182,123 research outputs found
Supporting 'design for reuse' with modular design
Engineering design reuse refers to the utilization of any knowledge gained from the design activity to support future design. As such, engineering design reuse approaches are concerned with the support, exploration, and enhancement of design knowledge prior, during, and after a design activity. Modular design is a product structuring principle whereby products are developed with distinct modules for rapid product development, efficient upgrades, and possible reuse (of the physical modules). The benefits of modular design center on a greater capacity for structuring component parts to better manage the relation between market requirements and the designed product. This study explores the capabilities of modular design principles to provide improved support for the engineering design reuse concept. The correlations between modular design and 'reuse' are highlighted, with the aim of identifying its potential to aid the little-supported process of design for reuse. In fulfilment of this objective the authors not only identify the requirements of design for reuse, but also propose how modular design principles can be extended to support design for reuse
Simulation in Automated Guided Vehicle System Design
The intense global competition that manufacturing companies face today results in an
increase of product variety and shorter product life cycles. One response to this threat is
agile manufacturing concepts. This requires materials handling systems that are agile
and capable of reconfiguration. As competition in the world marketplace becomes
increasingly customer-driven, manufacturing environments must be highly
reconfigurable and responsive to accommodate product and process changes, with rigid,
static automation systems giving way to more flexible types.
Automated Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS) have such capabilities and AGV
functionality has been developed to improve flexibility and diminish the traditional
disadvantages of AGV-systems. The AGV-system design is however a multi-faceted
problem with a large number of design factors of which many are correlating and
interdependent. Available methods and techniques exhibit problems in supporting the
whole design process. A research review of the work reported on AGVS development in
combination with simulation revealed that of 39 papers only four were industrially
related. Most work was on the conceptual design phase, but little has been reported on
the detailed simulation of AGVS.
Semi-autonomous vehicles (SA V) are an innovative concept to overcome the problems
of inflexible -systems and to improve materials handling functionality. The SA V
concept introduces a higher degree of autonomy in industrial AGV -systems with the
man-in-the-Ioop. The introduction of autonomy in industrial applications is approached
by explicitly controlling the level of autonomy at different occasions. The SA V s are
easy to program and easily reconfigurable regarding navigation systems and material
handling equipment. Novel approaches to materials handling like the SA V -concept
place new requirements on the AGVS development and the use of simulation as a part
of the process. Traditional AGV -system simulation approaches do not fully meet these
requirements and the improved functionality of AGVs is not used to its full power.
There is a considerflble potential in shortening the AGV -system design-cycle, and thus
the manufacturing system design-cycle, and still achieve more accurate solutions well
suited for MRS tasks.
Recent developments in simulation tools for manufacturing have improved production
engineering development and the tools are being adopted more widely in industry. For
the development of AGV -systems this has not fully been exploited. Previous research
has focused on the conceptual part of the design process and many simulation
approaches to AGV -system design lack in validity. In this thesis a methodology is
proposed for the structured development of AGV -systems using simulation. Elements of
this methodology address the development of novel functionality.
The objective of the first research case of this research study was to identify factors for
industrial AGV -system simulation. The second research case focuses on simulation in
the design of Semi-autonomous vehicles, and the third case evaluates a simulation based
design framework. This research study has advanced development by offering a
framework for developing testing and evaluating AGV -systems, based on concurrent
development using a virtual environment. The ability to exploit unique or novel features
of AGVs based on a virtual environment improves the potential of AGV-systems
considerably.University of Skovde. European Commission for funding the INCO/COPERNICUS Projec
End-of-life management of solid oxide fuel cells
This thesis reports on research undertaken to investigate the end-of-life management of solid
oxide fuel cells (SOFC), through the definition of a framework and the development of a multicriteria
evaluation methodology which together support comparison of alternative end-of-life
scenarios. The primary objective of this research is to develop an understanding of the
challenges and opportunities arising during the end-of-life phase of the technology, such that
any conflicts with end-of-life requirements might be addressed and opportunities for
optimising the end-of-life phase fully exploited.
The research contributions can be considered in four principal parts. The first part comprises a
review of SOFC technology and its place in future sustainable energy scenarios, alongside a
review of a growing body of legislation which embodies concepts such as Extended Producer
Responsibility and Integrated Product Policy. When considered in the context of the life cycle
assessment literature, which clearly points to a lack of knowledge regarding the end-of-life
phase of the SOFC life cycle, this review concludes that the requirement for effective end-of life
management of SOFC products is an essential consideration prior to the widespread
adoption of commercial products.
The second part of the research defines a framework for end-of-life management of SOFCs,
which supports clarification of the challenges presented by the SOFC stack waste stream, as
well as identifying a systematic approach for addressing these challenges through the
development of alternative end-of-life management scenarios. The framework identifies a
need to evaluate the effectiveness of these end-of-life scenarios according to three
performance criteria: legislative compliance; environmental impact; and economic impact.
The third part of the research is concerned with the development of a multi-criteria evaluation
methodology, which combines conventional evaluation methods such as life cycle assessment
and cost-benefit analysis, with a novel risk assessment tool for evaluating compliance with
current and future legislation. A decision support tool builds on existing multi-criteria decision
making methods to provide a comparative performance indicator for identification of an end of-life
scenario demonstrating low risk of non-compliance with future legislation; low
environmental impact; and a low cost-benefit ratio.
Finally, the validity of the framework for end-of-life management is tested through the
completion of two case studies. These case studies demonstrate the flexibility of the
framework in supporting a reactive end-of-life management approach, whereby end-of-life
management is constrained by characteristics of the product design, and a proactive approach,
whereby the impact of design modification on the end-of-life phase is explored.
In summary, the research clearly highlights the significance of the end-of-life stage of the SOFC
life cycle. On the one hand, failure to manage end-of-life products effectively risks
undermining the environmental credentials of the technology and is likely to lead to the loss of
a high-value, resource-rich material stream. On the other hand, the early consideration of
aspects identified in the research, especially while opportunities remain to influence final
product design, represents a real opportunity for optimising the end-of-life management of
SOFC products in such a way as to fully realise their potential as a clean and efficient power
generation solution for the future
Modularity in support of design for re-use
We explore the structuring principle of modularity with the objective of analysing its current ability to meet the requirements of a 're-use' centred approach to design. We aim to highlight the correlation's between modular design and 're-use', and argue that it has the potential to aid the little-supported process of 'design-for-re-use'. In fulfilment of this objective we not only identify the requirements of 'design-for-re-use', but also propose how modular design principles can be extended to support 'design-for-re-use'
Towards a New Framework for Product Development
In the mid-1980s, Andreasen and Hein first described their model of Integrated Product Development. Many Danish companies quickly embraced the principles of integrated product development and adapted the model to their specific business and product context. However, there is concern amongst many Danish companies that Integrated Product Development no longer provides a sufficient way of describing industryâs product development activity. More specifically, five of these companies have supported a programme of research activities at the Technical University of Denmark, which seeks to develop a new framework for product development. This paper will describe the research approach being taken, present some initial findings, and outline a vision of a new working approach to product development
The use of non-intrusive user logging to capture engineering rationale, knowledge and intent during the product life cycle
Within the context of Life Cycle Engineering it is important that structured engineering information and knowledge are captured at all phases of the product life cycle for future reference. This is especially the case for long life cycle projects which see a large number of engineering decisions made at the early to mid-stages of a product's life cycle that are needed to inform engineering decisions later on in the process. A key aspect of technology management will be the capturing of knowledge through out the product life cycle. Numerous attempts have been made to apply knowledge capture techniques to formalise engineering decision rationale and processes; however, these tend to be associated with substantial overheads on the engineer and the company through cognitive process interruptions and additional costs/time. Indeed, when life cycle deadlines come closer these capturing techniques are abandoned due the need to produce a final solution. This paper describes work carried out for non-intrusively capturing and formalising product life cycle knowledge by demonstrating the automated capture of engineering processes/rationale using user logging via an immersive virtual reality system for cable harness design and assembly planning. Associated post-experimental analyses are described which demonstrate the formalisation of structured design processes and decision representations in the form of IDEF diagrams and structured engineering change information. Potential future research directions involving more thorough logging of users are also outlined
A Model-Driven Approach for Business Process Management
The Business Process Management is a common mechanism recommended by a high number of standards for the management of companies and organizations. In software companies this practice is every day more accepted and companies have to assume it, if they want to be competitive. However, the effective definition of these processes and mainly their maintenance and execution are not always easy tasks. This paper presents an approach based on the Model-Driven paradigm for Business Process Management in software companies. This solution offers a suitable mechanism that was implemented successfully in different companies with a tool case named NDTQ-Framework.Ministerio de EducaciĂłn y Ciencia TIN2010-20057-C03-02Junta de AndalucĂa TIC-578
Supporting memory and identity in older people: findings from a âSandpitâ process
Identity in old age is challenged by physical changes, evolving roles within the family, and life transitions such as retirement. Supporting identity is therefore important in later life, and might be assisted by media technologies which allow people to reflect on their lives, record their personal histories and share these with family, friends and caregivers. This possibility was explored in two creative âSandpitsâ with older people as part of the SUS-IT project, funded by the New Dynamics of Ageing programme in the UK. Discussions were held with PC and non-PC user groups of retirement age to understand memory and identity practices and elicit reactions to three novel product concepts. These included a Reminiscing Radio for life review, a Story Lamp for associating spoken stories with photographs and memorabilia, and a pair of virtual reality Travel Glasses for transporting you back to a special place in the past. The main findings of these discussions will be presented, along with concepts generated by the participants in a re-design exercise. This paper will also show how the sandpits enabled older people to be involved in the design process by allowing them to shape early design concepts through exploring their own ideas and motivations
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