Early Stages Of Product Development Research Articles

Data-driven bending fatigue life forecasting and optimization via grinding Top-Rem tool parameters for spiral bevel gears

To establish a bridge between grinding tool parameters and loaded tooth fatigue life, an innovative data-driven root flank bending fatigue life forecasting and optimization via Top-Rem tool parameters was proposed for grinding spiral bevel gears. The recent machine settings modification is extended into grinding Top-Rem tool parameters modification in case that geometric accuracy and root bending fatigue life are integrated into a collaborative optimization. The proposed Top-Rem modification includes three key steps: (I) arc-shaped blade, (II) top part, and (III) top fillet part. Then, while root bending stress is determined by using finite element method (FEM)-based simulated loaded tooth contact analysis (SLTCA), data-driven fatigue life forecasting is developed by correlating with the multiaxial fatigue damage model based assessment. Moreover, data-driven bending fatigue life optimization model is established by using Top-Rem tool parameters modification, where the important constraints in target flank determination includes: (i) root overcutting, (ii) geometric accuracy, and, (iii) fatigue life. For high accuracy and efficiency, two different strategies are proposed: (i) the different parameters modification types; and, (ii) sensitivity analysis of grinding Top-Rem tool parameters. Finally, proposed method can verify that bending fatigue life can be significantly improved by modifying the key Top-Rem tool parameters in early stage of the whole life product development for spiral bevel gears.

Robustness assessment of cation-exchange chromatography with in-silico peak deconvolution in monoclonal antibody purification

An in-silico tool with peak deconvolution for preparative chromatograms was developed for assessing the robustness for peak fluctuations depending on loaded sample quality. The peak positions of high-molecular-weight species (HMWS), target monoclonal antibody (Main), and low-molecular-weight species (LMWS) on a chromatogram of cation-exchange chromatography (CEX) were identified by second derivative processing. The deconvoluted peaks of HWMS, Main, and LMWS were calculated by a fitting algorithm at each identified peak position. The height of deconvolved peaks of each component was varied to mimic the change of loaded sample quality in the chromatogram, and the quality of the pooled fraction obtained from the mimic chromatogram was estimated. In addition, the relationship between the loaded sample quality and the pooled sample quality was shown to evaluate the robustness of chromatographic purification process for peak fluctuations depending on loaded sample quality. A major advantage of this robustness assessment method is to be performed using the results of only a single wet-lab experiment. We considered that it is a useful in-silico tool for rapidly assessing chromatography robustness and also product quality depending on upstream process required to achieve the target quality in the pooled fraction, at the early stage of biological pharmaceutical product development, especially monoclonal antibodies

Top-Rem grinding tool modification considering loaded edge contact for spiral bevel gears

Focusing on the collaborative manufacturing requiring meshing interface physical performances, an innovative Top-Rem grinding tool modification considering loaded edge contact is proposed for spiral bevel gears. Accurate Top-Rem grinding tool parameters can instead of machine-tool settings and their impact in the sophisticated flank topography correction technique. At first, the whole Top-Rem tool modification includes: i) arc-shaped blade part; ii) Top-Rem part; iii) top fillet part. Then, grinding tool modification model considering both loaded contact and geometric accuracy is established. Where, three important constraint conditions were taken into accounts: i) geometric boundary considering loaded edge contact, ii) root overcutting, and iii) flank geometric accuracy. Moreover, two kinds of optimization strategies are proposed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the whole modification: i) two types of modification by the different tool modification parameters; ii) sensitivity analysis with respect to ease-off for optimization operation of the unknown variables. Finally, the given instances can verify that it can get accurate and effective loaded contact performance optimization in early stage of full life cycle product development.

Estimation of fatigue crack initiation and growth in engineering product development using a digital twin approach

A digital twin is a computational model in cyberspace that is used to support engineering decisions. Maintaining high predictive capability of a digital twin model is of great concern to the engineers who make design decisions at the early stages of product development. In the work described in this paper, the predictive capability of the digital twin approach is improved by considering uncertainties in manufacturing and test conditions. The proposed digital twin approach can be used in a variety of product development settings. The proposed idea takes advantage of hybrid digital twin approaches, using both data-driven and physics-based approaches. The proposed approach is based on two techniques; (i) statistical model calibration and (ii) probabilistic element updating. In statistical model calibration, statistical parameters of input variables are estimated. Further, probabilistic analysis using estimated statistical parameters can predict possible critical elements. In probabilistic element updating procedures, the possible crack initiation and growth element is updated. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated using a case study of an automotive sub-frame fatigue test. From the results, we conclude that the proposed digital twin approach can accurately estimate crack initiation and growth of an automotive structure under uncertain loading conditions and material properties.

Sustainable Product Innovation and Consumer Communication

Sustainable product innovation and its communication with consumers are essential for the realisation of sustainability through sustainable consumption. This research conducted a structured review addressing sustainable product innovation, including sustainable product development and service, environmental and socio-economic impacts, communication of the sustainable product innovation to consumers via ecolabelling and declarations, and sustainability benchmarking. The review revealed that current research in sustainable product development and service focuses more on environmental and economic aspects, but the social aspect has not been given enough attention, and the interconnection between product development and service needs to be further addressed. Systematic sustainable innovation, considering the whole life cycle of the product to control and improve overall sustainability in the early product development stages should be paid more attention. To overcome the gaps, a framework for sustainable product development and services (SPDS) was developed and presented. Furthermore, this review found that communicating understandable environmental and socio-economic performance of products and services with consumers is still challenging. Barriers are identified in deriving benchmarks through sustainability performance assessments. This paper also provides examples of overcoming the barriers in sustainable benchmarking and communication with the “eco-cost” method, which engages both B2B and B2C customers to promote sustainable consumption.

The Development of an Egg Incubator Prototype with the Use of Heat on the Condenser Side of the Refrigerator

<p>The development for an egg incubator prototype with the use of heat on the condenser side of the refrigerator belongs to Research and Development (R&D) conductment with the aim of knowing the process of developing an egg incubator prototype by using heat on the condenser side of the refrigerator to find out the feasibility level. The method in this study uses Quality Function Deployment (QFD), which is a method used in the early stages of product design and development that makes quality design of a product based on the market quality demand and order of the customer. The prototype development process undergo several stages, including: preliminary survey to the farmer community, design, instrument validity testing, prototype making, media export testing and small group testing. Based on the calculation of the results of the validity test assessment by the instrument content expert, the content validity value of 1 which refers to the instrument validity criteria table is included in the very high validity criteria. Furthermore, based on the calculation of the validation results from the media expert test and the small group test, it gets a percentage of 100% for the media expert test and a percentage of 95.20% for the small group test and refers to the eligibility level qualification table with a scale of 5 in the very appropriate category without the need for revision, so that the developed prototype egg incubator are suitable for use and marketable for the industry.</p>

How decadal predictions entered the climate services arena: an example from the agriculture sector

Predicting the variations in climate for the coming 1–10 years is of great interest for decision makers, as this time horizon coincides with the strategic planning of stakeholders from climate-vulnerable sectors such as agriculture. This study attempts to illustrate the potential value of decadal predictions in the development of climate services by establishing interactions and collaboration with stakeholders concerned with food production and security. Building on our experience from interacting with users and the increased understanding of their needs gathered over the years through our participation in various European activities and initiatives, we developed a decadal forecast product that provides tailored and user-friendly information about multi-year dry conditions for the coming five years over global wheat harvesting regions. This study revealed that the coproduction approach, where the interaction between the user and climate service provider is established at an early stage of forecast product development, is a fundamental step to successfully provide useful and ultimately actionable information to the interested stakeholders. The study also provides insights that shed light on the reasons for the delayed entry of decadal predictions in the climate services discourse and practice, obtained from surveying climate scientists and discussing with decadal prediction experts. Finally, it shows the key challenges that this new source of climate information still faces.

Socio-Economic Life Cycle-Based Framework for Safe and Sustainable Design of Engineered Nanomaterials and Nano-Enabled Products

This manuscript describes an innovative approach to socio-economic assessment of (advanced) engineered nanomaterials and nano-enabled products (NEPs) to support safe-and-sustainable-by-design (SSbD) decision making by industries in the early stages of product development. This semi-quantitative methodology is based on a sound conceptual framework grounded in the combination of social life cycle analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis methods and supports decision making based upon socio-economic impacts assessed over the full life cycle of a product. To facilitate its application by industries, the methodology was implemented as an Excel-based self-assessment tool. This easy-to-use, cost- and time-efficient tool can guide users through their SSbD decision making regarding newly developed nanomaterials and NEPs and can also be applied to re-evaluate existing materials and NEPs in order to improve their sustainability from a socio-economic perspective. The relatively low requirements of this tool regarding the level of efforts and expert knowledge needed for its application make it a good starting point for initial assessment to highlight socio-economic issues in the value chain. The results of this initial screening can be further used for more detailed analysis in the later stages of product development by performing a full social life cycle assessment (S-LCA).

Corrigendum: Prospective Life Cycle Assessment at Early Stage of Product Development: Application to Nickel Slag Valorization Into Cement for the Construction Sector

Corrigendum on: Quéheille, E., Dauvergne, M., Ventura, A., 2021 Sector. Front. Built Environ. 7, 14 p. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2021.743948.In the supplementary materials of the original article, there was a mistake in "Table A.1: Details of the 20 first scenarios for a nickel slag valorization sector by mineralization in New-Caledonia" as published. The word 'fioul' has not been translated from French to English as "oil". The corrected "Table A.1: Details of the 20 first scenarios for a nickel slag valorization sector by mineralization in New-Caledonia" appears below. The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way. The original article has been updated. Figures, tables, and images will be published under a Creative Commons CC-BY licence and permission must be obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including republished/adapted/modified/partial figures and images from the internet). It is the responsibility of the authors to acquire the licenses, to follow any citation instructions requested by third-party rights holders, and cover any supplementary charges.

Life cycle assessment of a point-absorber wave energy array

Wave energy has a large global resource and thus a great potential to contribute to low-carbon energy systems. This study quantifies the environmental impacts of a 10 MW array of 28 point-absorber wave energy converters, by means of a process-based life cycle assessment (LCA). Midpoint and Cumulative Energy Demand LCA results are presented over 19 impact categories, representing impacts encompassing human health, ecosystems and resource availability. Three scenarios are undertaken to represent the use phase of the array, identified as a particularly uncertain input, with very little long-term operation of wave energy arrays available to validate assumptions. The resultant global warming potential of the array ranges from 25.1 to 46.0 gCO2e/kWh over a 95% confidence interval, 23–43 times lower than conventional fossil fuel electricity generation. The Energy Payback Time of the array ranges between 2.6 and 5.2 years. LCA results are found to be particularly sensitive to annual energy production across all impact categories, and to assumptions associated with the frequency of marine operations over a number of categories quantifying the production of greenhouse gases. This LCA has been undertaken at an early stage in the WEC product development and will inform innovative research focused on further reducing the environmental impacts of electricity generation.

Listening to children voices in early stages of new product development through co-creation – Creative focus group and online platform

Listening to children voices in early stages of new product development through co-creation – Creative focus group and online platform

Listening to children voices in early stages of new product development through co-creation – Creative focus group and online platform

To tackle current nutritional issues like obesity, it could be valuable to involve children in the development of healthy food products that they will actively chose and enjoy. The aims of the present exploratory study were (i) to assess a methodology for early-stage idea generation through co-creation, for the development of healthy snacks with pre-adolescents, and (ii) to compare two settings, creative focus groups (CFG) and an online community (ONL). Three steps were defined to allow the gradual exploration of the topic and mutual learning throughout the process: (1) Show &Tell: photo taking and -elicitation to understand what children ate; (2) Reflect: a sorting task of the pictures to discuss and reflect on snacking practices (3) Create: an idea generation step, in which a newspaper article describing an idea for a new healthy snack was created. To increase engagement and creativity, gamification strategies were used. Our results demonstrated that children (preadolescents) can create new food product ideas with the proposed process, using enabling and creative techniques. In the CFG the trained moderator could steer the group to the co-creation goal. The setting facilitated teamwork and group learning, collaborative ideas considering preferences of peers and produced a few detailed and mostly actionable ideas. In the ONL less control over the process was possible. The setting produced many ideas varying in the degree of detail and actionability focusing on individual preferences. The feedback and observations from our study, particularly in the CFG setting, implied that the creative approach was highly engaging for participants. Further research is necessary to assess the potential of initial ideas developed by pre-adolescents.

Virtual Reality and Digital Human Modeling for Ergonomic Assessment in Industrial Product Development: A Patent and Literature Review

The late detection of ergonomic component assembly issues during manufacturing processes has an influence on operator well-being and productivity, as well as having a high cost of correction. Although virtual reality may enhance digital human modeling, there is a knowledge gap on the combination of these technologies to assess ergonomics. This study aims to analyze the application of virtual reality and digital human modeling for physical ergonomics assessment during product development in the industry, through a review of patents and the literature. We searched the Derwent Innovation Index, Scopus, and Web of Science databases and found 250 patents and 18 articles. We observed an exponential increase in patents, concentrated among major technological players, and a wide range of technologies being invented. A significant number of studies focuses on the automotive and aviation industries. Despite a relative consensus in the literature on the benefits of integrating virtual reality and digital human modeling to assess physical ergonomics in the early stages of product development, the technologies are seldom combined in the same analysis; moreover, most cases continue to focus on analyzing pre-designed production processes, when resources are completely deployed. These outcomes may provide a reference for practitioners and researchers to develop novel solutions for the early detection of physical ergonomics issues in the industry.

Implants for HIV prevention in young women: Provider perceptions and lessons learned from contraceptive implant provision.

Preventing new HIV infections, especially amongst young women, is key to ending the HIV epidemic especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Potent antiretroviral (ARV) drugs used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are currently being formulated as long-acting implantable devices, or nanosuspension injectables that release drug at a sustained rate providing protection from acquiring HIV. PrEP as implants (PrEP Implants) offers an innovative and novel approach, expanding the HIV prevention toolbox. Feedback from providers and future users in the early clinical product development stages may identify modifiable characteristics which can improve acceptability and uptake of new technologies. Healthcare workers (HCWs) perspectives and lessons learned during the rollout of contraceptive implants will allow us to understand what factors may impact the roll-out of PrEP implants. We conducted eighteen interviews with HCWs (9 Nurses and 9 Community Healthcare Workers) in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. HCWs listed the long-acting nature of the contraceptive implant as a key benefit, helping to overcome healthcare system barriers like heavy workloads and understaffing. However, challenges like side effects, migration of the implant, stakeholder buy-in and inconsistent training on insertion and removal hampered the roll-out of the contraceptive implant. For PrEP implants, HCWs preferred long-acting products that were palpable and biodegradable. Our findings highlighted that the characteristics of PrEP implants that are perceived to be beneficial by HCWs may not align with that of potential users, potentially impacting the acceptability and uptake of PrEP implants. Further our data highlight the need for sustained and multi-pronged approaches to training HCWs and introducing new health technologies into communities. Finding a balance between the needs of HCWs that accommodate their heavy workloads, limited resources at points of delivery of care and the needs and preferences of potential users need to be carefully considered in the development of PrEP implants.

Build orientation effect on Ti6Al4V thin-wall topography by electron beam powder bed fusion

Additive Manufacturing is a key enabling technology for Industry 4.0 and the Green Deal, allowing more efficient resources exploitation while providing innovative design to critical components. Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (EB-PBF) is an edge technology for many sectors, i.e. aerospace, medical, and automotive. The control of the surface finish by surface topography measurements is essential to engineer surface functional properties, whose specifications are application specific. This works investigates the effect of thin-wall orientation and surface inclination on the topography, described by areal field and feature parameters, to provide designers with a useful tool in the early stage of product development and tolerance specification and verification.

Systematic derivation of customized development sprints for an agile development of wind turbines

To account for the increasing volatility and uncertainty of external requirements, mechanical and plant engineering companies are facing growing demands for increased flexibility and adaptability within product development. The wind turbine industry in particular, which is characterized by low unit numbers, long development time and high development costs, is especially affected by this trend. Companies are forced to implement processes that allow for short-term adaptation to changing requirements. Plan-driven approaches typically presume that requirements are defined in the early stages of product development and remain static throughout the process. Companies are increasingly resorting to agile approaches, which rely on an incremental and highly iterative development process divided into short sprints. However, the main challenge for them is moving from plan-driven to agile due to the lack of a comprehensive method of incorporating and transforming their current development activities into an agile approach. This allows for the configuration of agile sprints on a short-term, results-oriented basis from process modules identified in the current development. A five step method for this purpose is being presented. The five steps are as follows: (1) Process analysis to record the status as-is; (2) Identification of recurring process modules throughout the development process; (3) Identification of development objects that are used or generated by the process modules; (4) Bottom-up classification and consolidation of these development objects; (5) Configuration of development sprints as a sequence of process modules linked via development objects. The respective steps were validated in cooperation with a company from the wind turbine industry.

Investigating user intentions regarding diabetes technology adoption with theory-based models: Application at an example of self-management of hypoglycemia

The aim of this research is to demonstrate how a theory-based model helps to investigate user intentions in early stages of product development. We conducted a quantitative survey based on behavioral reasoning theory with 150 individuals with Type 1 diabetes. The data was analyzed with a structural equation model. The results show that behavioral reasoning theory provides a relevant means to analyze and identify relevant reasons for the intended behavior using a causal model. On the applied level, they have a significant effect on the intention to adopt the system presented via the global motives attitude and social norms while reasons against the behavior have no effect. Behavioral reasoning theory shows to be relevant to explain the intention for an initial evaluation of technology-based solutions. Applied to the exemplary solution, the conclusion is that especially social norms should be considered with the adoption of new systems. The theory should be used with other technology-based solutions to understand important causal factors with adoption behavior in early conceptual stages. • Theoretical models are required to analyze user intentions for novel diabetes systems. • We are first in showing how behavioural reasoning theory can be used to analyze user intentions. • The article demonstrates the use of the theory at the example of an innovative system to support hypoglycaemia. • The results show the relevance of behavioural reasoning theory at the example of a novel system. • We highlight the increasing awareness of theory-based analysis of behavioural aspects.

Computer-aided tolerance specification of preliminary designs based on variation analysis

A proper tolerance specification ensures assemblability as well as functionality of products and considers associated manufacturing costs. Therefore, numerous, mostly rule-based computer-aided approaches aim to support this challenging task. However, the aspect of functional performance is often considered only indirectly or generically, e.g. without taking into account existing dimension relations, so that iterative manual adjustments are necessary. In order to overcome this shortcoming, a new method is presented, which automatically generates specific tolerance specification proposals on the basis of degree-of-freedom analyses of the contact faces contributing to a defined assembly function. Thus, it enables a reliable, function-oriented tolerance specification of preliminary designs already in early product development stages. The novel approach is prototypically integrated into a CAD system and demonstrated by means of a crank drive mechanism.

Smart Virtual Product Development: Manufacturing Capability Analysis and Process Planning Module

Smart Virtual Product Development (SVPD) system provides effective use of information, knowledge, and experience in industry during the process of product development in Industry 4.0 scenario. This system comprises of three primary modules, each of which has been developed to cater to a need for digital knowledge capture for smart manufacturing in the areas of product design, production planning, and inspection planning. Manufacturing Capability Analysis and Process Planning (MCAPP) module is an important module of the SVPD system, and it involves the provision of manufacturing knowledge to experts working on product development at the early stages of the product lifecycle. In this research, we firstly describe the structure and working mechanism of the SVPD system’s MCAPP module. This is followed by validation of the MCAPP module’s Manufacturing Process Planning (MPP) sub-module against the key performance indicators (KPIs) by using our threading tap case study. Our results verify the feasibility of our approach and show how manufacturing knowledge relating to features and functions can be used to enhance the manufacturing process across similar products during the early stages of product development. An analysis of the basic concepts and methods of implementation show that this is an expert system capable of supporting smart manufacturing which can play a vital role in the establishment of Industry 4.0.

Set-Based Concurrent Engineering Process Model and Systematic Application on an Electronic Card Reader

Set-based concurrent engineering (SBCE), also known as set-based design, is a state-of-the-art approach to the new product development process. SBCE, simply, provides an environment where designers explore a wide range of alternative solutions in the early stages of product development. After gaining knowledge, solutions are narrowed down until the optimal solution is ensured. Such an environment saves considerable amount of cost and time while reaching innovation and high quality in the products. However, industrial practitioners seek a clear and systematic application throughout an SBCE process. This paper demonstrates a well-structured SBCE process model and its step-by-step application on a product called “electronic card reader”. Real data is used in the industrial case study. Results showed the benefits of applying SBCE in both the product, and the process of new product development.