Large volume metrology technologies for the light controlled factory

In the Light Controlled Factory part-to-part assembly and reduced weight will be enabled through the use of predictive fitting processes; low cost high accuracy reconfigurable tooling will be made possible by active compensation; improved control will allow accurate robotic machining; and quality will be improved through the use of traceable uncertainty based quality control throughout the production system. A number of challenges must be overcome before this vision will be realized; 1) controlling industrial robots for accurate machining; 2) compensation of measurements for thermal expansion; 3) Compensation of measurements for refractive index changes; 4) development of Embedded Metrology Tooling for in-tooling measurement and active tooling compensation; and 5) development of Software for the Planning and Control of Integrated Metrology Networks based on Quality Control with Uncertainty Evaluation and control systems for predictive processes. This paper describes how these challenges are being addressed, in particular the central challenge of developing large volume measurement process models within an integrated dimensional variation management (IDVM) system

An application of the SMED methodology in an electric power controls company

Lean production is a strategy for high competiveness in manufacturing. The capability for economical manufacture in small batch sizes is an essential requirement for achieving lean production. This facilitates mixed production of several kinds of products to match varying product demand and can have a major impact in reducing inventories. An obvious requirement for this is the high frequency of equipment setups or product changeovers. This will not be attractive unless set-up times and costs can be reduced to competitive levels. The application of SMED can achieve this. SMED is a well-established methodology involving a set of techniques, methods and guidelines to achieve fast product changeovers at machines. This paper describes the application of SMED in the production process of plastic and metal components required for the assembly of several types of circuit breakers. The work was carried out during a short period of a few months under a master thesis project. Several important SMED strategies and solutions were implemented and evaluated in terms of their impact on productivity and on other manufacturing performance measures. Three specific machines were involved: a punch-bending machine, a punch press and an injection moulding machine. An important contribution was made by introducing innovative and simple solutions such as adapting tools and normalizing changeover operations. Most of the achieved results exceeded the initial expectations. Beyond the purely technical and economic benefits of SMED, better workstations’ ergonomic conditions were also attained. Besides the usual quantification of setup time reduction, other indicators were calculated, namely: work-in- process (WIP), annual setup cost and distance travelled by operators during the changeover process. Reductions of setup time varying from 59% to 90% were achieved. WIP of metal components was reduced from 17.05 to 7.74 days reducing more than 50% on the corresponding costs. A more impressive reduction on WIP was obtained for plastic parts, actually from 5 to 1.09 days of work corresponding to a WIP cost reduction of over 80%. The distance travelled by operators during the changeover process was dramatically reduced too: typically a reduction from 300 m to 10 m and less. The total annual cost savings projection, in this small area of parts production, is near 20,000 €. Although large benefits were obtained from the study, scope for further improvement still exists. In fact the objective of product changeover times below 10 minutes aimed by SMED was not achieved in one case.Universidade do MinhoFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Informing additive manufacturing technology adoption: total cost and the impact of capacity utilisation

Informing Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology adoption decisions, this paper investigates the relationship between build volume capacity utilisation and efficient technology operation in an inter-process comparison of the costs of manufacturing a complex component used in the packaging industry. Confronting the reported costs of a conventional machining and welding pathway with an estimator of the costs incurred through an AM route utilising Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), we weave together four aspects: optimised capacity utilisation, ancillary process steps, the effect of build failure and design adaptation. Recognising that AM users can fill unused machine capacity with other, potentially unrelated, geometries, we posit a characteristic of ‘fungible’ build capacity. This aspect is integrated in the cost estimation framework through computational build volume packing, drawing on a basket of sample geometries. We show that the unit cost in mixed builds at full capacity is lower than in builds limited to a single type of geometry; in our study, this results in a mean unit cost overstatement of 157%. The estimated manufacturing cost savings from AM adoption range from 36 to 46%. Additionally, we indicate that operating cost savings resulting from design adaptation are likely to far outweigh the manufacturing cost advantage

Part grouping for efficient process planning

A framework to provide automated part grouping has been investigated in order to overcome the limitations found in existing part grouping techniques. The work is targeted at: exploration of criteria for feature-based part grouping to make the process planning activity efficient; determination of the optimal number of part families in the part grouping process; development of an experimental hybrid process planning system (HYCAPP); investigation of the effects of improved part grouping on manufacturing cell design. The research work has explored the creation of a feature-based component data model and manufacturing system capability data model, and checked the limitations inherent in existing part grouping techniques i.e. part grouping: around methods; based on part geometry; based on machining processes; and based on machines. [Continues.

A review of unilateral grippers for meat industry automation

With the expectation that meat consumption will grow by 12% over the next decade, coupled with the reported labour issues and viruses attacking human and animal health, there is a growing requirement for red meat slaughterhouse automation. Changes to current abattoir setups and processes are necessary to realise for sustainable, low-cost and scalable automation. However, to achieve such autonomous nirvana, simple, cost-efficient and robust tooling to support these systems are sought. This includes grippers used to hold, manipulate and transport workpieces, such as primal cuts of red meat, for example, with the simplest type being unilateral gripping systems. Scope and approach This paper critically reviews various unilateral gripping solutions available in cross-industry sectors or developed in research that could be used or adapted for the meat industry. Criteria for such tooling are simplicity, low-cost, durability and robustness, whilst being capable of gripping highly deformable objects of various structures and maintaining safety and hygiene standards. The focus is on air-driven grippers due to their ability to hold high payloads without causing visual and physical damage to the product. Key findings and conclusions Three pneumatic-based unilateral gripper principles, namely Coanda, Bernoulli and Vacuum, are critically reviewed for their feasibility in meat industry automation. In conclusion, the simple vacuum-based system offers the best solution of holding force and low damage thresholds. However, vacuum based design and adaption requires thought for meat surface and structure variance. This will inevitably lead to future experimental research and development work.A review of unilateral grippers for meat industry automationpublishedVersio

A Building as a Catalyst for Change: The New British Library Centre for Conservation

The new Centre for Conservation at the British Library (BLCC) opened in London this year. This 2600 square metre, purpose-built Centre is connected to the main British Library by a new public terrace and is adjacent tothe new St Pancras Eurostar station opening in November 2007. The Centre houses state-of-the-art book conservation studios and sound preservation studios, together with facilities for an extensive training and public outreach programme. The public programme includes a permanent, free exhibition and education suite at the entrance to the new Centre, linked to the rotation of iconic collection items within the BL’s Treasures Gallery. There are to be free, behind-the-scenes tours of the conservation studios for the public as well as demonstrations, workshops and talks. The professional outreach includes partnering with the University of the Arts on setting up a new two-year Foundation Degree in Book Conservation, setting up funded internships for book and sound preservation, and steps to furthering the BL in conservation research. From the beginning, there were three main, intertwined elements at the core of the Centre for Conservation project, namely construction, fund-raising and a ‘change programme’. The paper describes the construction project and highlights features such as the ‘floating’ sound studios, the natural north light that bathes the majority of the conservation studios and describes how the needs of visitors and circulation were anticipated. Secondly it describes the nature of the fund-raising for the €19.65 (£13.25) million project, which was the first such capital fund-raising project undertaken by the BL. The money has been raised from a combination of public and private sources. The mixture of conservation, professional training and public access has been key to the success in raising the funds. Thirdly, the paper describes how the impetus for providing appropriate accommodation for those areas not incorporated into the St Pancras building in the late 1990s, was used as a catalyst for change. The space was designed to engender different ways of working and the very process of developing the project was used to develop people by working in different ways. This is a modernisation and ‘cultural change’ project, whereby the challenge has been to keep the best of the old (the artisanship, hand craft skills and technical expertise) and create the best of the new (updating conservation techniques, developing new skills commensurate with the needs of the collections, evolving organisational changes)

In-Mould Gel-Coating for polymer composites

Surface coatings (gel-coats) are often used on commercial composite mouldings for cosmetic and/or durability reasons. They have traditionally been prepared in open moulds with styrene vapour allowed to escape to the workspace and environment. This paper considers the development of in-mould gel-coating processes. A Double Glass Plate Mould (DGPM) was used to prepare flat composite test panels. Laminates were manufactured by liquid composite moulding processes. Conventional hand painted gel-coat, innovative In-Mould Gel-Coating with a trilayer separator fabric (IMGC) or In-Mould Surfacing with a silicone shim (IMS) were studied. The surface quality of the final products was measured using a Wave-Scan device while the adhesion of the gel-coat was characterised by pull-off tests. The new processes offer reasonable properties in a cleaner, more controlled process

Development of a design feature database to support design for additive manufacturing (DfAM)

This research introduces a method to aid the design of products or parts to be made using Additive Manufacturing (AM), particularly the laser sintering (LS) system. The research began with a literature review that encompassed the subjects of design and AM and through this the need for an assistive design approach for AM was identified. Undertaking the literature review also confirmed that little has been done in the area of supporting the design of AM parts or products. Preliminary investigations were conducted to identify the design factors to consider for AM. Two preliminary investigations were conducted, the first investigation was conducted to identify the reasons for designing for AM, the need for a design support tool for AM and current challenges of student industrial designers designing parts or products for AM, and also to identify the type of design support they required. Further investigation were conducted to examine how AM products are developed by professional industrial designers and to understand their design processes and procedures. The study has identified specific AM enabled design features that the designers have been able to create within their case study products. Detailed observation of the case study products and parts reveals a number of features that are only economical or possible to produce with AM. A taxonomy of AM enabled design features was developed as a precursor for the development of a computer based design tool. The AM enabled design features was defined as a features that would be uneconomical or very expensive to be produced with conventional methods. The taxonomy has four top-level taxons based on four main reasons for using AM, namely user fit requirements, improved product functionality requirements, parts consolidation requirements and improvement of aesthetics or form requirements. Each of these requirements was expanded further into thirteen sub categories of applications that contained 106 examples of design features that are only possible to manufacture using AM technology. The collected and grouped design features were presented in a form of a database as a method to aid product design of parts or products for AM. A series of user trials were conducted that showed the database enabled industrial designers to visualise and gather design feature information that could be incorporated into their own design work. Finally, conclusions are drawn and suggestions for future work are listed. In summary, it can be concluded that this research project has been a success, having addressed all of the objectives that were identified at its outset. From the user trial results, it is clear to see that the proposed tool would be an effective tool to support product design for AM, particularly from an educational perspective. The tool was found to be beneficial to student designers to take advantage of the design freedom offered by AM in order to produce improved product design. As AM becomes more widely used, it is anticipated that new design features will emerge that could be included in future versions of the database so that it will remain a rich source of inspirational information for tomorrow s industrial designers

Photographic lens manufacturing and production technologies

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-56).An investigation was conducted to determine the methods and processes required for the manufacture of photographic objective lenses. Production of photographic lenses requires incredible precision in the melting, mixing, molding and machining of optical glass. Manual inspection methods are required to ensure optimum quality and to avoid inclusion of defects in glass. Manual assembly procedures are required to ensure delicate operation of glass elements but contribute significantly to the consumer expense of these lenses. Newly developed technologies in the field of lens machining are discussed in terms of commercial advances and scientific advances. Companies like Canon have sought greater automation in pre-assembly procedures as well as a reduction in the number of machining steps. New advances including precision machining of aspherical lenses, fluid-jet polishing and magnetorheological finishing are pushing the boundaries of lens machining and its characteristic surface roughnesses to depths not seen before.by Daniel Mark Kubaczyk.S.B