From lean production to lean 4.0: a systematic literature review with a historical perspective

Over recent decades, the increasing competitiveness of markets has propagated the term “lean” to describe the management concept for improving productivity, quality, and lead time in industrial as well as services operations. Its overuse and linkage to different specifiers (surnames) have created confusion and misunderstanding as the term approximates pragmatic ambiguity. Through a systematic literature review, this study takes a historical perspective to analyze 4962 papers and 20 seminal books in order to clarify the origin, evolution, and diversification of the lean concept. Our main contribution lies in identifying 17 specifiers for the term “lean” and proposing four mechanisms to explain this diversification. Our research results are useful to both academics and practitioners to return to the Lean origins in order to create new research areas and conduct organizational transformations based on solid concepts. We conclude that the use of “lean” as a systemic thinking is likely to be further extended to new research fields

A 3D edge detection technique for surface extraction in computed tomography for dimensional metrology applications

Many factors influence the measurement uncertainty when using computed tomography for dimensional metrology applications. One of the most critical steps is the surface extraction phase. An incorrect determination of the surface may significantly increase the measurement uncertainty. This paper presents an edge detection method for the surface extraction based on a 3D Canny algorithm with sub-voxel resolution. The advantages of this method are shown in comparison with the most commonly used technique nowadays, i.e. the local threshold definition. Both methods are applied to reference standards and industrial parts and the comparison of the uncertainties obtained by both methods is presented. (c) 2013 CIRP

Providing a Common Approach to Designing Dataset-Based Learning Activities Based on a Literature Review

While there are references available in the literature regarding learning experiences with Dataset-Based Learning (DBL) approaches, there is a noticeable absence of a standardized model for designing DBL activities. This gap was identified in this work after performing a systematic literature review (SLR). In contrast to other active learning methodologies, the lack of a common framework for the DBL methodology makes it challenging to compare different DBL approaches. This paper highlights the knowledge gap in the methodology for designing DBL activities and aims to provide a common approach for sharing the view and details about what DBL entails in higher education and how to design a DBL activity. Additionally, we illustrate these concepts with three case studies in different engineering fields. Based on the SLR results and the review of additional literature, this work defines DBL as an active teaching methodology that focuses on using datasets to promote the learning and understanding of specific concepts and skills. These datasets should contain real data presented in different formats. As a common starting point, in a DBL lesson, the dataset not only provides information and context in the activity statement but also serves as the material to work with, and the solution to the activity is entirely extracted from the information contained in the dataset

X-Ray Computed Tomography for Dimensional Metrology

X-ray computed tomography (CT) has emerged over the last years as an innovative dimensional measuring technique and has been increasingly applied in industry. This chapter describes the state of the art, the main technical characteristics, and examples of applications of CT in industrial dimensional metrology. Although still in its youth, metrological CT offers unique solutions and provides several advantages in comparison to other coordinate measuring systems such as tactile coordinate measuring machines. In particular, CT systems allow reconstructing holistic three-dimensional models of the scanned workpieces, which are then used to obtain nondestructive and noncontact measurements of outer as well as inner features. However, important drawbacks still limit a wider acceptance of CT in industrial metrology. One of the most critical aspects is the establishment of metrological traceability, which is often challenging due to many and complex error sources that affect CT measurements and complicate the evaluation of metrological performances and of task-specific uncertainties