Design project planning, monitoring and re-planning through process simulation

Effective management of design schedules is a major concern in industry, since timely project delivery can have a significant influence on a company’s profitability. Based on insights gained through a case study of planning practice in aero-engine component design, this paper examines how task network simulation models can be deployed in a new way to support design process planning. Our method shows how simulation can be used to reconcile a description of design activities and information flows with project targets such as milestone delivery dates. It also shows how monitoring and re-planning can be supported using the non-ideal metrics which the case study revealed are used to monitor processes in practice. The approach is presented as a theoretical contribution which requires further work to implement and evaluate in practice

A specification language for automated design space exploration of production systems

Integrating simulation in the design process of production systems allows the predicted performance of design alternatives to be compared. However, many iterations of specifying the design, constructing the simulation model, performing simulation experiments, and evaluating the simulation results for each (re)design are required. The process of specifying, modelling, simulating, and evaluating a design can be automated using a framework for automated design space exploration of production systems. This paper presents a formal specification language for the design space of a production system topology. Using the specification of the design space, feasible designs can be generated. The language supports the specification of component types, component instances, and constraints such as how many instances of a type are allowed and how components are allowed to be connected. The specification language is validated through an adaptation of an industrial case study

Redesigning the design process through interactive simulation: A case study of life-cycle engineering in jet engine conceptual design

Many aerospace companies are currently making the transition to providing fully-integrated product-service offerings in which their products are designed from the outset with life-cycle considerations in mind. Based on a case study at Rolls-Royce, Civil Aerospace, this paper demonstrates how an interactive approach to process simulation can be used to support the redesign of existing design processes in order to incorporate life-cycle engineering (LCE) considerations. The case study provides insights into the problems of redesigning the conceptual stages of a complex, concurrent engineering design process and the practical value of process simulation as a tool to support the specification of process changes in the context of engineering design. The paper also illustrates how development of a simulation model can provide significant benefit to companies through the understanding of process behaviour that is gained through validating the behaviour of the model using different design and iteration scenarios.This research was co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board’s Collaborative Research and Development programme (www.innovateuk.org), reference TP/2/IC/6/I/10292, and the IMRC Block Grant. We are also indebted to Dr. Michael Moss and all the other personnel within Rolls-Royce who supported this research.Post-prin

DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF PLASTIC INJECTION MACHINE FOR PET (POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE)

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) material is widely used for several industries, especially the electronics industry. This study conducted a design and simulation for the manufacture of cases for smartphones using plastic injection machines for the manufacturing process. On the simulation results, it is found that the filling process, temperature and pressure have similarities, namely the distribution starting from the filling center point to the end of the casing design. Defects in manufacturing results are one of the failures of the production process and in this study, it is very rare to find research results that analyze predictions of defects in the smartphone case manufacturing process. On this simulation, defects were able to be detected in the simulation results of the casing design such as line defects and defects due to air bubbles. This research has succeeded in making an overview of the filling process, temperature, pressure, and early detection of defects in the injection process

The integrated use of enterprise and system dynamics modelling techniques in support of business decisions

Enterprise modelling techniques support business process re-engineering by capturing existing processes and based on perceived outputs, support the design of future process models capable of meeting enterprise requirements. System dynamics modelling tools on the other hand are used extensively for policy analysis and modelling aspects of dynamics which impact on businesses. In this paper, the use of enterprise and system dynamics modelling techniques has been integrated to facilitate qualitative and quantitative reasoning about the structures and behaviours of processes and resource systems used by a Manufacturing Enterprise during the production of composite bearings. The case study testing reported has led to the specification of a new modelling methodology for analysing and managing dynamics and complexities in production systems. This methodology is based on a systematic transformation process, which synergises the use of a selection of public domain enterprise modelling, causal loop and continuous simulationmodelling techniques. The success of the modelling process defined relies on the creation of useful CIMOSA process models which are then converted to causal loops. The causal loop models are then structured and translated to equivalent dynamic simulation models using the proprietary continuous simulation modelling tool iThink

Using Component-based Software Synthesis and Constraint Solving to generate Sets of Manufacturing Simulation Models

There is a high degree of flexibility in the design of production systems when it comes to the selection and configuration of machines. Simulation supports this complex decision process. However, modeling various configurations in a simulation environment is very time-consuming. We present a framework that includes component-based software synthesis to generate the set of all possible simulation models for the respective planning case. From the set, feasible solutions for a simulation study are then selected using constraint solving methods. We evaluate our approach using a practical example from sheet metal production

A Case Study for Business Integration as a Service

This paper presents Business Integration as a Service (BIaaS) to allow two services to work together in the Cloud to achieve a streamline process. We illustrate this integration using two services; Return on Investment (ROI) Measurement as a Service (RMaaS) and Risk Analysis as a Service (RAaaS) in the case study at the University of Southampton. The case study demonstrates the cost-savings and the risk analysis achieved, so two services can work as a single service. Advanced techniques are used to demonstrate statistical services and 3D Visualisation services under the remit of RMaaS and Monte Carlo Simulation as a Service behind the design of RAaaS. Computational results are presented with their implications discussed. Different types of risks associated with Cloud adoption can be calculated easily, rapidly and accurately with the use of BIaaS. This case study confirms the benefits of BIaaS adoption, including cost reduction and improvements in efficiency and risk analysis. Implementation of BIaaS in other organisations is also discussed. Important data arising from the integration of RMaaS and RAaaS are useful for management and stakeholders of University of Southampton

SHIPBUILDING PRODUCTION PROCESS DESIGN METHODOLOGY USING COMPUTER SIMULATION

In this research a shipbuilding production process design methodology, using computer simulation, is suggested. It is expected from suggested methodology to give better and more efficient tool for complex shipbuilding production processes design procedure. Within the first part of this research existing practice for production process design in shipbuilding was discussed, its shortcomings and problem were emphasized. In continuing, discrete event simulation modelling method, as basis of suggested methodology, is investigated and described regarding its special characteristics, advantages and reasons for application, especially in shipbuilding production process. Furthermore, simulation modeling basics were described as well as suggested methodology for production process procedure. Case study of suggested methodology application for designing a robotized profile fabrication production process line is demonstrated. Selected design solution, acquired with suggested methodology was evaluated through comparison with robotized profile cutting production line installation in a specific shipyard production process. Based on obtained data from real production the simulation model was further enhanced. Finally, on grounds of this research, results and droved conclusions, directions for further research are suggested

Modelling and simulation based assessment in sustainable bioprocess development

Modelling and simulation enhance our insight and understanding of chemical processes and aid in identifying bottlenecks and potential improvements. A simplified simulation package, providing a reasonable estimate of material and energy usage and process emissions is often valuable in very early stages of process development, when temporal and financial limitations do not allow for more detailed estimates. Environmental burdens are an increasing concern in industrial processes and various methodologies and tools have been developed for gathering and analysis of process information to enhance understanding of the process system and inform decision makers. The systems nature of these approaches is aimed at mitigation of environmental burdens through improved technologies, sustainable resource consumption and screening of process alternatives. Ideally, the process design team should bring together these tools in early stages of development when design flexibility is greatest. In the present study, such a simplified approach to bioprocess design is demonstrated using a case study for the large-scale production of citric acid

Neutral description and exchange of design computational workflows

Proposed in this paper is a neutral representation of design computational workflows which allows their exchange and sharing between different project partners and across design stages. This is achieved by the de-coupling of configuration and execution logic. Thus, the same underlying workflow can be executed with different (fidelity) models and different software tools as long as the inputs and outputs of the constituent process are kept the same. To this purpose, an object model is proposed to define different simulation objects, their scope, and hierarchy in the simulation process. An XML based computer readable representation of workflows based on the proposed object model, is also suggested. The application of the proposed representation is demonstrated via a case study involving the exchange of workflows between two design partners. The case study also demonstrates how the same workflow can be executed using different execution tools and involving different fidelity models