History

Creation of the Department of Manufacturing Systems, same as creation of another departments and their belonging to faculties, is bound to development of the university as a whole. University of Mechanical Engineering was found in year 1953 and was compounded of 6 departments. Faculty had 1 professor, 1 associate professor, 6 assistant professor and 11 assistants. Part of the teaching was provided by external workers, especially from universities in Prague (Charles’ University, ČVUT). Original aim of the university was oriented to four directions of learning:

• Mechanical-transporting direction with agricultural machine and machine for glassworks and light ceramics specialization
• Energetic direction with combustion engines specialization
• Technologic direction with engineering technology specialization
• Textile direction with specialization to machines, devices in textile industry and mechanical technologies for textile industry

   In year 1953, school had only one specialized department – Department of general engineering – led by Prof. Kožoušek. In 1954 a Department of mechanical technology was found, led by Prof. Křístek. Prof. Odstrčil and Doc. Ditl worked at this department. With the continuous expanding of teaching in higher grades, more departments had been established: “Department of materials and forming” (Prof. Odstrčil) and “Department of processing and organization” (Prof. Křístek).

   With the progressive development of universities in former ČSR, our university specialized primarily on these fields of study: Engineering technologies, production machines and devices and textile technologies. These events led to splitting the university to two faculties in 1960, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Textile Engineering. This also resulted to changing name of university to Mechanical and Textile Engineering University in Liberec.

   Focus of Department of processing and organization to technology of machining, designing of production machines and economics and engineering production management led to changing the name to “Department of Machining and Economy”, which had three parts – “Institute of Machining”, “Institute of Tools, Measuring and organization” and “Institute of Machine-tools” (Ing. Kaňák – TOS Čelákovice, Ing. Krupička – ČMZ Strakonice). In 1964, Department of machine-tools and workshop measuring was established, led by Doc. Dráb and in which Ing. Vladimír Krupička, Ing. Jan Řehoušek, Ing. Jan Novák, Ing. Oldřich Musiland Ing. Josef Cerha worked. Later, Ing. Miroslav Martínek, Ing. Antonín Martínek, and Ing. Přemysl Pokorný came to this department. Workers of the department worked especially on design of dedicated machining (LIAZ, Mikrotechna etc.), research in the area of damping boring bars, designing special measuring devices, issues of hydraulic mechanisms, dynamic frame stiffness of machine-tools and matters of conductive surfaces’ service life. In 1979, Department of Machining and Department of Machine-tools joined and established “Department of machining and assembly”, led by Doc. Dráb and later by Doc. Gazda.

   After 1989, Faculty of Pedagogics, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Architecture and Faculty of Mechatronics was opened up and accredited. Composition of Departments and their personal occupation was important. With designing new fields of study, even the new Departments on Faculty of Mechanical Engineering were profiled, Department of Manufacturing Systems included which continued in the specialization of Department of Machine-tools in a pedagogic way and way of scientific research.

   University had increasing number of Bachelor, Engineer and PhD study programs as well as scientific research activity, and it contributed to another change on title, to Technical University in Liberec.

   Subject of the department is still developing with regard to the requirements of industrial practice. There still are subjects like Design and machine automation, but we put more effort on research and application of new technologies and methods in rapid prototyping, production logistics, and projecting and innovating production systems. Department of Manufacturing Systems has an extensive know-how concerning an optimizing and innovation of business processes, and using computer simulation, gained mainly by making solutions of specific projects in industrial practice.