The Integrated Realization of Materials, Products and Associated Manufacturing Processes

Problem: A materials design revolution is underway in the recent past where the focus is to design (not select) the material microstructure and processing paths to achieve multiple property or performance requirements that are often in conflict. The advancements in computer simulations have resulted in the speeding up of the process of discovering new materials and has paved way for rapid assessment of process-structure-property-performance relationships of materials, products, and processes. This has led to the simulation-based design of material microstructure (microstructure-mediated design) to satisfy multiple property or performance goals of the product/process/system thereby replacing the classical material design and selection approaches. The foundational premise for this dissertation is that systems-based materials design techniques offer the potential for tailoring materials, their processing paths and the end products that employ these materials in an integrated fashion for challenging applications to satisfy conflicting product and process level property and performance requirements. The primary goal in this dissertation is to establish some of the scientific foundations and tools that are needed for the integrated realization of materials, products and manufacturing processes using simulation models that are typically incomplete, inaccurate and not of equal fidelity by managing the uncertainty associated. Accordingly, the interest in this dissertation lies in establishing a systems-based design architecture that includes system-level synthesis methods and tools that are required for the integrated design of complex materials, products and associated manufacturing processes starting from the end requirements. Hence the primary research question: What are the theoretical, mathematical and computational foundations needed for establishing a comprehensive systems-based design architecture to realize the integrated design of the product, its environment, manufacturing processes and material as a system? Major challenges to be addressed here are: a) integration of models (material, process and product) to establish processing-structure-property-performance relationships, b) goal-oriented inverse design of material microstructures and processing paths to meet multiple conflicting performance/property requirements, c) robust concept exploration by managing uncertainty across process chains and d) systematic, domain-independent, modular, reconfigurable, reusable, computer interpretable, archivable, and multi-objective decision support in the early stages of design to different users. Approach: In order to address these challenges, the primary hypothesis in this dissertation is to establish the theoretical, mathematical and computational foundations for: 1) forward material, product and process workflows through systematic identification and integration of models to define the processing-structure-property-performance relationships; 2) a concept exploration framework supporting systematic formulation of design problems facilitating robust design exploration by bringing together robust design principles and multi-objective decision making protocols; 3) a generic, goal-oriented, inverse decision-based design method that uses 1) and 2) to facilitate the systems-based inverse design of material microstructures and processing paths to meet multiple product level performance/property requirements, thereby generating the problem-specific inverse decision workflow; and 4) integrating the workflows with a knowledge-based platform anchored in modeling decision-related knowledge facilitating capture, execution and reuse of the knowledge associated with 1), 2) and 3). This establishes a comprehensive systems-based design architecture to realize the integrated design of the product, its environment, manufacturing processes and material as a system. Validation: The systems-based design architecture for the integrated realization of materials, products and associated manufacturing processes is validated using the validation-square approach that consists of theoretical and empirical validation. Empirical validation of the design architecture is carried out using an industry driven problem namely the ‘Integrated Design of Steel (Material), Manufacturing Processes (Rolling and Cooling) and Hot Rolled Rods (Product) for Automotive Gears’. Specific sub-problems are formulated within this problem domain to address various research questions identified in this dissertation. Contributions: The contributions from the dissertation are categorized into new knowledge in four research domains: a) systematic model integration (vertical and horizontal) for integrated material and product workflows, b) goal-oriented, inverse decision support, c) robust concept exploration of process chains with multiple conflicting goals and d) knowledge-based decision support for rapid and robust design exploration in simulation-based integrated material, product and process design. The creation of new knowledge in this dissertation is associated with the development of a systems-based design architecture involving systematic function-based approach of formulating forward material workflows, a concept exploration framework for systematic design exploration, an inverse decision-based design method, and robust design metrics, all integrated with a knowledge-based platform for decision support. The theoretical, mathematical and computational foundations for the design architecture are proposed in this dissertation to facilitate rapid and robust exploration of the design and solution spaces to identify material microstructures and processing paths that satisfy conflicting property and performance for complex materials, products and processes by managing uncertainty

Integration of eco-design into product development practice : applied in the design and manufacture of shower and tapware products : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Eco-Design at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Consumers and wider society have become more aware of the environmental issues associated with products. Manufacturers of consumer products have responded to this awareness by attempting to integrate environmental strategies, tools and techniques into the processes that guide their product development efforts through idea-to-launch. This practice is commonly known as eco-design. There have been relatively very few eco-design success stories and generally eco-design has yet to have a significant influence on the development and commercialisation of mainstream products; research has shown that this is primarily because environmental practices are not effectively integrated into the product development process. Furthermore, the eco-design frameworks, models and tools available to New Product Development (NPD) practitioners are often challenging to integrate as they are too broad to provide adequate guidance to product designers. The environmental impacts of products can significantly differ between product types and how products are used. Active product types such as showers and tapware do consume additional energy, water and/or materials in the use phase of the product’s life cycle and so this phase may be the environmental hotspot for these product types. This implies that designers of active products should use a life cycle-based approach to eco-design. This study investigated how life cycle-based environmental considerations can be integrated effectively into product development practices. Drawing on the eco-design and NPD literature, it used both qualitative and quantitative methods in an embedded action case study of a shower and tapware manufacturer, and users of its products. In the first stage of the study, data was collected on the organisational practices of the company and their product development process. In the second stage, data was collected from the product users through experimentation and user trials that informed eco-design decisions within the development process. The data from both stages was analysed using a systematic process involving categorising and explanation building through narrative structuring. The results demonstrated that the culture of an organisation can greatly impact success of eco-design integration into the product development practices of manufactures of active products. This key finding became the foundation of the framework proposed in this thesis known as the shower and tapware eco-design product framework (STeP Framework). This framework includes an accompanying list of success factors that can be applied in an organisation that produces active products to support eco-design integration. The analysis of results showed that NPD practitioners need to consider the unique characteristics of different types of products and associated environmental impacts in order for the eco-design frameworks, models and tools to be effective. In doing so, both technical and behavioural factors related to life cycle-based environmental impacts of products were identified that greatly influence the STeP framework and success factors. Implementation of the key findings of the study was proposed in the form of a front-end process model suitable for producers of active products (Eco-AP Process Model). For front end stages such as idea generation, idea selection and project definition, it was found that Life Cycle Assessment is necessary to quantify the environmental impacts associated with the idea, and particularly so at a system level. In addition, with a better understanding of the relationship between human behaviour and how this can influence the life cycle-based impacts, it is necessary to include specialised eco-tools (such as Design of Experiments) that can measure, analyse and optimise the use phase by taking into consideration user interaction with the product. Other stages of the process model include opportunity analysis and opportunity identification, that focus on generating new environmental knowledge and eco-ideas rather than being driven by commercialisation deadlines. Finally, an opportunity development stage was added that creates new eco-design core capabilities within an organisation and maximises realisation of eco-opportunities in the industry

A methodology for the design of safety critical mechatronics

The general approach taken for the design of safety critical, mechatronic products is at present based upon creating a design and then incorporating safety features into the design, almost as an afterthought. Although guidelines exist, that detail basic processes which, should be carried out for design for safety, structured design methods, that could aid design for safety are not described. Additionally, the use of computers, to aid in the decision making process for the design and safety analysis of mechatronics, is underexploited. In this thesis a structured, safety led, design methodology based around Extended Quality Function Deployment is developed. The basic methodology is integrated with a combination of safety analysis tools, and additional structured design methods which help control the methodology, reducing many of the problems of implementing Extended Quality Function Deployment (EQFD). Additionally, the development of computer based tools for component selection and failure analysis, based upon dynamic, energy based models is shown. These models are fully integrated with the design methodology. The development of these methods and tools is described in relation to a Case Study, based upon the safety analysis, and conceptual design of a robot capable of carrying out Remote Gamma Radiography of Steel Storage Tanks. Safety analysis tools are applied in a pro-active manner, prior to starting the EQFD analysis, providing guidelines as to the safety requirements for the design. Further safety analysis is carried out during the design process using graphical dynamic computer models of the proposed design. These computer models originally being developed for automated component selection, which are in turn derived from the correlation roof. This pro-active approach to design for safety led to many useful insights into possible guidelines and features which should be incorporated into the product at an early stage of the design process. Modelling the system using a computer based tool-improved understanding of the system behaviour and helped accelerate the design process. Firstly as an tool for automated component selection and secondly as mechanism, for extensive safety analysis

Model-based solvent selection for pharmaceutical process development

Solvents play a key role in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products as they are extensively used to accelerate synthetic reactions, enable separation and purification, and facilitate drug product formulation. The production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is a multi-step process involving several reaction and workup steps in which large amounts of solvents are consumed. This makes the pharmaceutical industry a very wasteful chemical sector and highlights the need for systematic tools to enhance the resource efficiency of its processes. Recently, there has been growing interest in incorporating green chemistry principles in product design and development to enhance the sustainability of chemical manufacturing. In particular, solvent selection is a promising research area within the chemistry and engineering communities, given the many solvent-related contributions to process performance, including mass utilisation, energy consumption and process economics. Solvent selection is a difficult and complex design problem that entails molecular-level decisions, such as determining the solvent identities and the compositions of mixtures if mixed solvents are considered, together with process performance objectives, which are often competing. In current practice, most pharmaceutical companies develop in-house solvent selection guides to choose solvents based on physico-chemical properties and safety, health and environment characteristics with the aim to reduce process costs and environmental impact. However, these methods are mostly based on heuristic approaches or time-consuming experimental investigations that often lead to sub-optimal designs and fail to account for the integrated nature of the solvent selection problem. A novel solvent selection approach based on computer-aided mixture/blend design (CAMbD) is proposed to design integrated pharmaceutical processes and evaluate the process performance of pharmaceutical synthesis routes. Predictive thermodynamic models are used to integrate property prediction within process modelling, and advanced optimisation techniques are employed to search the vast design space of potential solvents and process conditions in order to identify the most promising design options. The CAMbD approach is used to optimise the solvent identities, mixture composition and process conditions in: 1) integrated synthesis and crystallisation processes, and 2) end-to-end drug substance manufacturing processes, based on key performance indicators (KPIs) that quantify resource efficiency and product quality. The one-step synthesis of mefenamic acid from 2,3-dimethylaniline and 2-chlorobenzoic acid is used as a case study to illustrate the use of CAMbD in pharmaceutical process design. The CAMbD approach generates different designs by considering a variety of solvent design spaces and performance objectives. Furthermore, multi-objective optimisation CAMbD problems are formulated to explore the trade-offs between competing KPIs, such as solvent utilisation and process safety, or energy consumption and process yield, in order to identify best-compromise solutions. An important feature of the proposed approach is that comprehensive design specifications, such as the miscibility of the chosen reaction and crystallisation solvents with the wash solvent in the end-to-end process, can be embedded in the mathematical formulation, ensuring that only practical designs are obtained. In addition to its use in integrated molecular and process design, the proposed CAMbD approach can be deployed to identify the optimal synthesis route of a pharmaceutical compound based on process performance metrics quantifying resource efficiency, product quality and solvent cost. The two-step synthesis of 4-nitrophenol (NP) via two reaction pathways is used as a case study to illustrate the potential of CAMbD in pharmaceutical process route selection. The work presented in this thesis constitutes a unique scientific contribution to the area of model-based solvent selection for drug substance manufacturing. For the first time, a CAMbD-based approach is developed and deployed to identify promising solvent choices and operating conditions for integrated, end-to-end drug substance manufacturing processes, while focusing on mixture thermodynamics, i.e., species solubility, and considering a range of KPIs that quantify product and process performance within single and multi-objective design formulations. Furthermore, for the first time, CAMbD is deployed to evaluate synthesis routes based on process performance, i.e., process route evaluation, while using simplified thermodynamic models and considering process-related metrics such as process efficiency and product quality. The model-based tool presented in this PhD thesis is relevant to streamline experiments and guide solvent selection and process design during early-stage pharmaceutical process development.Open Acces

The long road to improvement in modelling & managing engineering processes (MMEP)

Managing complex engineering design processes is a challenge for industry, which is looking to academia to provide tools and methods to support them. The Modelling and Managing of Engineering Processes Special Interest Group of the Design Society aims to support industry in understanding, modelling and running design processes by bringing together a community of design researchers and interacting with industry by identifying research challenges and working together to resolve them. This paper maps out research challenges for MMEP and reflects over some of the challenges we have as a research community in meeting these ambitious goals. This paper begins by presenting an ambitious research roadmap developed in 2008 and then compares the roadmap with the research topics that current members of the MMEP SIG are working on before reflecting on how and where we have made progress and what would be serious progress in this area. Based on the analyses of research topics and progress, the paper concludes with a discussion of the evolution of research topics and associated challenges for design research, and sketches measures required for improving our efficacy as a research community

Автоматизоване геометричне моделювання дискових робочих органів технічних об’єктів

The current stage of development of society is based on the multifaceted use of computer information technologies, in particular, for the design and manufacture of various technical objects. Therefore, further improvement of the methods of computer-aided design is an urgent scientific and applied problem in our time. The aim of the article is to outline the theoretical foundations of creating computer information technologies for effective geometric modeling of various groups of technical objects. The proposed integrated group approach is based, on the one hand, on the general classification of figures by dimension, geometric methods of their construction and modifications, and on the other hand, on the completed classification of objects of modeling and production processes of their manufacture. The research materials are illustrated by the example of such a group of technical objects as disk working bodies of tillage tools of agricultural engineering products. The presented approach is based on the methodology of structuralparametric geometric modeling created by the Scientific School of Applied Geometry of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and is its further evolution. The methodology developed by the authors is largely invariant with respect to many engineering objects. This constitutes a significant scientific and applied value of the proposed approach of computer geometric modeling of industrial products. The relevance of the analyzed scientific and applied problem is due to the special importance of the processes of shaping in the design and manufacture of technical objects. A promising area of scientific research is the further generalization and integration of various approaches, in particular, structural-parametric, multidimensional geometry and special disciplines. This will allow using the development of appropriate new methods and techniques to create better computer models of many technical objects and processes, to increase the efficiency of the practical use of computer-aided design systems

A computer-based product classification and component detection for demanufacturing processes

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 24(10), 900-914, 2011 [copyright Taylor & Francis], available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/0951192X.2011.579169.The aim of this paper is to propose a novel computer-based product classification, component detection and tracking for demanufacturing and disassembly process. This is achieved by introducing a series of automated and sequential product scanning, component identification, image analysis and sorting – leading to the development of a bill of material (BOM). The produced BOM can then be associated with the relevant disassembly/demanufacture proviso. The proposed integrated image sorting and product classification (ISPC) approach can be considered as a step forward in automation of demanufacturing activities. The ISPC model proposed in this paper utilises and builds on the state-of-the-art technology and current body of research in computer-integrated demanufacturing and remanufacturing (CIDR). An appraisal of the latest research material and the factors that inhibit CIDR methods inpractice are presented. A novel solution for the integration of imaging and material identification techniques toovercome some of the existing shortcomings of automated recycling processes is proposed in this paper. The proposed product scanning and component detection ISPC software consists of four distinct models: the repertory database, the search engine, the product-attributes updater and the image sorting and classification algorithm. The software framework that integrates the four components is presented in this paper. Finally, an overall assessment of applying ISPC at various stages of CIDR processes concludes the article.University of Ibadan MacArthur Foundation Gran

Multi-objective Optimisation in Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has demonstrated great potential to advance product design and manufacturing, and has showed higher flexibility than conventional manufacturing techniques for the production of small volume, complex and customised components. In an economy focused on the need to develop customised and hi-tech products, there is increasing interest in establishing AM technologies as a more efficient production approach for high value products such as aerospace and biomedical products. Nevertheless, the use of AM processes, for even small to medium volume production faces a number of issues in the current state of the technology. AM production is normally used for making parts with complex geometry which implicates the assessment of numerous processing options or choices; the wrong choice of process parameters can result in poor surface quality, onerous manufacturing time and energy waste, and thus increased production costs and resources. A few commonly used AM processes require the presence of cellular support structures for the production of overhanging parts. Depending on the object complexity their removal can be impossible or very time (and resources) consuming. Currently, there is a lack of tools to advise the AM operator on the optimal choice of process parameters. This prevents the diffusion of AM as an efficient production process for enterprises, and as affordable access to democratic product development for individual users. Research in literature has focused mainly on the optimisation of single criteria for AM production. An integrated predictive modelling and optimisation technique has not yet been well established for identifying an efficient process set up for complicated products which often involve critical building requirements. For instance, there are no robust methods for the optimal design of complex cellular support structures, and most of the software commercially available today does not provide adequate guidance on how to optimally orientate the part into the machine bed, or which particular combination of cellular structures need to be used as support. The choice of wrong support and orientation can degenerate into structure collapse during an AM process such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM), due to the high thermal stress in the junctions between fillets of different cells. Another issue of AM production is the limited parts’ surface quality typically generated by the discrete deposition and fusion of material. This research has focused on the formation of surface morphology of AM parts. Analysis of SLM parts showed that roughness measured was different from that predicted through a classic model based on pure geometrical consideration on the stair step profile. Experiments also revealed the presence of partially bonded particles on the surface; an explanation of this phenomenon has been proposed. Results have been integrated into a novel mathematical model for the prediction of surface roughness of SLM parts. The model formulated correctly describes the observed trend of the experimental data, and thus provides an accurate prediction of surface roughness. This thesis aims to deliver an effective computational methodology for the multi- objective optimisation of the main building conditions that affect process efficiency of AM production. For this purpose, mathematical models have been formulated for the determination of parts’ surface quality, manufacturing time and energy consumption, and for the design of optimal cellular support structures. All the predictive models have been used to evaluate multiple performance and costs objectives; all the objectives are typically contrasting; and all greatly affected by the part’s build orientation. A multi-objective optimisation technique has been developed to visualise and identify optimal trade-offs between all the contrastive objectives for the most efficient AM production. Hence, this thesis has delivered a decision support system to assist the operator in the "process planning" stage, in order to achieve optimal efficiency and sustainability in AM production through maximum material, time and energy savings.EADS Airbus, Great Western Researc

Testing in the incremental design and development of complex products

Testing is an important aspect of design and development which consumes significant time and resource in many companies. However, it has received less research attention than many other activities in product development, and especially, very few publications report empirical studies of engineering testing. Such studies are needed to establish the importance of testing and inform the development of pragmatic support methods. This paper combines insights from literature study with findings from three empirical studies of testing. The case studies concern incrementally developed complex products in the automotive domain. A description of testing practice as observed in these studies is provided, confirming that testing activities are used for multiple purposes depending on the context, and are intertwined with design from start to finish of the development process, not done after it as many models depict. Descriptive process models are developed to indicate some of the key insights, and opportunities for further research are suggested

A review of information flow diagrammatic models for product-service systems

A product-service system (PSS) is a combination of products and services to create value for both customers and manufacturers. Modelling a PSS based on function orientation offers a useful way to distinguish system inputs and outputs with regards to how data are consumed and information is used, i.e. information flow. This article presents a review of diagrammatic information flow tools, which are designed to describe a system through its functions. The origin, concept and applications of these tools are investigated, followed by an analysis of information flow modelling with regards to key PSS properties. A case study of selection laser melting technology implemented as PSS will then be used to show the application of information flow modelling for PSS design. A discussion based on the usefulness of the tools in modelling the key elements of PSS and possible future research directions are also presented