Development of inspection system for tool presetter

In order to conform to the concept of smart factory for industry 4.0, this paper developed a low-cost tool measuring machine included the structure design, hardware planning of the server, electromechanical control, drive system, human machine interface, communication between hardware and software, software development, and so on. The proposed measuring system provided more flexibility and integration with peripheral equipment for the requirements of industry 4.0. Compared with a Germanic measuring machine, experimental results showed that the percentage of errors of the designed inspection instrument were 0.004 ％ and 0.003 ％ for the tool length and diameter measurements of a square end mill, respectively

The spread of the "Japanese type" production system into Asia: Evolutionary theories and the case of Thai auto and electrical parts industries.

In the past, technology efficiently assisted industrialised countries in their conquest of colonies. However, technology has not helped many less developed countries in their industrialisation. Although some literature contended that technology would inevitably spread to less developed countries, it has spread only partially to most less developed countries. The literature seems to have failed to present a clear picture of how a less developed country can acquire technology. Recently, East Asian economies and their peculiar nature became a focal point in Western literature. A key to understand their development path lies in Akamatsu's "flying-geese" pattern theory, which shows the mechanism of technology diffusion from more developed to less developed countries. Starting from Akamatsu's theory, this thesis argues that East Asian economies today are specifically set within a culture, where labour and management co-operate, and where large industry and small-medium industry cooperate. In this culture, technology spreads from more developed to less developed countries and facilitates faster industrialisation. Also, this thesis argues that technology is dynamic and complex. Learning technology is not an easy matter. Technology diffuses through human contact, and accumulates. Japanese expatriates try to teach technology to local workers, not to hide it as argued by the intelligentsia in ASEAN countries. This thesis measures the levels to which technology has been learnt, examining effective borrowing processes in the context of Thailand's auto parts and electrical parts industries. Thus, this thesis contributes to the study of technology transfer in the Third World countries, which has been affected so far by a narrow understanding of technology

An application of the flexible specialisation methodology to the furniture industry in the Western Cape

Bibliography: p. 121-131.The primary aim of this paper is to attempt to apply the flexible specialisation (FS) methodology to the furniture industry in the Western Cape. As described in detail in the following section, the gains from employing this approach include "the conceptualisation of industrialisation as a locally embedded process, and the focus on network and on technological capability as essential elements in this process" (Aeroe, 1992:16). A positive approach is then used to assess which aspects of the Western Cape furniture industry (if any) are similar to the industrial organisational structure which has been termed the small firm variant of FS. The fieldwork for the empirical part of the case study was carried out on a sample of 20 furniture manufacturing concerns drawn from three clusters of furniture enterprises in Epping, Lansdowne and Blackheath. The criterion for the selection of these research areas was the existence of a critical mass of sectorally concentrated firms agglomerated within a geographically compact area. A key objective was to attempt to isolate the influence of the variable "locality" on other variables such as the extent of cooperation, firm performance and strategies and supplier relations, inter alia. Finally the normative implications of this variant are examined. Do features in the Western Cape industrial landscape exist which suggest the potential for development of regional industrial clusters along FS lines? In order to conduct a case study broadly within the FS framework, it is necessary to first review the literature and extract testable hypotheses. Firstly the general literature on the FS small firm variant is reviewed. Then a survey of FS case studies of the furniture/woodworking sector is presented. The next phase is a detailed perspective on the South African furniture industry given as a background to the empirical study which follows

A History of Materials and Technologies Development

The purpose of the book is to provide the students with the text that presents an introductory knowledge about the development of materials and technologies and includes the most commonly available information on human development. The idea of the publication has been generated referring to the materials taken from the organic and non-organic evolution of nature. The suggested texts might be found a purposeful tool for the University students proceeding with studying engineering due to the fact that all subjects in this particular field more or less have to cover the history and development of the studied object. It is expected that studying different materials and technologies will help the students with a better understanding of driving forces, positive and negative consequences of technological development, etc

China's Presence in Developing Countries' Technology Basket: The Case of Furniture Manufacturing in Kenya

China has emerged as the leading source of capital goods for Kenya and Sub Saharan Africa as a whole, which before the noughties depended largely on advanced countries for capital goods. Thus, there is a disruption of the pattern of technology transfer to Sub Saharan Africa including Kenya. A significant aspect of this disruption is that the capital goods are being produced within a developing country context (China) and for other developing countries. This issue motivated this research, which contributes to the literature by exploring the potential impact of Chinese technologies (capital goods) on the development of other developing countries vis-à-vis the impact of technologies from advanced countries and the domestic economy. The study used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches and data from Kenya’s furniture manufacturing firms, including both formal and informal sector firms. It was found that the technologies from China (and also Kenya) are more amenable for inclusive industrial development especially with respect to employment creation and poverty reduction. These technologies are more labour intensive, compared to the advanced country technologies. They allow poor entrepreneurs to start their own businesses with a relatively high degree of automation, which they would not be able to afford if the only available technology were the technology from advanced countries. They are also pro-poor in terms of producing goods to meet the consumption needs of the poor. It was also found that the diffusion of the Chinese technology is higher among informal sector firms than among formal sector firms. However, the Chinese technology is less common than the Kenyan technology in the informal sector while the formal sector firms mainly rely on the advanced country technology. All the three technologies are transferred/ diffused mainly through arm’s length trade. The fact that the Chinese and Kenyan technologies yield a more inclusive development outcome than those from advanced countries indicates that industrial policies for developing countries should take into consideration the critical issue of technology choice

A cost-based decision framework for advanced manufacturing research

Advanced Manufacturing research centres bridge the gap between fundamental academic research and high value manufacturing. There are complexities in terms of decision making and knowledge management across these interfaces in particular surrounding the uncertainties in data. This research provides a solution to this combining cost engineering and Bayesian methods into a framework for use within these contexts. The research aim is to provide; A framework to improve value- related decision making when selecting novel manufacturing technologies. The framework consists of four elements; Elicit — Ensure that cost related drivers and input parameters are identified early using expert elicitation techniques to capture soft evidence. Consolidate — Map all cost and value related parameters, uncertainties and their interrelationships. Analyse — Identify the sensitivities to cost of all parameters. Communicate —- Provide results as multi-objective outputs useful to a range of decision makers. Feedback — Ensure that when new evidence emerges this is incorporated into the knowledge base. Mixed methods were used in this research using a pragmatic approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods. The novel framework offers an extension to the field of knowledge management and cost estimation, providing a mechanism for dynamic evidence and uncertainty propagation with feedback loops. The research demonstrates that providing multi-objective decision making support enhances the ‘buy-in’ from multiple stakeholder groups. The research builds on existing cost estimation research into cutting fluids to include many parameters not previously considered. The case study 1 activity identified the value of robust coolant management and helped to initiative companywide investigation of coolant filtration technologies to enable improved coolant life and quality. This is now yielding significant cost reduction and improved life and sustainability to coolant practices across the company. The results of case study 1, helped resolve the mitigating factors of inconsistent test results seen in case study 2. New research and industrial investment will now be conducted into coolant filtration and also adoption of improved filtration control in the research environment is commencing