. Additionally, the university has contracts with different platforms for access to journals, scientific books, and standards (ABNT and ISO).
The university also has an Office of International Relations (https://sinter.ufsc.br/), which supports the establishment of collaborations with international institutions for exchanges and internships abroad. This has contributed to the exchange of students and faculty with universities in countries such as Norway, France, and Spain, often with funding from international agencies.
Students also have access to support and retention services, including psychological support, student housing for low-income students, a diversity and anti-violence office, breastfeeding support for student mothers, a daycare center for children of low-income students, and a university hospital offering free healthcare services.
Finally, we highlight that the relationship between the program and the associated departments (to which the program’s faculty belong) is excellent, as is the relationship with the Graduate Studies Dean’s Office. The program’s actions have always been supported within the possibilities of each institutional body.
