Web-based Process Planning for Machine Tool Maintenance and Services

Providing maintenance and services for high value complex products would extend manufacturers’ responsibilities and benefits to the products' whole usable life, and provide the opportunities to re-use or re-manufacture some failed parts. Sophisticated Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine tools in modern manufacturing systems are special products in that they are also used to manufacture other products, and their operation performance directly affects the quality of the manufactured parts as well as the performance of the entire manufacturing system. To ensure CNC machine tools’ consistent performance, appropriate and efficient maintenance and services are essential and this is more challenging as technologies become more sophisticated and the environment is more dynamic. Previous research was mainly focused on maintenance strategy and maintenance scheduling. Very little effort was devoted to providing operational guidance for maintenance process execution, i.e., providing service suppliers with detailed information about resources needed for maintenance such as tooling, consumables, materials and spare parts, as well as service steps including disassembly and assembly of the serviced products. In this project, planning maintenance operation sequences, schedules and resource allocation are the three main tasks for generating final maintenance plans. This paper will present a Collaborative Maintenance Planning System (CoMPS) which will manage information and knowledge to support decision making in maintenance process planning

Aircraft Maintenance Routing Problem – A Literature Survey

The airline industry has shown significant growth in the last decade according to some indicators such as annual average growth in global air traffic passenger demand and growth rate in the global air transport fleet. This inevitable progress makes the airline industry challenging and forces airline companies to produce a range of solutions that increase consumer loyalty to the brand. These solutions to reduce the high costs encountered in airline operations, prevent delays in planned departure times, improve service quality, or reduce environmental impacts can be diversified according to the need. Although one can refer to past surveys, it is not sufficient to cover the rich literature of airline scheduling, especially for the last decade. This study aims to fill this gap by reviewing the airline operations related papers published between 2009 and 2019, and focus on the ones especially in the aircraft maintenance routing area which seems a promising branch

Evaluation of the HARDMAN comparability methodology for manpower, personnel and training

The methodology evaluation and recommendation are part of an effort to improve Hardware versus Manpower (HARDMAN) methodology for projecting manpower, personnel, and training (MPT) to support new acquisition. Several different validity tests are employed to evaluate the methodology. The methodology conforms fairly well with both the MPT user needs and other accepted manpower modeling techniques. Audits of three completed HARDMAN applications reveal only a small number of potential problem areas compared to the total number of issues investigated. The reliability study results conform well with the problem areas uncovered through the audits. The results of the accuracy studies suggest that the manpower life-cycle cost component is only marginally sensitive to changes in other related cost variables. Even with some minor problems, the methodology seem sound and has good near term utility to the Army. Recommendations are provided to firm up the problem areas revealed through the evaluation

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 341)

This bibliography lists 133 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during September 1990. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and psychology, life support systems and controlled environments, safety equipment, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, and flight crew behavior and performance

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

An Exploratory Case Study of Information-Sharing and Collaboration within Air Force Supply Chain Management

This research sought to identify key elements of the Air Force supply chain as it relates to industry, determine how techniques of information-sharing and collaboration are used to make Air Force Supply Chain decisions, and examine how the resulting impacts on operational readiness may be measured. A multiple case study research design was used to investigate the application of information-sharing and collaboration in two distinct Air Force supply chains. Cross-case comparative analysis of the supply chains supporting the PTO shafts on the F-15 engine and the T-38 engine evaluated each supply chain\u27s characteristics and levels of information-sharing and collaboration. The research highlighted one example of proactive sharing of information and collaborative decision-making to avoid supply chain inefficiencies, and one example of using information-sharing to recover from a decision made without using a collaborative approach. Specifically, the research identified that proactive sharing of information and collaborative decision-making for the T-38 avoided supply chain failures, while the F-15 supply chain was reactive, failing to collaborate or share information, resulting in a failure of the supply chain and an increase in the MICAP rate. The F-15 community used information-sharing to recover from this failure. The culmination of this effort provided insight into the interactions and complexities of the Air Force supply chain and highlighted a need for a more thorough evaluation of the impact of supply chain relationships, information-sharing, and collaborative decision-making on operational readiness

Organisational change towards servitization:a theoretical framework

Purpose: The need for a holistic framework for studying organisational transformation towards Servitization is implicit. This is particularly relevant as Servitization demands consideration of both business model and organisational change. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to provide an integrative framework that systematically captures and evaluate existing literature on Servitization. Design/methodology/approach: The aim of the paper has been achieved through three main objectives; comprehensively examine the literature in organisational change management that would assist with the selection of the most effective evaluation framework, classify previous studies against the proposed framework through a systematic literature review methodology and analyse the selected papers and propose research questions/propositions based on the identified gaps. Findings: Results indicate that there are two somewhat macro opportunities for the Servitization community, namely, stronger infusion of generic theory into the Servitization debate and exploring Servitization in action through the lens of the theoretical framework. Practical implications: The findings of the paper demonstrate the gaps in the Servitization literature, which indeed require further theoretical/empirical research. Originality/value: It is discussed the usefulness and practicality of viewing research contributions that are setting out to be either “descriptive” or “prescriptive”. Consequently, the authors have proposed several avenues for future research based on these two viewpoints

A Demand Side Requirements Model to Forecast C-17 Mobility Aircraft Availability

Current aircraft forecasting methods of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Directorate of Logistics are reliant on the experience of personnel and lead to after the fact, labor-intensive analysis. These deficiencies led AMC to the development of a Mobility Aircraft Availability Forecasting (MAAF) model. The purpose of the MAAF model is threefold: predict aircraft availability in order to provide the Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC) with a forecast of aircraft that will be available for AMC mission requirements, provide what if capabilities that analyze the effects of tasking and policy changes, and to provide foresight into problems associated with aircraft availability (Briggs, 2003b). This research uses Arena simulation to model C-17 aircraft generation at a major enroute location to determine how significant the factors of crew chief manning and spares levels affect aircraft throughput and turn-times. From the simulation, ANOVA statistical techniques are applied to determine factor significance. In addition, a hierarchical structure of aircraft generation is generated to include the variability of unscheduled maintenance actions. This provides a more precise analysis of expected turn-time duration, which leads to overall throughput of the system. Ultimately, this research provides a key input to the MAAF project that will enable AMC to predict aircraft availability and provide the TACC with a monthly forecast of the number of aircraft that will be available to fulfill AMC mission requirements

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 289)

This bibliography lists 792 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in Mar. 1993. Subject coverage includes: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment, and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics

United States Air Force fighter jet maintenance Models : effectiveness of index policies

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Operations Research Center, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. "June 2013."Includes bibliographical references (pages 107-109).As some of the most technically complex systems in the world, United States fighter aircraft require a complex logistics system to sustain their reliable operation and ensure that the day-to-day Air Force missions can be satisfied. While there has been a lot of attention among academics and practitioners regarding the study of this complex logistics system, most of the focus has been on availability of spare parts that are indeed essential for the smooth operations of the fighter aircraft. However, in recent years there has been an increasing awareness that maintenance resources are an equally important enabler and should be considered together with inventory issues. The maintenance resources required to repair the fighter aircraft are expensive and therefore limited. Moreover, there are various types of maintenance that compete for the same resources. It .is therefore imperative that the allocation of maintenance resources is done as efficiently as possible. In this thesis, we study two areas of fighter aircraft maintenance that could significantly benefit from improved resource allocation and scheduling strategies. We use quantitative and qualitative data from Air Force data-bases and logistics personnel to develop an innovative modeling framework to capture these challenging maintenance problems. This modeling framework is based on a generalization of the of the well-known multi-armed bandit superprocess problem. Using these models, we develop index policies which provide intuitive, easily implemented, and effective rules for scheduling maintenance activities and allocating maintenance resources. These policies seem to improve on existing best practices within the Air Force, and perform well in extensive data-driven simulated computational experiments. The first area is focused on the challenges of scheduling maintenance for the low observable (stealth) capabilities of the F-22 Raptor, specifically, maintenance of the outer coating of the aircraft that is essential to maintain its radar invisibility. In particular, we generate index policies that efficiently schedule which aircraft should enter low observable maintenance, how long they should be worked on, and which aircraft should fly in order to maximize the stealth capability of the fleet. Secondly, we model the maintenance process of the F100-229 engine, which is the primary propulsion method used in the F-16C/D and F-15E aircraft. In particular, we generate index policies to decide which engines should take priority over others, and whether or not certain components of the engines should be repaired or replaced. The policies address both elective (planned) and unplanned maintenance tasks.by John M. Kessler.S.M