Efficiency improvement of product definition and verification through Product Lifecycle Management

The correct and complete geometrical definition of a product is nowadays a critical activity for most companies. To solve this problem, ISO has launched the GPS, Geometrical Product Specifications and Verification, with the goal of consistently and completely describe the geometric characteristics of the products. With this project, it is possible to define a language of communication between the various stages of the product lifecycle based on "operators": these are an ordered set of mathematical operations used for the definition of the products. However, these theoretical and mathematical concepts require a level of detail and completeness of the information hardly used in usual industrial activities. Consequently in industrial practice the definition and verification of products appears to be a slow process, error-prone and difficult to control. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is the activity of managing the company's products throughout their lifecycle in the most efficient way. PLM describes the engineering aspects of the products, ensuring the integrity of product definition, the automatic update of the product information and then aiding the product to fulfil with international standards. Despite all these benefits, the concepts of PLM are not yet fully understood in industry and they are difficult to implement for SME's. A first objective of this research is to develop a model to depict and understand processes. This representation is used as a tool during the application of a case study of a whole set of a GPS standards for one type of tolerance. This procedure allows the introduction of the GPS principles and facilitates its implementation within a PLM process. Until now, PLM is presented on isolated aspects without the necessary holistic approach. Furthermore, industry needs people able to operate in PLM context, professional profiles that are not common on the market. There is therefore an educational problem; besides the technical knowledge, the new profile of engineers must be also familiar with the PLM philosophy and instruments to work effectively in a team. With the aim of solving this problem, this thesis presents a PLM solution that gives the guidelines for a correct understanding of these topic

a novel methodology to integrate manufacturing execution systems with the lean manufacturing approach

Abstract In order to deal with global competition, industries have undertaken many efforts directed to improve manufacturing efficiency. From a broad perspective, two possible approaches are the adoption of lean manufacturing methodologies or the implementation of information tools: for several years, these two approaches have been assumed to be mutually exclusive. The present work aims to define a methodology to support developers and practitioners in the integration of Manufacturing Execution Systems with the lean manufacturing approach. A case-study in the field of aeronautics is presented to validate the method

A Novel Approach for Teaching IT Tools within Learning Factories

Universities around the world are developing strategies to include into their curricula trend topics from Industry 4.0, such as Cyber Physical Systems, robotics, process virtualization and advanced IT tools. However, at the state of the art in literature there is few evidence for educational environments in which all these components are fully integrated. SMALL Factory, an ongoing project in Politecnico di Torino, aims to develop an integrated learning factory based on the technologies triggering the fourth industrial revolution. Beside the transfer of technological skills, the laboratory allows the on field training of students in the use of open source IT tools such as PLM and ERP systems. The present paper aims to present the teaching methodology proposed within the SMALL Factory framework. The ultimate aim of this project is to replace the traditional software teaching, based on tutorials and simple case studies, with a learning by doing, integrated approach, in order to provide students with a comprehensive perspective of a modern manufacturing environment and to train their mindset to be responsive

VISUALIZATION MODEL FOR PRODUCT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) demonstrated to be a good strategy for manufacturing enterprises. In spite of all the benefits it is not still clear how to implement it in industry. This article presents a visualization model of enterprise processes for a PLM system. It presents in a graphic way the main elements of a product lifecycle. The model identifies what is done (process, activities), when it is done (workflows), who does what (roles - skills) and how it can be done better (methods and tools). UML-RUP is used as representation technique. A case study, which analyzes the specification and inspection procedures of geometric tolerances according to the GPS approach, proves the convenience of this model for supporting PLM implementation

Industry Collaboration with Large Research Infrastructures : What factors influence knowledge benefits for companies?

Firms' collaboration with large research infrastructure through procurement activities during the construction phase of a large-scale scientific experiment, has been previously shown to enhance suppliers' performance. The present work assesses the industry collaboration with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, for the international study on a future particle accelerator for high energy physics, the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC study). The paper sheds light on the collaboration during the development phase of the CLIC study, while the previous literature has considered collaboration benefits during intensive procurement event – a construction phase of an approved project. In the development phase companies can participate in research, development, and improvement, as well as playing a consulting role for emerging technologies application. Therefore, the aim of the manuscript is to investigate outcomes for suppliers as knowledge benefits from the early-stage collaboration with the CLIC study. The conceptual framework is built on the exclusive dataset using the survey data from 71 industrial partners of the CLIC study. The results confirm positive aspects of early-stage collaboration and shows the roles of main influencing factors by involving multiple regression model.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

PLM-MES Integration: A Case-Study in Automotive Manufacturing

Part 14: Design and Integration IssuesInternational audienceNowadays, the development of high-quality, highly-innovative products is mandatory to satisfy the market requests. To support this process, the deployment of IT tools, such as Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), is necessary. However, the efficacy of such instruments can be increased if they are able to exchange information with each other. Such integration provides the designers with a feedback from the shop-floor: this allows to improve the quality of the product and the performance of the process, as well as to quickly react to solve possible issues. To emphasize the benefits of PLM-MES integration, a case-study in the field of automotive components manufacturing is provided: the MES is equipped with a real-time algorithm to control possible drifts of a monitoring system for a laser welding process. In case of process instabilities, the design department is immediately informed to evaluate possible solutions, and the critical event is tracked into the PLM

Trabajo colaborativo en ambientes PLM (Product Lifecycle Management)

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) es una estrategia clave para la gestión de información durante el desarrollo de producto. Los nuevos diseñadores deben estar familiarizados con herramientas PLM para introducirse eficazmente en entornos de trabajo colaborativo empresarial. Por el momento este perfil profesional no es común en el mercado laboral y por lo tanto hay una insuficiencia educativa. Con el fin de llenar este vacío, se presenta una estrategia pedagógica para el desarrollo de habilidades de gestión del diseño durante el ciclo de vida del producto. La estrategia fue implementada en cursos de diseño automotriz

A framework for manufacturing execution system deployment in an advanced additive manufacturing process

The deployment of additive manufacturing (AM) processes had a rapid and broad increase in the last years, and the same trend is expected to hold in the near future. A way to better exploit the advantages of such technology is the use of appropriate information tools. However, today there is a lack of software applications devoted to this innovative manufacturing process. To overcome this issue, in the present work the application of manufacturing execution systems (MES), a tool commonly used in traditional manufacturing processes, is extended to AM. Furthermore, a framework for the deployment of shop-floor data, acquired through a monitoring system, in the design phase is presented: hence, MES should cooperate with design for additive manufacturing (DFAM), a set of methods and tools helpful to design a product and its manufacturing process taking into account AM specificities from the early design stages. In order to better understand the advantages of such cooperation, a case study for a proof of concept has been developed: the obtained results are promising, thus an online implementation would be recommended

Design, fabrication and low-power RF measurement of an X-band dielectric-loaded accelerating structure

Dielectric-loaded accelerating (DLA) structures are being studied as an alternative to conventional disk-loaded copper structures to produce the high accelerating gradient. This paper presents the design, fabrication and low-power RF measurement of an externally-powered X-band DLA structure with a dielectric constant epsilon_r=16.66 and a loss tangent tan_delta=0.0000343. A dielectric matching section for coupling the RF power from a circular waveguide to an X-band DLA structure consists of a very compact dielectric disk with a width of 2.035 mm and a tilt angle of 60 degree, resulting in a broadband coupling at a low RF field which has the potential to survive in the high-power environment. Based on simulation studies, a prototype of the DLA structure was fabricated. Results from bench measurements and their comparison with design values are presented. The detailed analysis on the fabrication error which may cause the discrepancy between the RF measurements and simulations is also discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 28 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2008.0920

Validation process model for product lifecycle management

Nowadays people demand outstanding products: easy-to-use, easy-to-understand, and worry-free. This objective can be ensured only through validation processes that are managed in a quality management system. Manufacturing companies often confuse validation with or reduces it to verification procedures. This is usually due to the unfamiliarity of these companies with managing the complex heterogeneous information necessary for integrating customer voice into testing activities. This paper proposes a model for integrating validation processes into a product lifecycle management strategy, which allows customers to actually feedback on the design. The model achieves a human-centred design through usability-engineering methods and has been tested on the case study of a board game for visually impaired peopl