Assembly Equipment Research Articles

Exploring the influence of music on cognitive performance in female assembly line workers at a medical device manufacturing unit.

The significance of enhancing working conditions for the physical health and performance of workers, particularly female workers, underscores the need for research in this domain and the examination of interventions such as music. Previous studies have yielded diverse outcomes regarding the influence of music on individuals' performance; hence, further research in this area appears imperative. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of music on the cognitive and task performance of female assembly operation operators. This study is an interventional (quasi-experimental) study that involved 81 participants from the female workforce of the medical equipment assembly unit in Isfahan, Iran. The evaluation encompassed task performance, working memory using N-Back test, sustained attention using continues performance test (CPT), degree of sleepiness, and mental fatigue using Flicker Fusion test, along with physiological parameters such as heart rate and blood oxygen level. Participants underwent testing both in the presence of classical music and in a condition without music playback. The provision of background music enhanced the workers' sustained attention and working memory. It led to improved task performance and a reduction in drowsiness. Concerning physiological parameters, it resulted in a slight decrease in heart rate at the end of the work shift and a marginal increase in participants' blood oxygen levels. Background music enhanced working memory (p-value = 0.001), sustained attention (p-value = 0.001), and improved the task performance of workers(p-value = 0.005). Additionally, likely due to increased relaxation, it led to a decrease in heart rate (p-value = 0.001) and an increase in blood oxygen levels (p-value = 0.016). Music also played a role in reducing participants' sleepiness (p-value = 0.001).

Design of Connector Assembly Equipment for the Automotive Industry

The automotive industry is one of the most demanding sectors of all manufacturing industries due to its competitiveness. It is necessary to innovate through the implementation of automated and robotic equipment, leading to cycle time and labor cost reduction. This work aims to design semi-automatic equipment to assemble cabling connectors used in the automotive sector, replacing a manual process currently taking place in an automotive components company. In the proposed equipment, the operator places a connector in the equipment, and the components (pins and seals) are automatically inserted. A vision sensor with artificial intelligence then confirms the correct application. The equipment operation defined as Finite Element Method (FEM) was applied for structural verification; the materials and fabrication processes were detailed; the associated costs were calculated, and the equipment subsets were validated. The design was successfully accomplished, and the imposed requirements were fulfilled, with significant advantages over the current process, providing new knowledge on how semi-automatic systems can be deployed to enhance the productivity and quality of manufacturing processes. The design principles and insights gained from this work can be applied to other automation challenges, particularly where manual processes need to be replaced by more efficient semi-automatic or automatic systems. The modularity of the overall solution and the design concepts of the component inserter, component feeder, and assembly process allow for its use in different assembly scenarios beyond the automotive sector, such as electronics or aerospace, providing a contribution to increased competitiveness and survival in the global market.

ИНФОРМАЦИОННЫЕ ОСНОВАНИЯ СИСТЕМЫ ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ МЕХАНИЧЕСКОЙ СБОРКИ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЦИФРОВОЙ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ ПРЕДПРИЯТИЙ АВТОМОБИЛЕСТРОИТЕЛЬНОГО КЛАСТЕРА

Information grounds for supporting decision-making on the optimal formation of automated systems for technological preparation of assembly production are in demand at the automotive cluster enterprises. The paper proposes to develop two databases in the process of forming the optimal set of control and verification equipment and the set of spare equipment and spare parts. This will allow accumulating information due to the feedback on the state of its subsystems in the process of operating automated systems for the technological preparation of assembly production. For this purpose, the paper proposes the database “A set of the system elements for providing mechanical assembly”, as well as the database “Statistical information for forming the stock of assembly equipment and spare parts in the system for ensuring mechanical assembly”. The work presents the information on the registration output, the structure and number of records of two developed databases, calculates the economic effect in the cost of technological preparation of production using the described databases.

A new failure analysis and validation scheme for shale gas pilot processes

Shale gas pilot processes are usually composed of skid-mounted assemblies of individual equipment, with weak process matching, unknown unit equipment wear, and high failure rates. We propose a solution using the grey relational analysis model, analytical hierarchy process model, and reliability analysis model to achieve failure analysis, prediction, and improvement validation, respectively. The probability and degree of influence relationships between the factors affecting the occurrence of failures are discussed. The practical application of the study area shows that: when the threshold value is set to 0.8833, it can match the grey correlation conclusion well, connect the logic of hierarchical analysis, and cluster the engineering problems; this study area needs to focus on preventing the problems of erosion damages and puncture leakage. Although the short life of the nozzle has a large impact on the overall process, but the frequency of occurrence is not high, the next step needs to continue to collect data, using other mathematical models to mine the fault data internal information.

ФОРМАЛИЗАЦИЯ ПРОЦЕДУРЫ КАЛИБРОВКИ ИНСТРУМЕНТА ДЛЯ ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОЙ ПОДГОТОВКИ СБОРОЧНОГО ПРОИЗВОДСТВА В АВТОМОБИЛЕСТРОЕНИИ

The statistical parameters of failing assembly equipment of various automotive industry enterprises operating under similar conditions do not differ from each other, this fact indicates the need to analyze and find common solutions to the problems posed. When planning the calibration frequency of new assembly equipment, failure statistics from existing production facilities can be used, in particular for calibrating the tightening torque in periodic inspection. The materials presented in the article assume formalizing technological preparation of production in terms of ensuring continuous assembly. The paper provides a formal description for calculating the calibration schedule of an assembly tool, the estimated time for the tightening torque to exceed the tolerance range, the time for periodic calibration of the tool and the dependencies for evaluating the frequency of checks. The presented results can be used to build computer-aided process planning for assembly plants in the automotive industry; software and hardware solutions are developed on their basis.

Position Control for Automatic Assembly Equipment Using a New Hybrid Fuzzy Controller

Position Control for Automatic Assembly Equipment Using a New Hybrid Fuzzy Controller

Aviation equipment measurement and assembly analysis method based on robotic system

In the manufacturing industry of aviation equipment (e.g., ballistic missile, rocket, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and airplane), the traditional assembly quality inspection methods mainly rely on manual operation of single- or multi-stations laser trackers, but they are powerless to measure and evaluate complex components on the aviation equipment. This paper introduces a method for automatically detecting and evaluating assembly accuracy: first, the global accurate calibration is performed automatically by deriving the optimized positioning of leapfrog balls; after selecting the aviation equipment type to determine the measurement tasks, each side of the aviation equipment is equipped with a robot and an accompanying FARO scanning arms that can move together on the U-shaped guide rail to the measurement station where the measurement task is to be performed; at each measurement station, the robot drives the movement of the FARO scanning arm through a linkage mechanism to perform scanning; after the whole measurement processes are completed, data from multiple measurement stations is integrated into the same coordinate system for calculation and assembly quality analysis. The algorithm module consists of path planning function for scanning various parts, feature extraction function for various geometric elements, and assembly quality evaluation function. Compared with laser tracker method, the proposed method can effectively and accurately measure and analyze basic measurement tasks: the maximum differences of length, concentricity, and perpendicularity are all less than 0.3%; while the time consumption can be significantly reduced to less than 5% of that of the laser tracker method. Moreover, the proposed method can also achieve the automatic measurement and analysis of complex positioning components that cannot be achieved by laser trackers, e.g., center of positioning hole, position deviation of the bump, and azimuth angle between the positioning surfaces.

Growth Substrate Geometry Optimization for the Productive Mechanical Dry Transfer of Carbon Nanotubes

The selection of growth substrate geometries for the mechanical dry transfer of carbon nanotubes to device substrates depends on the precision of the assembly equipment. Since these geometries play a decisive role in the overall efficiency of the process, an investigation of the most important geometry parameters is carried out. The substrate geometry affects the number of carbon nanotubes suspended during the growth process and the speed of mechanical assembly at the same time. Since those two criteria are interlinked and affect productivity, a meta-model for the growth and selection of the nanotubes is simulated and a time study of the resulting assembly motions is subsequently performed. The geometry parameters are then evaluated based on the total number of suspended carbon nanotubes and the throughput rate, measured in transfers per hour. The accuracy specifications are then taken into account. Depending on the overall accuracy that can be achieved, different offset angles and overlaps between the growth and receiving substrate can be reached, which affect productivity differently for different substrate geometries. To increase the overall productivity, growth substrate designs are adapted to allow fully automated operation. This measure also reduces the frequency of substrate exchanges once all carbon nanotubes have been harvested. The introduction of substrates with multiple, polygonally arranged edges increases the total number of nanotubes that can be harvested. The inclusion of polygonally arranged edges in the initial analysis shows a significant increase in overall productivity.

Onto-SAGCN: Ontology modeling and spatial attention-based graph convolution networks for aircraft assembly quality prediction

Aircraft assembly is an essential stage in the aircraft manufacturing industry, and the increasing complexity of aircraft functionality has put higher requirements for assembly quality. Various deep learning methods based on image or structural data have been used to predict assembly quality. However, these methods focus more on the structural relationships and interactions between assembled products and are difficult to adapt to scenarios where products and equipment may change. This paper proposes a graph convolutional neural network based on ontology modeling and spatial attention mechanism (Onto-SAGCN) for assembly quality analysis and prediction. Specifically, formal representations of assembly equipment, products, and assembly processes are established using ontologies, enabling the unified modeling of spatial and temporal relationships between entities and resolving the issues of data representation inconsistency. Then, the ontologies are transformed into undirected graphs, where nodes represent entities, node attributes represent feature data, and edges represent relationships or constraints between nodes. Designed to process data from the assembly process, the Onto-SAGCN model is subsequently applied to the assembly of aircraft moving wings. It predicts the diameters of holes by gathering operational data from equipment during the assembly and benchmarks these predictions against other established methods. Experimental outcomes affirm the method's elevated accuracy and dependability in forecasting assembly quality.

Rigid bronchoscopy: a consultant survey.

Inhalation of foreign bodies represents a potentially fatal emergency in both adults and children. Chest x-ray, in isolation, is neither sensitive nor specific. Rigid bronchoscopy represents the gold standard to diagnose and retrieve paediatric foreign bodies. Cases are encountered infrequently, creating anxieties about their management. Little is known about the confidence in, and maintenance of, rigid bronchoscopy skills by ear, nose and throat teams. A 15-question survey was completed by 50 practising otolaryngology consultants in England. Results show that almost 40% of otolaryngology consultants covering rigid bronchoscopy have not performed bronchoscopy in more than 5 years. Consultants raised concerns about the anaesthetic support and the speed of equipment assembly. Questions on clinical practice showed disparities in practice in the same scenario. The authors advocate addressing many of the issues raised by the study with a greater availability of simulation courses and regular scheduled intradepartmental teaching days for all professionals involved. National guidelines on criteria for transfer to tertiary centres would improve the consistency of practice.

Design of Algae Removal Device for Slopes of South-to-North Water Diversion Mainline Canal

South-to-North Water Diversion is a very important project, and its construction is important for solving the problem of water shortage in northern China, promoting economic development, and improving people's livelihood. However, it also faces some environmental problems, such as algae on the side slopes which always affect the water quality of the South-to-North Water Diversion. This paper mainly focuses on the removal of algae on the slope, designs a slope algae removal equipment, the equipment in the tractor drive to drive the removal mechanism for the removal of algae, according to the structural characteristics of algae and cavitation jet de-algae algae removal effect, the use of cavitation jet method of the South-to-North Water Diversion of algae on the slope of the slope for effective removal. In this paper, we first carry out the design of institutional track chassis, mechanical arm and removal mechanism, and then use the software Solidworks to model the mechanical arm and carry out the assembly of the overall equipment. The animation simulation of the assembly diagram shows that there is no interference during the operation of the mechanism, and the motion trajectory and state are in line with expectations. Through ANSYS static analysis and modal analysis of the mechanical arm, in the static analysis, after applying its own gravity and frontend tension, the results show that the maximum displacement and deformation of the mechanical arm are in line with the deformation requirements, while the maximum stress is less than the yield limit of the material; through the modal analysis of the vibration frequency of the sixth-order modes estimate the vibration frequency of the vibration frequency of the whole machine vibration range, so as to complete the design of the slope algaecide removal device removing mechanism.

Putting the cart before the horse: mixed-methods participatory investigation of working equid harnessing practices in three selected towns of the Oromia national regional state in Ethiopia

BackgroundMillions of working equids provide socio-economic support for many low-income communities worldwide. With the prevalence of harness-related wounds reported as higher than 60%, this study aims to describe the equipment used by working equids in three locations of the Ethiopian national regional state of Oromia (Fiche, Bishoftu and Shashamene), and the attitudes and practices of equid owners, users and harness makers regarding work equipment. This mixed-methods study consists of cross-sectional surveying of working equids used for taxi or transport of goods or water, as well as cart-driver questionnaires and focus groups (FG) with working equid stakeholders. Activities conducted with FG included participatory ranking of equipment attributes and equipment drawing exercises. Indicators of equipment design and assembly, as well as cart-driver attitudes and practices were described quantitatively. Associations between equipment characteristics and species, work-type and cart-driver indicators were investigated through univariable logistic regression models, whereas focus group discussions were transcribed and analysed thematically.ResultsIn total, 368 working equid surveys and cart-driver questionnaires were completed and 87 participants took part in nine FG. Equipment composition and characteristics differed considerably from ideal animal draught and harnessing principles described in the literature, with none of the observed harnesses adhering to all principles and thus not considered fully adequate. Various harness compositions were used, with only saddles and breast collars present in all. Donkey equipment had fewer components than that of horses, such as swingle trees (OR 0.02; 95% CI 0.01–0.06; p < 0.001) or girths (OR 0.09; 95%CI 0.02–0.4; p = 0.002). Horse equipment was more likely to have functional elements such as breeching (OR 7.8; 95% CI 2.9–20.9; p < 0.001). Of all equipment attributes, FG participants ranked cost, design and impact on animal wellbeing as having the highest importance. Thematic analysis identified motivations and priorities regarding equipment; awareness and knowledge of design and function; barriers to using ideal equipment; and consequences of equipment design and practices as key themes.ConclusionsVarious weaknesses of design, assembly and use of equid work equipment were identified. Promoting behavioural change through awareness and training could lead to a sustainable improvement of work equipment quality, access, and prevention of equipment-related problems.

Investigating Hydraulic Equipment Disassembly and Assembly Practice in Education through AMESim Virtual Simulation

Investigating Hydraulic Equipment Disassembly and Assembly Practice in Education through AMESim Virtual Simulation

Data-Driven Dynamic Bayesian Network Model for Safety Resilience Evaluation of Prefabricated Building Construction

Due to factors such as the availability of assembly equipment, technology, and site management level, prefabricated building construction safety accidents often occur. To ensure the safety of prefabricated buildings and effectively reduce the accident rate, the concept of resilience is introduced into the safety management of prefabricated buildings. Based on the resilience absorption capacity, adaptation capacity, recovery capacity, and optimization capacity, a comprehensive evaluation index system for the safety resilience of prefabricated buildings is established. By combining prior knowledge with structural learning and parameter learning, a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) model is constructed to dynamically evaluate the safety resilience of prefabricated buildings. Through forward causal reasoning and backward diagnostic reasoning, the dynamic safety resilience value of prefabricated buildings and the chain of maximum failure causes are obtained. Finally, by conducting a sensitivity analysis on the target nodes, the key influencing factors of the safety resilience of prefabricated construction are identified, and improvement suggestions for enhancing resilience are proposed. The results indicate that establishing a resilience safety culture, preventing unsafe behaviors of personnel, safety management, and supervision on the construction site, emergency management actions, and building a risk management information system are crucial factors influencing the safety resilience of prefabricated buildings. The enhancement of absorption capacity has the greatest impact on the safety resilience of prefabricated buildings.

Compliance and initiative: A discussion on the relationship between standards and activities in radiopharmaceutical production

This study investigated how a standard could become reality-based in a workplace where certain types of deviations are not permitted, such as a radiopharmaceutical production unit. Compliance with standards is necessary to ensure the safety of individuals who manufacture such substances as well as the security of patients receiving treatment. In this qualitative case study, an ergonomic analysis of work (also known as activity analysis) was performed, with noncompliance recorded in internal audits as a starting point: the lack of double-checking in radiopharmaceutical synthesis cassette assembly. Field observations and self-confrontation interviews with workers from a production unit were conducted to analyze the activities. Although a double-check did not occur, the radiopharmaceutical synthesis operator apparently developed another risk control strategy, focusing his attention to the equipment assembly details, which necessitated continuous control and verification actions to ensure that there were no problems at this stage of production. A multilevel approach was used to demonstrate how the safety and quality of production processes based on standard compliance only become effective and adherent to the activity after resolving various conflicts at work, including control systems (external and internal audits), work collectives, the contradiction of the activity itself, and the discussion of singular situations arising daily. This study contributes to the discussion on workplace safety considering standardization and advances the discussion on changing perspectives regarding rule compliance.

Design features of drilling equipment elements using materials with shape memory effect

Alloys exhibiting thermoelastic phase transformations are getting more and more used in different industries. This is due to the shape memory effect and pseudo-elasticity (sometimes termed “superelasticity”) they exhibit, which can considerably improve the performance characteristics of various technical systems. One of the highest reliability and durability criterias are applied to equipment for drilling oil and gas wells, and according to this the above-described smart materials and the phenomena they exhibit have been gradually implemented in the oil and gas industry. This article analyzes the developed design of roller cone bits elements and proposes its assembly method, and presents its comparison with currently existing designs. Computational research and computer analysis of a drilling equipment assembly containing parts made of shape memory materials were performed, these studies showed significant advantages of the proposed method.

Equipment-related wounds and associated risk factors in working equids of the Oromia national regional state in Ethiopia

Abstract Working equids support the livelihoods of millions of low-income households worldwide and face several welfare challenges. Although equipment-related wounds are common, little is known about specific risk factors. This cross-sectional study surveyed equids used for cart-work in three Ethiopian towns. Number, size, severity and location of wounds were recorded for each animal, as well as work equipment characteristics and indicators of equipment fit and assembly. Questionnaires were conducted with each cart-driver focusing on equipment practices and attitudes. Logistic regression models were generated to investigate associations between equipment-related wounds (outcome) and equipment, work, driver and animal-related factors (predictors). In total, 369 equids and cart-drivers were surveyed. The prevalence of equipment-related wounds was 72.6% (268/369) with girth wounds being the predominant wound type in horses (50%; 122/244) while donkeys had predominantly shaft-related wounds (59%; 72/122). Donkeys were two times more likely to have equipment-related wounds than horses. The presence of equipment-related wounds was associated with factors such as previously having wounds, inadequate collar positioning and using purchased equipment compared to partly home-made equipment. Characteristics of specific equipment components were also associated with certain wound types, such as narrow saddle pressure points and saddle wounds. Equipment-related wounds are highly prevalent in working equids, representing a serious welfare concern. Factors relating to equipment design, fit and assembly were associated with the presence of wounds. Importantly, species differences require tailoring of preventive approaches amongst working equids. A better understanding of work equipment should therefore be promoted as part of wound prevention and animal welfare strategies.

Power disassembly equipment for high efficiency heat transfer plate heat exchangers

Plate heat exchangers are realized by means of a heat transfer mechanism, in which heat is naturally transferred from the hot substance to the object with a lower temperature according to the laws of thermodynamics. Two liquids of different temperatures flow on the wall, heat transfer on the wall and convection of the liquid on the wall, thus promoting heat transfer between the two liquids. Under the same flow rate and power consumption conditions, its heat transfer coefficient is three times that of shell and tube heat exchangers, which is a key and efficient new equipment for effectively using effective resources and saving and developing new energy. However the heat supply plate heat exchanger has a tiny circulation surface and is easily obstructed. Regular maintenance and cleaning, troubleshooting, and plate replacement all necessitate frequent heat exchanger disassembly and installation. The requirements and challenges in dismantling and assembling the heat exchanger are very high, and manual disassembly is wasteful, making consistent force difficult to achieve. The current methods of disassembly and assembly are inefficient and incorrect. The intelligent mechanization of disassembly and assembly equipment is realized in this paper by driving, clamping, automatic control, distance measurement, sensing, and other systems. The problems of uneven force, low efficiency, and precision in plate heat exchanger disassembly and assembly are solved. Our power disassembly equipment for high efficiency heat transfer plate heat exchangers not only enhances disassembly efficiency and precision, but it also ensures the safe operation of the plate heat exchanger heating system, and the heat transfer efficiency and heat exchange efficiency are improved. Furthermore, it has a wide range of applications in the petroleum, chemical, and other industries.

Research and implementation of virtual reality technology to build 3D application that simulates the disassembly and assembly of equipment and weapons (DASim)

Disassembly and assembly of equipment and weapons (E&amp;W) is a regular work of great importance in the military. Implementing the right procedures and quickly will help increase efficiency and ensure the safety for the citizens and weapons. However, the training and training of cadres, technical staff, trainees and soldiers to master the skills of disassembling equipment and weapons takes a lot of time and resources, and there are also many risks in the practice process. Virtual reality (VR) application is a time-saving and effective solution for training knowledge and training weapons disassembly skills, not only allowing users to interact with a virtual environment like reality, but also minimize potential risks in the process of practicing with real equipment and weapons, without mastering the process of disassembly and maintenance.&#x0D; In this paper, the research team will present the approach, build an algorithm and design a software program to simulate the disassembly of weapons equipment using 3D virtual reality technology. The software consists of three main modules: theory, practice, testing, helping officials, technical staff, trainees, and soldiers to master knowledge from theory to practice process, forming skills before operating directly on real weapons. The study concretizes through the example of establishing the content of the structure, disassembly process and practice of disassembling AK submachine guns, 7.62 mm PKMS. In addition, the paper will also evaluate the effectiveness of the use of VR in training and training personnel to disassemble and assemble weapons.

A tool to select offshore renewable energy facilities. The case of study of shipyards and ports in Spain

The objective of this work is to create a tool that serves to know the possibilities of manufacturing, storage, assembly, and maintenance of floating marine structures trying to take advantage of the ports and shipyards of Spain. This would help reduce costs and could make this type of energy more profitable. To this end, all the Spanish ports and shipyards have been analyzed, considering the characteristics and possibilities of each of them. In the study, those that did not meet certain essential conditions for the manufacture, storage, assembly, and maintenance of power generation equipment have been discarded.