Digitalization of the product development process at Scania engine assembly

The technology is constantly developing and companies are striving to work towards a more digital approach. Scania CV AB is a world leading Company manufacturing buses and trucks for heavy transport applications. To maintain their competitive position at the market the company has the ambition for the Product development process to become more digitalized. A goal is to implement a more simulation based and drawing free working method. This project has been carried out at the engine assembly department. The purpose with the thesis was to identify how parts of the product development process could be more digitalized. This included identifying the gap that will occur between the current working process and a more digital approach. Furthermore, it involved finding solutions for the gap and to present possible impacts of a digital working approach. The initial phase of the thesis was to find a suitable methodology for this type of study. The project proceeded with conducting a literature study to gain deeper insight of the subjects covered. A good foundation was obtained and the empirical study could commence. The data collection in the empirical study was gathered mainly within Scania through interviews, observations and archive analyses. Based on this information an analysis and result was carried out and presented. A gap was identified describing deficient areas in the current digital environment. The working method Model Based Definition (MBD) and a software called Industrial Path Solutions (IPS) are presented as solutions for the gap. Suggestions of how the working process should be modified have been set as prerequisites. Impacts including cost savings, quality improvements, shorter lead times and ergonomic benefits have been submitted.Tekniken utvecklas ständigt och företag strävar därför att arbeta mot ett mer digitalt arbetssätt. Scania CV AB är ett världsledande företag som tillverkar bussar och lastbilar för tunga transporter. För att behålla sin konkurrenskraftiga position på marknaden har företaget ambitionen att göra produktutvecklingsprocessen mer digitaliserad. Ett mål är att utveckla en mer simuleringsbaserad och ritningslös arbetsmetod. Detta projekt har genomförts på produktionsavdelningen där montering av motorer sker. Syftet med uppsatsen var att identifiera hur delar av den nuvarande produktutvecklingsprocessen skulle kunna bli mer digitaliserad. Detta innebar att identifiera det gap som kommer att uppstå mellan den nuvarande arbetsprocessen och ett mer digitaliserat tillvägagångssätt. Lösningar på gapet och effekterna av ett mer digitalt arbete skulle också presenteras. Den inledande delen av arbetet innefattade att hitta en lämplig metod för denna typ av studie. Projektet fortskred med en litteraturstudie för att få djupare inblick i de ämnen som projektet kommer att grundas i. Med en bra grundförståelse kunde en empirisk studie påbörjas. Datainsamlingen till den empiriska studien samlades huvudsakligen in på Scania genom intervjuer, observationer och arkivanalyser. Baserat på denna information genomfördes och presenterades en analys och ett resultat. Ett gap som beskriver de bristfälliga områden i den nuvarande digitala miljön identifierades. Arbetsmetoden Model Based Definition (MBD) och mjukvaran Industrial Path Solutions (IPS) presenterades som lösningar på gapet. Även förslag på hur arbetsprocessen kan ändras för att möjliggöra för ett mer digitalt tillvägagångssätt har redogjorts. Följderna av detta som inkluderar kostnadsbesparingar, kvalitetsförbättringar, kortare ledtider och ergonomifördelar har också sammanställts

Using virtual reality and 3D industrial numerical models for immersive interactive checklists

At the different stages of the PLM, companies develop numerous checklist-based procedures involving prototype inspection and testing. Besides, techniques from CAD, 3D imaging, animation and virtual reality now form a mature set of tools for industrial applications. The work presented in this article develops a unique framework for immersive checklist-based project reviews that applies to all steps of the PLM. It combines immersive navigation in the checklist, virtual experiments when needed and multimedia update of the checklist. It provides a generic tool, independent of the considered checklist, relies on the integration of various VR tools and concepts, in a modular way, and uses an original gesture recognition. Feasibility experiments are presented, validating the benefits of the approach

Manual assembly modelling and simulation for ergonomics analysis

In manufacturing industry, although automation techniques have been employed widely, many tasks still require the flexibility and intelligence of human operators, especially in the product assembly process. Insufficient industrial ergonomics in the assembly process will cause the health problems and quality and productivity losses, ultimately increase costs of the final product. The purpose of this thesis is to integrate ergonomic considerations into the manual assembly process modelling and simulation in order to provide product/process design changes before their physical prototyping. In this research, a state-of-the-art commercial software tool - DELMIA - is adopted for the ergonomics simulation and analysis. Associated with its capabilities for the ergonomics solution, a series of human related issues in the manual assembly process is simulated and studied in order to demonstrate the benefits of a virtual assembly approach to the product deign, workplace deign, time and energy saving. Due to the poor repeatability and reproducibility of digital human postures in DELMIA manipulation, a posture prediction method is developed aiming at a practical and precise ergonomics analysis. A 10-degrees-of-freedom, 4-control-points digital human model concerned with assembly features and human diversity is established. The multi-objective optimisation method is applied to assembly posture prediction in which optimisation objectives (i.e. joint discomfort and metabolic energy expenditure) and constraints corresponding to manual assembly tasks are proposed and formulated. Following the verification of the posture prediction method, a series of posture strategies under different assembly conditions are investigated towards more comfortable and energy-efficient assembly postures. Thus far, the consideration on assembly operators in assembly sequencing is insufficient though it plays a key role in the integrative product and process design. In this research, the use of new ergonomic constraints into assembly sequencing optimisation is proposed. Feasible assembly sequences are generated and evaluated based on the product geometry, assembly workstation layout, operator characteristics and working posture. A new Liverpool Assembly Sequence Planning System (LASP) is developed to achieve the integration by applying two evaluation criteria, i.e. visibility criterion, accessibility criterion or both. With LASP, possible design faults with respect to restricted visibility and obstructed accessibility is obtainable during the early design stage. Meanwhile, the optimum sequences are provided to operators automatically for ease of manual assembly, facilitating higher assembly quality and efficiency

Modular Human-in-the-loop Design Framework Based on Human Factors

Human-in-the-loop design framework introduced in this dissertation utilizes Digital Human Modeling (DHM) to incorporate Human Factors Engineering (HFE) design principles early in design process. It embodies scientific methods (e.g., mathematics) and artistic approaches (e.g., visualization) to assess human well-being and overall system performance. This framework focuses not only on ergonomics assessments but also actual design process including, but not limited to, concept development, structural integrity and digital prototyping. It addresses to three major limitations found in HFE literature and practices

Development of a toolkit for component-based automation systems

From the earliest days of mass production in the automotive industry there has been a progressive move towards the use of flexible manufacturing systems that cater for product variants that meet market demands. In recent years this market has become more demanding with pressures from legislation, globalisation and increased customer expectations. This has lead to the current trends of mass customisation in production. In order to support this manufacturing systems are not only becoming more flexible† to cope with the increased product variants, but also more agile‡ such that they may respond more rapidly to market changes. Modularisation§ is widely used to increase the agility of automation systems, such that they may be more readily reconfigured¶. Also with globalisation into India and Asia semi-automatic machines (machines that interact with human operators) are more frequently used to reduce capital outlay and increase flexibility. There is an increasing need for tools and methodologies that support this in order to improve design robustness, reduce design time and gain a competitive edge in the market. The research presented in this thesis is built upon the work from COMPAG/COMPANION (COMponent- based Paradigm for AGile automation, and COmmon Model for PArtNers in automatION), and as part of the BDA (Business Driven Automation), SOCRADES (Service Oriented Cross-layer infrastructure for Distributed smart Embedded deviceS), and IMC-AESOP (ArchitecturE for Service- Oriented Process – monitoring and control) projects conducted at Loughborough University UK. This research details the design and implementation of a toolkit for building and simulating automation systems comprising components with behaviour described using Finite State Machines (FSM). The research focus is the development of the engineering toolkit that can support the automation system lifecycle from initial design through commissioning to maintenance and reconfiguration as well as the integration of a virtual human. This is achieved using a novel data structure that supports component definitions for control, simulation, maintenance and the novel integration of a virtual human into the automation system operation

Ergonomic Simulation Revisited Using Parametric Virtual Humans in the Biomechanical Framework

The conventional CAD/CAM approach to design does not show the essential spatial relationships between user and product that are crucial for intuitive design analysis. As populations age and the home appliance market stagnates, Universal Design principles implemented with computerized virtual worlds become more important for meeting the ergonomic problems of heterogeneous populations that are increasingly difficult to adequately test with real-world subjects. Digital Human Modelling (DHM) is an emerging area that bridges computer-aided engineering design, human factors engineering and applied ergonomics. The most advanced forms of this technology are being used by many researchers for practical applications, including ergonomic analysis. However, a state of the art model of this technology has never been conceived for the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle as most conventional DHM techniques lack real time interaction, require considerable user intervention, and have inefficient control facilities and non-adequate validation techniques, all contributing to slow production pipelines. They have also not addressed the needs of the growing ageing population in many societies across the globe. The focus of this dissertation is to introduce a complete framework for ergonomic simulation at the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle based on parametric virtual humans in a prioritized inverse kinematics framework while taking biomechanical knowledge in to account. Using an intuitive control facility, design engineers can input a simple CAD model, design variables and human factors in to the system. The evaluation engine generates the required simulation in real-time by making use of an Anthropometric Database, Physical Characteristic Database and Prioritized Inverse Kinematics architecture. The key components of the total system are described and the results are demonstrated with a few applications such as kitchen, wash-basin and bath-tub. By introducing a quantitative estimation of ageing algorithm for anthropometric digital human models, products can be designed from the start to suit the ergonomic needs of the user rather than the biases and assumptions of the designer. Also, by creating a tool that can be used intuitively by non-specialists in a dynamic, real-time environment, designers can stop relying on specialists to test the safety of their ideas and start to effectively use data about populations to discover designs that can be used more easily by more people. Results have been validated with real human subjects indicating the practical implication of the total system as an ergonomic design tool for the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle

Pre-Prototyping Framework: An Early Design Prototyping Methodology for Human-Centered Products and Workplaces

Prototyping is a crucial step in product design and development, but it is also known as the highest sunk cost. The top 20 Research and Development (R&D) department spends 142 billion dollars, yet 40 to 46 percent of this money goes into developing products that cannot even make to the market. Furthermore, the lack of comprehensive and widely accepted prototyping strategies and guidelines challenges the success of design teams in selecting options among a plethora of prototyping methodologies, techniques, and resources. The first shortcoming of current prototyping strategies is that they focus on the prototyping experience or the hands-on prototyping process without paying adequate attention to theoretical guidelines about prototyping factors and theories. The second limitation is the sparse guidelines of practical ‘know-how’ or what tools to use while building the prototype. The third shortcoming is that the existing prototyping strategies do not adequately incorporate the Human Factor Engineering (HFE) guidelines into the design of human-centered products. To address these shortcomings, this dissertation aims to formulate a Pre-Prototyping framework that aids designers in exploring prototyping strategies for human-centered products during the early design process. The overall objectives of this study are split into primary and secondary research objectives. Three secondary objectives are developed as building blocks of the overarching research objectives. First of all, Chapter 2 addresses the first secondary research objective by exploring how Performance Shaping Factors (PSFs) affect human performance and what prototyping strategies should be employed to capture it. Next, Chapter 3 addresses the second secondary research objective by proposing a computational prototyping method, which assists the designer in exploring the design space to integrate HFE design principles in the conceptual design process. Finally, the third secondary research objective is presented in Chapter 5, which explores the levels of human product interaction and the fidelity that plays a role in prototyping strategies. The secondary research objectives helped to gain deeper insight into prototyping for HCD based products. These insights are building blocks to address the three primary research questions and develop the Pre-Prototyping framework. The methodology to develop the Pre-Prototyping framework follows a similar step-by-step approach and workflows common to other prototyping frameworks in the prototyping literature; however, the proposed Pre-Prototyping framework adds HCD guidelines and proactive prototyping strategies by injecting HFE design principles. The distinction between this work and the existing prototyping framework is that the focus is on a Pre-Prototyping strategy rather than a hands-on prototyping activity. The second distinction is that this prototyping methodology is developed by focusing on the human-centered design since most of the existing methodologies concentrate solely on the prototyping experience. The proposed methodology comprises Prototyping Categories, Prototyping Dimensions, and Prototyping Toolbox along with Human Factor Guidelines. These different areas are combined in a framework that is currently presented using MS Excel User-Form. Designers can use this framework via Excel User-Form to conceptualize Pre-Prototyping strategies based on the specific HCD requirements. The proposed methodology is validated by an experiment that conducts 12 prototyping problems between the Intervention group and the Control group. Independent t-tests are be performed between the two groups. It is found that participants who use the proposed framework develop better Pre-Prototyping strategies than those who do not. In addition to the quantitative test, qualitative analysis is carried out by capturing the prototyping experience and attitude of the designers. Likert Scale and screen recordings data are used to gain further insight into participants' evaluation of the framework. It is discovered that the participants perceived the Pre-Prototyping framework to be helpful and they agree to use the Pre-Prototyping framework for prototyping human-centered products

"Production Ergonomics

"Production ergonomics – the science and practice of designing industrial workplaces to optimize human well-being and system performance – is a complex challenge for a designer. Humans are a valuable and flexible resource in any system of creation, and as long as they stay healthy, alert and motivated, they perform well and also become more competent over time, which increases their value as a resource. However, if a system designer is not mindful or aware of the many threats to health and system performance that may emerge, the end result may include inefficiency, productivity losses, low working morale, injuries and sick-leave. To help budding system designers and production engineers tackle these design challenges holistically, this book offers a multi-faceted orientation in the prerequisites for healthy and effective human work. We will cover physical, cognitive and organizational aspects of ergonomics, and provide both the individual human perspective and that of groups and populations, ending up with a look at global challenges that require workplaces to become more socially and economically sustainable. This book is written to give you a warm welcome to the subject, and to provide a solid foundation for improving industrial workplaces to attract and retain healthy and productive staff in the long run.

The Virtual Manufacturing concept: Scope, Socio-Economic Aspects and Future Trends

International audienceThe research area "Virtual Manufacturing (VM)'' is the use of information technology and computer simulation to model real world manufacturing processes for the purpose of analysing and understanding them. As automation technologies such as CAD/CAM have substantially shortened the time required to design products, Virtual Manufacturing will have a similar effect on the manufacturing phase thanks to the modelling, simulation and optimisation of the product and the processes involved in its fabrication. After a description of Virtual Manufacturing (definitions and scope), we present some socio-economic factors of VM and finaly some "hot topics'' for the future are proposed