Automatization of the Ecodesign Process of Small Household Appliances based on CAD 3D System

A new approach to product quality assessment taken by manufacturers integrates environmental aspects. Design for the environment, also referred to as ecodesign or sustainable design, is an innovative approach to the traditional design process. It focuses on compliance with ecological standards at an early stage of design in CAD 3D environment. In this paper, main objectives of the ecodesign process automation method based on a CAD 3D system are presented. The ecodesign process of a small household appliance is analyzed. The main features of a dedicated software application with a graphical interface, which runs independently of the CAD 3D system, are presented

APPLICATION OF ADDITIVE TECHNOLOGY OF FUSED DEPOSITION MODELING FOR MANUFACTURING SMALL SERIES OF ELASTIC MODELS

The paper presents an application of additive method of Fused Deposition Modeling for manufacturing of small series of elastic models. Additive FDM technology is used to produce a casting mould for multiple use. Process of manufacturing of small series of products consists in casting a two-component silicone rubber degassed using vacuum chamber into a multiple use mould. The paper shows the course of the process and related problems on the example of industrial product – a cylindrical seal. The casting mould was produced out of ABS material using BST 1200 machine, whereas casted elastic models were made out of XTX 45 silicone rubber

INFLUENCE OF POST-PROCESSING ON ACCURACY OF FDM PRODUCTS

This paper presents assessment of the Rapid Prototyping finishing techniques for the printed components. The aim of the study was to compare the element printed with FDM technology before and after the treatment, using 3D scanning techniques. The object was scanned right after manufacturing, then was subjected to finishing treatment and was 3D scanned once again. Assessment of the results was performed using the GOM Inspect software, based on a comparison between scans and nominal model

Prototyping of Individual Ankle Orthosis Using Additive Manufacturing Technologies

The paper presents design and manufacturing process of an individualized ankle orthosis using additive manufacturing technologies and reverse engineering. Conventional processes of manufacturing of orthosesareexpensive and time consuming -an alternative method was proposed. The patient’s leg was 3D scanned and the orthosis was designed using a CAD system. It was then manufactured using the Fused Deposition Modelling technology, assembled and fully tested. Positive results were obtained

Manufacturing of thin-walled, complex polymer parts by DLP printing – the influence of process parameters on crosslinking density

This study investigated the relationship between the parameters of the DLP manufacturing process and the structure of photopolymerizable acrylic resins. Four different process parameters were established to produce different thin-walled acrylic sample series: exposure time, layer thickness, area offset, and number of transition layers. The structure and the surface of the obtained samples were examined with the use of the FTIR–ATR method and an optical microscope, respectively. It was proved that extension of the exposure time increases the density of crosslinking and sample thickness. A decreasing crosslinking density due to rising layer thickness is observed. The area offset affects only the dimensions of the sample, predictably reducing the dimensions of the sample as the compensation increases. The absence of transition layers proved unfavorable in many respects, both structurally and geometrically

Industry Expertise Heuristics for Dimensioning Shelf Space of Rack Storage Location in a Distribution Centre with Zone Picking

Appropriate product categorization in distribution centres is important for business success because of the possibility of intuitive product finding by the picker and increased product movement. Both of these factors result in the operational efficiency of the distribution centre. The goal of this paper is to explore a model of shelf space dimensioning of storage location on a rack with vertical and horizontal product categorization in a distribution centre, where the aim is to increase total product movement/profit from all shelves of the rack. This is controlled by a packer who must complete orders by getting the goods from shelves and picking them to the container. In this problem, we develop two heuristics and compare the archived results to the CPLEX solver. The average profit ratios of both heuristics are high and approximately equal to 99%. In 10 cases, optimal solutions have been found by heuristics. The total number of possible solutions to be checked for the largest instance was reduced from 1.33 ·10156 to 1.19 ·107 thanks to the heuristic rules

A Method to Improve Planning of Product Placement on a Printing Sheet

Major manufactures are moving towards a sustainability goal. This paper introduces the results of collaboration with the leading company in the packaging and advertising industry in Germany and Poland. The problem addresses the manufacturing planning problem in terms of minimizing the total cost of production. The challenge was to bring a new production planning method into cardboard manufacturing and paper processing which minimizes waste, improves the return of expenses, and automates daily processes heavily dependent on the production planners’ experience. The authors developed a module that minimizes the total cost, which reduces the overproduction and is used by the company’s manufacturing planning team. The proposed approach incorporates planning allowances rules to compromise the manufacturing requirements and production cost minimization

Determination of the Elasticity Modulus of Additively Manufactured Wrist Hand Orthoses

The article describes the experimental and simulation research on the material properties of the individualized wrist orthoses produced in the additive manufacturing (AM) process by the fused filament fabrication (FFF) method. The authors produced a series of standard (normalized) samples for three-point bending from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filament on a low-budget 3D printer and a series of samples in the shape of a fragment of the orthosis and the entire orthosis. All types of samples were subjected to experimental tests on a universal testing machine, which allowed us to determine the modulus of elasticity of the produced materials by comparing it with finite element method (FEM) simulation models in the ABAQUS environment. The adopted research methodology allowed us to compare the material properties of the material of the entire product—wrist hand orthosis (WHO)—with the material properties of standard bending samples. The obtained values of Young’s modulus are characterized by a large discrepancy between the standard samples and the entire orthosis. On the other hand, the samples with the shape of the middle part of the orthosis were similar in the value of Young’s modulus to the results obtained during the examination of the complete orthosis

Heuristics for dimensioning the shelf space on the rack with vertical and horizontal product categorisation in the distribution centre with zone picking

Distribution centres are the important elements of modern supply chains. A distribution centre stores and ships products. In this paper, we investigate the model of the dimensioning of shelf space on the rack with vertical and horizontal product categorisation in a distribution centre, where the objective is to maximise the total product movement/profit from all shelves of the rack which is being managed by a packer who needs to complete orders selecting the products from the shelves and picking them to the container. We apply two newly developed heuristics to this problem and compare the results to the optimal solution found by the CPLEX solver. There are 8 steering parameters that allow for reducing the search space implemented in heuristics. Among them are parameters that decrease the number of prod- ucts on the shelves, the category width range for assigning most space for the most profitable products within the category, two versions of steering parameters for the number of generated product allocations, the step parameters for the intensity of solution diversification, and the movement/profit below which the solutions are not generated. The computational results are presented and indicate that higher-quality solutions can be obtained using the new heuristics. In 10 from 15 tests, both heuristics can find optimal solutions without exploring the whole solution space. For the rest test sets, the solutions received by heuristics are not less than 92.58%

A Two-Step Matheuristics for Order-Picking Process Problems with One-Directional Material Flow and Buffers

The necessity for undertaking this research is driven by the prevailing challenges encountered in logistic centers. This study addresses a logistic order-picking issue involving unidirectional conveyors and buffers, which are assigned to racks and pickers with the objective of minimizing the makespan. Subsequently, two variations of a two-step matheuristic approach are proposed as solution methodologies. These matheuristics entail decomposing the primary order-picking problem into two subproblems. In the initial step, the problem of minimizing the free time for pickers/buffers is solved, followed by an investigation into minimizing order picking makespan. An experimentation phase is carried out across three versions of a distribution center layout, wherein one or more pickers are allocated to one or more buffers, spanning 120 test instances. The research findings indicate that employing a mathematical programming-based technique holds promise for yielding solutions within reasonable computational timeframes, particularly when distributing products to consumers with limited product variety within the order. Furthermore, the proposed technique offers the advantages of expediency and simplicity, rendering it suitable for adoption in the process of designing and selecting order-picking systems