Concurrent Engineering Methodology Research Articles

Application of set‐based concurrent engineering methodology to the development of cost modeling system for metal casting process

AbstractIn recent years, the reliable, accurate, and timely estimate of product cost at the conceptual design stage can enhance the competitiveness of a casting part. Set‐based concurrent engineering has emerged as an efficient solution to overcome this limitation as it provides simultaneous design procedures to positively assist the designer in achieving the required customer values in a short time and low cost. Therefore, this study attempts to integrate the set‐based concurrent engineering methodology into the development of a cost modeling system for the metal casting process. The system architecture is comprised of a user interface, knowledge database, and CAD modeling system. A detailed working flow process of the developed cost modeling system has been proposed under the guidelines of set‐based concurrent engineering. Further, the proposed methodology is demonstrated and validated by employing a real‐time casting part that was manufactured using the sand casting process. The implementation of the system provided many tangible benefits to the collaborative company including a decrease in cost estimation time (∼50%) and part rejection rate (∼32.3%). Further, the developed cost modeling approach provided a cost estimate near the actual cost of the product (∼4% deviation). It truly proves the significance of the developed system for the practitioners who believe that accurate and timely estimates of product manufacturing cost at the design stage can enhance the competitiveness of a product.

Design of a Canted-Cosine-Theta Orbit Corrector for the High Luminosity LHC

The High Luminosity LHC requires dipole orbit correctors grouped in double aperture magnet assemblies. They provide a field of 3.1 T at 100 A in an aperture of 70 mm. The current standard design is a classical cosine-theta layout made with ribbon cable. However, the electric insulation of this cable is not radiation-resistant enough to withstand the radiation load expected in the coming years of LHC operation. A new design, based on a cable with polyimide insulator, that can replace the existing orbit correctors, is needed. The challenge is to design a magnet that fits directly into the existing positions and that can operate with the same busbars, passive quench protection, and power supplies. The new orbit corrector design meets high requirements on the field quality while keeping within the same mechanical volume and maximum excitation current. A collaboration of Swedish universities and Swedish industry has been formed for the development and production of a prototype magnet following a concurrent engineering methodology to reduce the time needed to produce a CCT magnet. The magnet has a 1 m long CCT dipole layout consisting of two coils. The superconductor is a commercially available 0.33 mm wire with polyimide insulation in a 6-around-1 cable. The channels in the coil formers, that determine the CCT layout, allow for <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2\times 5$</tex-math></inline-formula> cable layers. A total of 70 windings makes that the coil current can be kept below 100 A. We will present the detailed design and preliminary quench simulations.

Application of VR Virtual Reality in the Course of Later Stage and Special Effect Production

Special Effect Production (SFP) is a picture or sound that is generated in television, radio, or movies to depict something genuine (such as an explosion) or fictional (such as a monster), a movie featuring stunning special effects. It is a moment when the organization or product is nearing its completion of development, referred to as late-stage. Virtual reality (VR) uses computer technology to produce interactive virtual experiences that may be watched via a head-mounted display. The ability to immerse users within a virtual environment has the potential to provide a more immersive experience than what can be achieved with a “conventional” flat screen. Some problems are pyrotechnics, prosthetic makeup, animatronics, and live-action weather elements. All the drawbacks are rectified by the method of SFP-VR computer-generated world in which the user’s activities have a small significant impact on what occurs around them; the virtual reality used to construct or get access to virtual reality. When it comes to showcasing your products, high-quality VR/AR material elevates the experience to new heights. Showing off your goods and services in this manner is a fun approach to engage customers and make purchasing a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Customers are able to experience the information in a more immersive and emotional way because of this. Various steps of the manufacturing process, such as original design, fabrication, and testing, were incorporated into a desktop VR demonstration application intended to show how a consumer product is made. Demonstrations of the programmer are given in detail, and user feedback is included. It is incredible how quickly virtual worlds have gained traction as a viable tool for manufacturing and other sectors of the economy. As a result, curriculum implementation refers to the teacher’s translation of the planned or formally designed course of study into syllabuses, schemes of work, and lessons for consumers. The planned adjustments are brought into life as a necessary aspect of curriculum development throughout implementation. Must evaluate and enhance VR’s potential as a specialism-free integrating medium within a concurrent engineering methodology to maximize its industrial applicability. It is possible to train in a safe, yet realistic, setting using virtual reality. In addition to providing real advantages to learners and improving the efficiency of work processes, it contributes to a safer and more productive workplace by facilitating team training.

Conceptual Design of Jain University Sailplane Based on Concurrent Engineering Within Aerospace Engineering Curriculum

There is ever growing interest in the design of high-performance sailplanes since the start of the last century. Sailplanes or gliders form an example of sustainable engineering in aeronautics as there is practically little to no carbon footprint. Concurrent Engineering (CE) as a design methodology is adopted and implemented for the conceptual design phase of this project. Concurrent Engineering involves simultaneous sharing of data within various teams, thereby increasing productivity and reducing time for product design. As the project involves extensive data sharing and periodic design iterations, it was imperative that interrelationships between the different groups are handled properly through the implementation of flowcharts even before the start of the project. Efficient methods of sailplane design based on Concurrent Engineering methodology within an education curriculum have been applied. This paper reports ongoing progress made within the sailplane project management.

A value of information methodology for multiobjective decisions in quantitative set‐based design

AbstractEngineering complex systems is an exercise in sequential multiobjective decision making under uncertainty. One method for handling this complexity and uncertainty is set‐based design (SBD). SBD is a concurrent engineering and management methodology that develops, analyzes, and matures numerous design options, reducing risk and delivering higher value to the stakeholders and end users. SBD accomplishes this through controlled design space convergence which reduces uncertainty and prevents premature design decisions. While SBD has been the subject of numerous scholarly articles, there is limited research providing quantitative methodologies that inform decisions enabling design maturation and convergence. We present a value of information (VOI) based methodology for multiobjective decision problems, and demonstrate its applicability for SBD decisions. We apply Bayesian decision models and information value to inform multiobjective modeling and design maturation decisions. Research contributions include: 1) a framework integrating VOI into the SBD process, 2) a multiobjective VOI method assessing a higher‐resolution model's ability to reduce uncertainty, and 3) a means of informing modeling decisions by comparing multiple high resolutions models, given their usage cost and their potential to deliver information value. Finally, we demonstrate the inherent issues associated with premature decisions and traditional point‐based design approaches which run the risk of selecting an alternative that later proves infeasible.

Design and Development of a User-Friendly Motorized Apparatus for the Filling of Portable Infusion Pumps by Hospital and Homecare Health Workers

Abstract: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) remain the most common occupational disease in the Western countries. Beside the effects on workers themselves, MSDs may lead to high costs to enterprises and the society as a whole. Among the painful or tiring positions encountered in healthcare settings, caregivers often cite the filling of portable infusion pumps (PIP). This context was conducive to achievement of the goal of the following project: the development of a motorized apparatus designed to minimize the risk of MSDs caused by repeated gestures of filling PIPs.: The development of the tool followed eleven steps including: (a) a market analysis, (b) a SWOT analysis, (c) definition of the specifications of the apparatus, and (d) a concurrent engineering methodology.: In approximately 18 months, a dynamic project group supported by a concurrent engineering methodology has designed and developed a compact and lightweight motorized apparatus able to suppress the risk of MSDs caused by manual filling of PIPs. After a mandatory step of familiarization, all involved operators have unanimously endorsed the new tool.: We believe that this new motorized apparatus may now simply and substantially alleviate occupational MSDs caused by the manually filling of PIPs. Another major benefit of this research program is the clear improvement of the intrinsically quality of therapeutic objects (TO) through the creation of a more accurate and reproducible method of PIP filling.

Development of a gap searching program for automotive body assemblies based on a decomposition model representation

Automobiles, aircraft, and ships require tremendously many parts to be assembled. For developing such large assemblies, most companies accelerate the design process by having many design engineers in different functional or sectional design groups working concurrently. However, interferences and gaps can be found when the parts and sub-assemblies of different design groups are to be assembled. These error cause design changes and additional repair processes, resulting in an unexpected increase in costs and time delays. While the interference problem has been resolved by digital mockup and concurrent engineering methodology, many cases of the gap problem in the automotive industry have been covered by temporary treatments when the gaps are small enough to be filled with sealants. This kind of fast fix can cause leakage into the engine chamber and passenger cabin when the gap size is too big for filling or when the sealant gets old, which can turn fatal. With this research, we have developed a program to automatically find gaps between the parts of an assembly so that design engineers can correct their designs before the manufacturing stage begins. By using the method of decomposition model representation, the program can visualize gaps between complex car body parts as well as estimate their volumetric information. It can also automatically define the boundary between a gap and the exterior space. Although we have reviewed the benefits of the program by applying it to car development, it can also be applied to aircraft and ship designs comprising several parts.

Concurrent Engineering for Composites

Faced with increasing global competitiveness, the issues of high costs, product robustness, and long lead times associated with product development are emerging in forefront of the problems facing American industry. It is increasingly clear that a significant (70–80%) percentage of system life cycle costs are committed during the phase of concept development and this is of special significance in composites were design decisions are highly coupled. The continued growth of composites is thus dependant on both development of low–cost fabrication technologies and adoption of the philosophy of concurrent engineering. It is essential that the early decisions are made based on the integration of all phases of product development. In this paper we discuss the need for concurrent engineering methodology for composites, and present framework for such an approach.

Product design for energy reduction in concurrent engineering: an inverted pyramid approach

The consideration of energy aspects as X in the design for X (DFX) paradigm in concurrent engineering (CE) is important for enabling reductions in operating costs, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing sustainability. This research presents a CE methodology for the consideration of energy use in product development and manufacturing, specifically addressing the machining process. The research reported in this paper showcases the effectiveness of using a systematic integrated approach towards consideration of energy in product development, addressed through product, process, and system level parameters. It adds an important tool to the DFX toolbox for evaluation of the impact of design decisions on the product manufacturing energy requirement early during the design phases. The use of the inverted pyramid approach (IPA) has been described as an effective methodology for incorporation in expansion of the DFX toolbox.

분해 모델을 이용한 자동차 차체의 틈새 탐색 시스템 개발

Large number of part design for aircraft and automobile is preceded by functional or sectional design groups for efficiency. However, interferences and gaps can be found when the parts and sub-assemblies by those design groups are to be assembled. These interferences and gaps cause design changes and additional repair processes. While interference problem has been resolved by digital mockup and concurrent engineering methodology, gap problem has been covered by temporary treatment of filling gap with sealant. This kind of fast fix causes fatal problem of leakage when the gap is too big for filling or the treatment gets old. With this research, we have developed a program to find the gap automatically among parts of assembly so that users can find them to correct their design before manufacturing stage. By using decomposition model representation method, the developed program can search the gap among complex car body parts to be visualized with volumetric information. It can also define the boundary between the gap and exterior empty space automatically. Though we have proved the efficiency of the developed program by applying to automobile assembly, application of the program is not limited to car body only, but also can be extended to aircraft and ship design of large number of parts.

Design for Assembly in Concurrent Engineering - A Case Study on its Application: Glass Block Holder and Glass Mold

The aim of this study is to define Design For Assembly (DFA) technique in the light of concurrent engineering methodology, determine the principles and manifest these principle effects on an application through comparison. There is a re-design process in glass block holder and blocks of an automation machine which is used in glass production industry. The 3D models of the original and new design have been made by using SolidWorks 2006. The new design is made in the light of DFA and with paying attention to the Boothroyd &amp; Dewhurst method. The re-designed mold is applied to large volume production process and healthy results were obtained. At the end of this part, the tables which are derived from the old and new data are prepared and their comparison is made.

A Model for Preliminary Design Procedures of Satellite Systems

The article describes a model for satellite systems preliminary design based on European Space Agency concurrent design approach. Space systems preliminary design aspects based on a concurrent engineering methodology are first briefly illustrated. A general description of a typical space system and its subsystems is provided and sizing criteria are provided for each subsystem. The design procedure is formalized according to Unified Modeling Language formalism. A description of the implementation of the model and some conclusive remarks are then included.

Incorporating probabilistic model of customers’ preferences in concurrent engineering

Concurrent engineering has been generally accepted as an important approach to reduce time to market. For years, the focus of concurrency has been design and manufacturing. With customers’ inputs becoming more crucial for product development, incorporating customers’ preferences into the design process has become significant in the continuing quest for reducing time to market. Because customers’ preferences involve intricate interdependency on factors such as product attributes, deterministic methods often fall short of representing and manipulating their probabilistic nature. This paper presents a probabilistic model that could continuously incorporate and adapt customers’ preferences into the concurrent engineering methodology.

Product Development Cost Estimation in Mass Customization

The ultimate goal of mass customization is to achieve economies of both scope and scale. This goal implies a conflict between customization and economy of scale (or mass production) in the traditional manufacturing paradigm. However, recent developments in computer and Internet communication technologies, concurrent engineering, and modular design methodology provide concepts, methods and technology infrastructure for realizing mass customization. One of the findings from numerous research efforts on mass customization is the use of e-commerce technologies to manage a product development chain that links customers, suppliers and manufacturers together to approach concurrently customized products in a short time and at the low cost level of mass production, i.e., mass customization. To ensure the success of mass customization in a product development chain, a rapid, automatic yet accurate cost estimate and control system is needed. This paper presents a cost index structure, which is a novel data structure, together with two novel cost estimate methods, viz. the generative cost estimate method and the variant cost estimate method, for the development of a semi or fully automatic computer-aided cost estimate and control system in mass customization. Finally, an industrial case is reported in the paper to illustrate the principles and feasibility of the proposed data structure, methods and system framework

Safety design of a petrol pump attendant robot

PurposeTo set‐up the study of an unmanned system for refuelling of vehicles, with attention to VOCs recovery.Design/methodology/approachPresents the architecture of a robotic arm for refuelling. Special attention was allocated to the safety characteristics of the automatic refuelling station assuring the highest protection of people and their safeguard against accidents, preventing any dangerous response of the robotic arm in all the predictable conditions. A concurrent engineering methodology jointly with the life‐cycle approach was adopted for the study and evaluation of the equipment.FindingsFinds that a six DoF arm with a tubular architecture with relocated actuation equipped with a specifically designed filler satisfying stage II rules is suitable to perform the task of safe refuelling of vehicles.Research limitations/implicationsProvides hints to design refuelling stations, also for fluids of the future (e.g. hydrogen).Practical implicationsThis robot is a low cost and efficient solution for replacing humans in petrol pump stations, while preserving environmental health. Refuelling will be comfortable and safe even in adverse climate conditions or for dangerous fuels (e.g. hydrogen).Originality/valueIntroduces a robotic arm made with tubes so that cables, pipes and VOCs run inside it and a filler granting easy mating with the cap and VOCs collection.

An Internet-enabled integrated system for co-design and concurrent engineering

In order to facilitate the product design and realisation processes, in this paper, an Internet-enabled system has been developed to support collaborative and concurrent engineering design by seamlessly integrating three functional modules, i.e., co-design, Web-based visualisation and manufacturing analysis, based on some state-of-the-art Java and Web technologies. In the co-design module, designers are equipped with co-modelling and co-modification facilities to carry out a design task collaboratively. The Web-based visualisation module provides a portal for users, who are not involved in the co-modelling process directly, to view and analyse a design part conveniently. Services in the manufacturing analysis module can be invoked by users dynamically to evaluate and optimise the manufacturing costs and the manufacturability of a design part so as to implement the concurrent engineering methodology during a co-design process. This system can be used for a design team geographically distributed to organise a 3D collaborative and concurrent engineering design effectively, and the proposed distributed and integration architectures enable the system to be generic, open and scalable.

An Internet-enabled integrated system for co-design and concurrent engineering

In order to facilitate the product design and realisation processes, in this paper, an Internet-enabled system has been developed to support collaborative and concurrent engineering design by seamlessly integrating three functional modules, i.e., co-design, Web-based visualisation and manufacturing analysis, based on some state-of-the-art Java and Web technologies. In the co-design module, designers are equipped with co-modelling and co-modification facilities to carry out a design task collaboratively. The Web-based visualisation module provides a portal for users, who are not involved in the co-modelling process directly, to view and analyse a design part conveniently. Services in the manufacturing analysis module can be invoked by users dynamically to evaluate and optimise the manufacturing costs and the manufacturability of a design part so as to implement the concurrent engineering methodology during a co-design process. This system can be used for a design team geographically distributed to organise a 3D collaborative and concurrent engineering design effectively, and the proposed distributed and integration architectures enable the system to be generic, open and scalable.

The development of a database system to optimise manufacturing processes during design

The cost of design, for most products, has shown itself to be a small part of the manufacturing cost and experience has shown that at least 70% of the cost of a manufactured part is decided at the design stage. This is therefore, the logical stage at which to invest more time and effort into getting the design right first time. With the development of computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacture (CAM), the time and cost analysis of a design has been improved immensely. During the design, the material and manufacturing process combinations will be chosen from those with which the product design team is most comfortable. As a result, the opportunity for major manufacturing improvements may be lost through the limited selection of manufacturing processes and associated materials in the early stage of product design. The aim of this research is to develop an expert system that is linked into a 3D design package, which will give an analysis of alternate methods of manufacture for producing the design. The methods used to develop the system will be database design, and expert system development, along with concurrent engineering (CE) methodology. This paper examines the steps involved in developing the system using the IDEF modelling techniques and highlights key CE methodologies.

Unified object-oriented definition of thin-walled steel beam-column cross-sections

Nowadays the advanced software products for steel structural analysis prefer the finite element method based on 3D thin-walled beam-column elements. This method requires the analysis-oriented modelling of cross-section problem. On the other hand, the integrated design modules based on modern design standards like Eurocode 3 need the design-oriented approach. The design of class 3 shapes are based on the linear elastic properties used in analysis, while the design of class 1 and 2 shapes requires the plastic properties. Moreover, the design of class 4 shapes uses the effective cross-section model to take the local buckling into consideration. However, for the integration of the analysis and standard design we need an approach that covers both areas. Former solutions – mainly in the environment of the sequential or procedure-oriented programming – identify the cross-sections by their properties computed by explicit formulas. Other solutions use FEM approach to compute the properties defined from mechanics point of view. These techniques are in contradiction with the integrated analysis and standard design of structures – the mentioned approaches are not able to satisfy the standard design. This paper proposes a model-oriented approach for the integrated analysis of cross-sections that satisfies the requirements of both the advanced beam-column analysis and the automatic standard design procedure. During the integrated analysis-design procedure the different program components require different cross-section properties computed on different basic conditions. The elastic analysis used commonly in the standard design needs the nominal properties that are computed on the basic model. The geometric non-linear solution requires a refined model to compute the stress-dependent Wagner coefficient. To predict the resistance of structures or structural members by physically non-linear solution we need the strain-dependent tangent cross-sectional properties. The design of class 4 shapes needs the effective cross-sections. However, all the relevant computational models can be derived from the natural model. This fact has emerged the object-oriented approach of the problem. Each procedure can be based on the natural geometric model and on the nominal properties related to this model. The data structure and the procedures will be encapsulated in the basic class SECTION. The different procedures need new classes that aggregate the basic one. The paper presents the first result of the object based concurrent engineering methodology for steel structural analysis and design (OBCEMsteel) project that aims to develop the ConSteel prototype system for new generation software for standard design of steel beam-column structures.

Concurrent Engineering: a tool for collaborative working

Global competition, customer-driven product customisation, accelerated product obsolescence and continued demands for cost savings are forcing companies to look for new ways of working. Technology advances alone are no longer sufficient to deliver the required improvements to compete and survive in this new environment. Companies need to revise their traditional technologies in a way that allows previously serial engineering tasks to be done concurrently and creates the needed pre-requisites for collaborative working. Concurrent Engineering can be regarded as a form of process re-engineering and as the main enabling technology ensuring efficient operation of distributed enterprises. Concurrency in performing different design and manufacturing activities presents an opportunity to compress the overall product development time whilst opening up opportunities to be creative by providing more time for design iterations. This paper describes three different applications of Concurrent Engineering methodology that facilitate collaborative working and sharing and re-use of distributed engineering data. These are: – an approach for structuring manufacturing information and maximising the information-carrying capacity of 3D CAD models; – a system for analysing 3D assembly models and extracting assembly related data required for automatic generation of assembly strategies; – an approach for developing product support systems. All applications have been developed within the framework of EC-funded projects, in particular: Brite-Euram project CT92–0158 “Advanced Manufacturing Information System for the Designer (AMANIS)”, INCO-Copernicus project CP94–0510 “Advanced Robot Assembly (ROBAS)”, INCO-Copernicus project CP96–0231 “Intelligent Product Manuals (ProManual)” and ERDF (Industrial South Wales) technology demonstration project “Intelligent Product Manuals for SMEs”.