10 research outputs found
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A Unit Manufacturing Process Characterization Methodology and Supporting Terminology for Sustainable Manufacturing Assessment
Manufacturing industry drives economic activity and growth around the world, but manufacturing activities consume large amounts of material, energy, and labor resources. Therefore, the impacts of manufacturing need to be accounted for and reduced. Direct benefits of manufacturing are products and income, which, in turn, influence the lives of people in the local community and the consumers purchasing the manufactured products. The design process for products and requisite manufacturing facilities should incorporate environmental and social criteria in addition to economic criteria to more comprehensively assess sustainability performance. Sustainability assessments for manufactured products and manufacturing facilities can be carried out by assessing the incremental elements of manufacturing industry, which are unit manufacturing processes (UMPs).
A challenge in the research area is that current methods for UMP assessment are ad hoc and the methods do not incorporate the system as a whole. The purpose of this research is to enable sustainable manufacturing decision making by 1) unifying an assessment methodology for UMPs, 2) developing an information modeling framework for characterizing UMPs and workpieces, and 3) demonstrating UMP composability (connectivity) modeling for use in sustainability assessments. The methodology is developed through literature review, and unifies 23 different UMP manufacturing assessment methods by analyzing each for overlapping and unique steps in the approaches. Thus, a nine-step assessment methodology emerged, which has multiple applications in industry, including process and facility assessment and improvement.
A next step for MPF modeling is to link UMP models by modeling the workpiece state, but supporting tools were need to identifying how to correctly model the interactions between the UMP and the workpiece. The information modeling framework developed herein provides the theoretical background for how UMP models interact by linking the function of the UMP to the effect on the workpiece and by identifying the calculation variables necessary to assess UMPs. The information modeling framework developed for composing UMP models is demonstrated through the energy analysis of a metal component. The component is manufactured by recrystallization annealing, reducing (milling), through hardening, and recovery annealing (tempering). Models are composed (connected) by utilizing knowledge of how UMPs impart transformation to the workpiece and the information embedded in the workpiece that is transported to subsequent UMPs. Workpiece information includes the geometry and properties of the current state and future states. Previous work reported in literature has focused on geometry modeling (e.g. CAD, CAM), while this work focuses on property modeling. This research develops an overarching detailed approach to manufacturing sustainability assessments through in-depth analysis of UMPs. The result of using this UMP approach will provide guidance toward a more sustainable future
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The Right Stuff: biodegradable alternatives to plastic mulch
This project was a continuation of work started by Mark Ingman after he was bothered by the amount of plastic sheeting used in agriculture in China. He was determined to develop an alternative to this environmentally destructive use of plastic by farmers. The plastic “mulch” is used to prevent weeds and maintain soil moisture, but after a season of use the plastic is either thrown into a landfill or burned. Needless to say this creates a lot of unnecessary waste. Mark came back to the United States and put together a team to develop an alternative to the plastic mulch using wool and flax shive waste. The shive waste is an agricultural byproduct. It is composed of biomass available after processing the plant for fibers, oil and seeds. The project was sponsored by the EPA and given a P3 Phase 2 Grant after all initial work. Dr. Skip Rochefort was asked to consult to help develop the product further. He suggested using sodium alginate, a common food additive, to bind the flax shive into a sheet form. Sodium alginate is biodegradable and fit within the sustainability needs of the project. I was tasked with taking Dr. Rochefort's idea and turning it into the final mulch sheet product. The goal of the project was to make this sheet retain moisture and prevent weeds like other mulches but biodegrade over time. At the end of the season, this product would be tilled into the soil as a soil amendment
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Parameterized Energy Efficiency Models in Grinding Machine Tools
Industrial energy consumption accounts for 35% of all energy consumed in the United States andenergy consumed by machine tools in manufacturing processes contributes a significant portion to
the inefficiencies in manufacturing energy consumption. However, there are only few energy
efficiency models for machine tools which also include product quality. Therefore, this research
investigates the hypothesis that physics-based models of machine tools and processes lead to more
energy-efficient machine tool design. Furthermore, the research will focus on abrasive machining,
primarily using grinding machines and will highlight the quality aspects of finished workpieces.
The research then addresses the following research tasks. 1) to analyze the energy efficiency of
grinding machine tool components. This assessment included applying the axiomatic design
methodology to identify those machine tool components, and then creating physics-based models
of those components. Use of these models will allow designers to easily calculate energy
consumption of a machine tool feed system. 2) To model grinding machine motors for energy
consumption in the manufacturing and use phases. This work included performing a literature
review of the life cycle inventory models of electric motors, and creating an embodied energy
model using the review. This also included performing a study of the energy consumption of a
grinding spindle, to identify start-up times for minimum energy consumption and minimum peak
power. The two tasks highlighted can be used by machine designers to first determine the
embodied energy of their design for energy tradeoff analyses, and second to reduce energy and
peak power during the use phase. 3) To investigate the correlation between machine tool energy
consumption and workpiece quality. This work included performing a study on energy
consumption and resulting surface roughness of grinding steel using cold air for coolant. It was
identified that a correlation does exist, that higher energy consumption is correlated with lower
surface roughness
3D-Printed Replica and Porcine Explants for Pre-Clinical Optimization of Endoscopic Tumor Treatment by Magnetic Targeting
Animal models are often needed in cancer research but some research questions may be answered with other models, e.g., 3D replicas of patient-specific data, as these mirror the anatomy in more detail. We, therefore, developed a simple eight-step process to fabricate a 3D replica from computer tomography (CT) data using solely open access software and described the method in detail. For evaluation, we performed experiments regarding endoscopic tumor treatment with magnetic nanoparticles by magnetic hyperthermia and local drug release. For this, the magnetic nanoparticles need to be accumulated at the tumor site via a magnetic field trap. Using the developed eight-step process, we printed a replica of a locally advanced pancreatic cancer and used it to find the best position for the magnetic field trap. In addition, we described a method to hold these magnetic field traps stably in place. The results are highly important for the development of endoscopic tumor treatment with magnetic nanoparticles as the handling and the stable positioning of the magnetic field trap at the stomach wall in close proximity to the pancreatic tumor could be defined and practiced. Finally, the detailed description of the workflow and use of open access software allows for a wide range of possible uses
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3D-Printed Replica and Porcine Explants for Pre-Clinical Optimization of Endoscopic Tumor Treatment by Magnetic Targeting
Animal models have limitations in cancer research, especially regarding anatomy-specific questions. An example is the exact endoscopic placement of magnetic field traps for the targeting of therapeutic nanoparticles. Three-dimensional-printed human replicas may be used to overcome these pitfalls. We developed a transparent method to fabricate a patient-specific replica, allowing for a broad scope of application. As an example, we then additively manufactured the relevant organs of a patient with locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. We performed experimental design investigations for a magnetic field trap and explored the best fixation methods on an explanted porcine stomach wall. We describe in detail the eight-step development of a 3D replica from CT data. To guide further users in their decisions, a morphologic box was created. Endoscopies were performed on the replica and the resulting magnetic field was investigated. The best fixation method to hold the magnetic field traps stably in place was the fixation of loops at the stomach wall with endoscopic single-use clips. Using only open access software, the developed method may be used for a variety of cancer-related research questions. A detailed description of the workflow allows one to produce a 3D replica for research or training purposes at low costs