Industrial Additive Manufacturing: a manufacturing systems perspective

As Additive Manufacturing becomes increasingly prevalent in commercial manufacturing environments, the need to effectively consider optimal strategies for management is increased. At present most research has focused on individual machines, yet there is a wealth of evidence to suggest competitive manufacturing is best managed from a systems perspective. Through 14 case studies developed with four long-established Additive Manufacturing companies this paper explores the conduct of Industrial AM in contemporary manufacturing environments. A multitude of activities, mechanisms, and controls are identified through this detailed investigation of Additive Manufacturing operations. Based on these empirical results a general four component Industrial Additive Manufacturing System is developed, together with the identification of potential strategic opportunities to enhance future manufacturing

3D printing the future: scenarios for supply chains reviewed

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to evaluate existing scenarios for 3D Printing in order to identify the “white space” where future opportunities have not been proposed or developed to date. Based around aspects of order penetration points, geographical scope and type of manufacturing, these gaps are identified. Design/methodology/approach: A structured literature review has been carried out on both academic and trade publications. As of the end of May 2016, this identified 128 relevant articles containing 201 future scenarios. Coding these against aspects of existing manufacturing and supply chain theory has led to the development of a framework for identify “white space” in existing thinking. Findings: The coding shows that existing future scenarios are particularly concentrated on job shop applications and pull based supply chain processes, although there are fewer constraints on geographical scope. Five distinct areas of “white space” are proposed, reflecting various opportunities for future 3DP supply chain development. Research limitations: Being a structured literature review, there are potentially articles not identified through the search criteria used. The nature of the findings is also dependent upon the coding criteria selected. However, these are theoretically derived and reflect important aspect of strategic supply chain management. Practical implications: Practitioners may wish to explore the development of business models within the “white space” areas. Originality/value: Currently, existing future 3DP scenarios are scattered over a wide, multi-disciplinary literature base. By providing a consolidated view of these scenarios, it is possible to identify gaps in current thinking. These gaps are multidisciplinary in nature and represent opportunities for both academics and practitioners to exploit

The flexibility of industrial additive manufacturing systems

Purpose Flexibility is a fundamental performance objective for manufacturing operations, allowing them to respond to changing requirements in uncertain and competitive global markets. Additive manufacturing machines are often described as “flexible,” but there is no detailed understanding of such flexibility in an operations management context. The purpose of this paper is to examine flexibility from a manufacturing systems perspective, demonstrating the different competencies that can be achieved and the factors that can inhibit these in commercial practice. Design/methodology/approach This study extends existing flexibility theory in the context of an industrial additive manufacturing system through an investigation of 12 case studies, covering a range of sectors, product volumes, and technologies. Drawing upon multiple sources, this research takes a manufacturing systems perspective that recognizes the multitude of different resources that, together with individual industrial additive manufacturing machines, contribute to the satisfaction of demand. Findings The results show that the manufacturing system can achieve seven distinct internal flexibility competencies. This ability was shown to enable six out of seven external flexibility capabilities identified in the literature. Through a categorical assessment the extent to which each competency can be achieved is identified, supported by a detailed explanation of the enablers and inhibitors of flexibility for industrial additive manufacturing systems. Originality/value Additive manufacturing is widely expected to make an important contribution to future manufacturing, yet relevant management research is scant and the flexibility term is often ambiguously used. This research contributes the first detailed examination of flexibility for industrial additive manufacturing systems

Proteomic analysis of dietary restriction in yeast reveals a role for Hsp26 in lifespan extension

Dietary restriction (DR) has been shown to increase lifespan in organisms ranging from yeast to mammals. This suggests that the underlying mechanisms may be evolutionarily conserved. Indeed, upstream signalling pathways, such as TOR, are strongly linked to DR-induced longevity in various organisms. However, the downstream effector proteins that ultimately mediate lifespan extension are less clear. To shed light on this, we used a proteomic approach on budding yeast. Our reasoning was that analysis of proteome-wide changes in response to DR might enable the identification of proteins that mediate its physiological effects, including replicative lifespan extension. Of over 2500 proteins we identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, 183 were significantly altered in expression by at least 3-fold in response to DR. Most of these proteins were mitochondrial and/or had clear links to respiration and metabolism. Indeed, direct analysis of oxygen consumption confirmed that mitochondrial respiration was increased several-fold in response to DR. In addition, several key proteins involved in mating, including Ste2 and Ste6, were downregulated by DR. Consistent with this, shmoo formation in response to α-factor pheromone was reduced by DR, thus confirming the inhibitory effect of DR on yeast mating. Finally, we found that Hsp26, a member of the conserved small heat shock protein (sHSP) family, was upregulated by DR and that overexpression of Hsp26 extended yeast replicative lifespan. As overexpression of sHSPs in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila has previously been shown to extend lifespan, our data on yeast Hsp26 suggest that sHSPs may be universally conserved effectors of longevity

Intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in pregnancy in Africa: What's new, what's needed?

Falciparum malaria is an important cause of maternal, perinatal and neonatal morbidity in high transmission settings in Sub-Saharan Africa. Intermittent preventive treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP-IPT) has proven efficacious in reducing the burden of pregnancy-associated malaria but increasing levels of parasite resistance mean that the benefits of national SP-IPT programmes may soon be seriously undermined in much of the region. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop alternative drug regimens for IPT in pregnancy. This paper reviews published safety and efficacy data on various antimalarials and proposes several candidate combination regimens for assessment in phase II/III clinical trials

The effect of additive manufacturing adoption on supply chain flexibility and performance: An empirical analysis from the automotive industry

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for analyzing the relationships among Additive Manufacturing adoption, flexibility, and performance in the supply chain context. No empirical study was found in the supply chain literature that specifically examines the relationships among Additive Manufacturing adoption, flexibility and performance; the paper fills an important gap in the supply chain literature. The research is based on a quantitative approach using a questionnaire survey from a total of 124 medium-sized and large European Union automotive manufacturing companies. The hypothesized relationships are tested using partial least square structural equations modeling (PLS-SEM). The research provides insights into how supply chain flexibility mediates the effect of Additive Manufacturing adoption on supply chain performance in the context of European automotive industry. Research findings indicate that Additive Manufacturing adoption positively impacts supply chain flexibility and that, in turn, supply chain flexibility positively impacts supply chain performance. This suggests that companies should focus on flexibilities in the supply chain to improve its performance. Overall, these findings provide important insights into the value of Additive Manufacturing adoption for supply chain flexibility and performance

Additive manufacturing for archaeological reconstruction of a medieval ship

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the suitability of additive manufacturing technologies in the reconstruction of archaeological discoveries as illustrative models. The processes of reverse engineering and part fabrication are discussed in detail, with particular emphasis placed on the difficulties of managing scaling and material characteristics for the manufacturing process. Design/methodology/approach - Through a case-based approach, this paper examines the reconstruction of a fifteenth-century ship recovered from the River Usk in South Wales, UK. Using interviews and process data, the paper identifies challenges for both archaeologists and manufacturers in the application of additive manufacturing technologies for archaeological reconstruction applications. Findings - This paper illustrates both the suitability of additive manufacturing in archaeological restoration, but also the challenges which result from this approach. It demonstrates the practical considerations of scaling process and materials, whilst also highlighting the techniques to improve accuracy and mechanical properties of the model. Originality/value - Whilst the technologies of additive manufacturing have previously been applied to model making, little scholarly research has considered the practical techniques of design elicitation and manufacturing for archaeological applications. Using an in-depth case study, this paper highlights the principal considerations for these applications, and provides guidance in the mitigation of manufacturing issues. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited