The adaptation of the Spanish university system to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) requires a thorough review of the teaching methodologies. The student must be able to apply the knowledge acquired in the seeking of optimal solutions to real complex problems that involve multiple interrelated variables. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a successful and innovative method to meet this objective. This paper aims to describe experiences of PBL within manufacturing subjects. The paper shows the great potential of this learning method as well as its main difficulties, especially for monitoring and evaluation of large groups of students. Suggestions, based on the teaching experience of the authors, are made to improve the use of such learning activities. © (2009) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.