Innovative Manufacturing System Research Articles

RoBUTCHER: A novel robotic meat factory cell platform

Automation is critically important for sustainability in meat production, where heavy reliance on human labour is a growing challenge. In this work, a novel robotic Meat Factory Cell (MFC) platform presents the opportunity for unconventional automation in pork meat processing, particularly abattoirs. Instead of following line-based approaches, which are the main option today, it uses robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to perform complex cutting and manipulation operations on entire unchilled pork carcasses, with awareness of biological variation and deformation. The long-term goal of the MFC is to take a pork carcass as an input and produce seven primal outputs: hams, shoulders, saddle, belly and entire organ set. However, the MFC platform is under continuous development – therefore, this paper aims to demonstrate it through a specific use-case: shoulder removal. The system is evaluated based on data from testing and development sessions (June–November 2022), with a total of 34 attempted shoulder removals. Data regarding the MFCs’ ability to handle variation, in addition to success rate and process timing models are presented. Qualitative feedback from skilled butchers is also discussed. The authors propose that, as well as technical development of the platform, it is important to consider new ways of comparing unconventional systems with their conventional counterparts. Innovative manufacturing systems have more to offer than raw speed and volume; traits such as flexibility, robustness and scalability – particularly economic scalability – should play a prominent role. Future legislation and standards must also encourage innovation rather than hinder innovative robotics solutions.

Applying strategic analysis for designing an educational program in smart manufacturing: the case of MIMS

In this paper, we propose the application of strategic analysis tools to design an educational program. Findings are based on the case of the Master in Innovative Manufacturing Systems (MIMS), a unique training offer to achieve a multidisciplinary expertise in smart manufacturing, in a two-year program simulating the journey of innovation. Building on novel educational paradigms and recent developments in the area of manufacturing, the main goal of the program is to provide the European industry with outstanding experts willing, able, and trained to bring novel solutions that address relevant societal challenges. Special emphasis is placed on real-world contexts and proactive activities, as well as strategies to continuously update the program. We aim to contribute to the educational facet of smart manufacturing.

Innovative Manufacturing Systems and Business Sustainability in the 21st Century (A Critical Evaluation of the Champion Breweries Plc, Nigeria)

Innovative Manufacturing Systems and Business Sustainability in the 21st Century (A Critical Evaluation of the Champion Breweries Plc, Nigeria)

A human-centric approach to aid in assessing maintenance from the sustainable manufacturing perspective

Emerging innovative manufacturing systems combine cyber-physical systems (CPS), the Internet of Things (IoT), and data analytics to develop a framework for predictive and adaptive purposes. The fifth industrial revolution, or Industry 5.0, envisions human-machine cooperation in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. Human intelligence is responsible for high decision support providing feedback to the model, and the machine is dedicated to the empirical processing that builds the model. This paper presents a human-centric framework incorporating various maintenance stakeholders’ perceptions to assess the relationship between key maintenance factors affecting manufacturing sustainability. The work methodology integrates two methods: the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP) and the elimination and choice expressing reality (ELECTRE III). The F-AHP is used to compute the relative weights of the evaluation criteria of the maintenance factors. Then, the criteria weights will be used as the input for the ELECTRE III method to rank the maintenance factors. It was observed that the proposed approach is robust and can classify the maintenance factors according to their importance to sustainable manufacturing.

Contouring Control of an Innovative Manufacturing System Based on Dual-Arm Robot

In this article, an innovative manufacturing system based on a dual-arm robot, each arm with five degree-of-freedom (DOF), is proposed. Although the proposed system can work in the automation mode or machining mode, only the function of machining is studied here. In this case, the system is equivalent to a five-axis machine tool. The method of equivalent errors is employed to design a robust contouring controller. It is shown that reducing the equivalent contour error in the joint space is equivalent to reducing both position contour error and tool orientation error in the task space. As a comparison, a conventional distributed controller is also designed. Several cases of experiments have been conducted, including a circular path with four different feedrates and an elliptic path. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve much better results in all cases, and demonstrate the feasibility of adopting the dual-arm robotic system for machining task. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —This article was motivated by the traditional manufacturing system that is a cooperation between computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tool(s) and robot arm(s). This article proposes a novel usage of a dual-arm robot with a fixed spindle and cutting tool in order to integrate the main functions of the CNC machine and robot arm together. This system alone can perform machining and automation tasks, which can significantly reduce the overall cost of a manufacturing system. The existing dual-arm robots have seldom been designed to perform machining tasks. For machining, a contouring controller is necessary and is proposed in this article. This model-based contouring controller relies on the accurate system parameters to achieve high precision machining. For example, the mass and inertia changes of a workpiece during machining should be considered. This issue will be addressed in our future research.

Integrated manufacture of polymer and conductive tracks for real-world applications

The present study demonstrates for the first time a unique UK-designed and built Additive Manufacturing (AM) hybrid system that combines polymer based structural deposition with digital deposition of electrically conductive elements. This innovative manufacturing system is based on a multi-planar build approach to improve on many of the limitations associated with AM, such as poor surface finish, low geometric tolerance and poor robustness. Specifically, the approach involves a multi-planar Material Extrusion (ME) process in which separated build stations with up to 5 axes of motion replace traditional horizontally-sliced layer modelling. The construction of multi-material architectures also involved using multiple print systems in order to combine both ME and digital deposition of conductive material. To demonstrate multi-material 3D Printing (3DP) we used three thermoplastics to print specimens, on top of which a unique Ag nano-particulate ink was printed using a non-contact jetting process, during which drop characteristics such as shape, velocity, and volume were assessed using a bespoke drop watching system. Electrical analysis of printed conductive tracks on polymer surfaces was performed during mechanical testing (static tensile and flexural testing and dynamic fatigue testing) to assess robustness of the printed circuits. Both serpentine and straight line patterns were used in the testing of Ag particle loaded ink and they showed very similar resistance changes during mechanical exposure. Monitored resistance and stress changed as a function of strain exhibiting hysteresis with more prominent residual strain during stretching and compression cycles and 3-point bending flexural tests of PA and CoPA substrates. Bare and encapsulated tracks exhibited low electrical resistivity (1–3*10−6 Ω*m), and its change was more rapid on ABS and minor on PA and CoPA when increasing tensile and flexural strain up to 1.2% and 0.8%, respectively. Resistance of Ag tracks on ABS also increased rapidly during fatigue testing and the tracks easily fractured during repeated stretching-compression cycles at 1% and 1.2% strain. No resistance changes of Ag tracks printed on PA and CoPA were observed at lower strain amplitudes whereas at higher strain amplitudes these changes were the lowest for conductive tracks on CoPA. Thermal analyses were conducted to determine the printed material’s glass transition temperature (Tg), stability and degradation behavior to find the optimum annealing conditions post printing. The novel AM printer has the ability to fabricate fully functional objects in one build, including integrated printed circuitry and embedded electronics. It enables product designers and manufactures to produce functional saleable electronic products. This new technology also gives the opportunity for designers to improve existing products, as well as create new products with the added advantages of geometrically unconstrained 3DP.

Microstructure and Corrosion Properties of PEO Coatings Produced on AM-Aluminum Alloys

Aluminum alloys are one of the main materials employed in aerospace and automotive applications. One of the problems that affect these alloys in certain application is the poor corrosion resistance that can, however, be enhanced with proper surface treatments, such as anodizing. Among these treatments, Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) is one of the most promising and the production of PEO coatings on traditional aluminum alloy was extensively studied in literature. Recently, the production of a lot of components is going into the direction of using innovative manufacturing systems and customized components, with improved mechanical and physical properties, can be manufactured by additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. Among the AM methods, laser-based AM has an immense potential for producing fully dense metallic structures, using a variety of available metal powders and has attracted more and more attention. The resulting AM samples are characterized by different microstructures in comparison with the conventionally manufactured ones and this can cause differences also in the production of PEO coatings and other surface treatments. Objective of the present work is to produce PEO coatings on AM samples in order to increase the corrosion and wear performances of the samples. PEO coating were produced on the samples testing different parameters and the coatings were characterized, in terms of microstructure and composition, with SEM analysis. The corrosion resistance of the samples was also evaluated with electrochemical tests. The results were compared with the ones obtained on traditionally manufactured samples. PEO coatings were successfully produced on AM samples obtaining samples with good coatings thickness and improved corrosion performances compared to the untreated ones.

A Roadmap for Reconfiguring Industrial Enterprises as a Consequence of Global Economic Crisis (GEC)

Due to the existing depression, industrial enterprises in most of the world require to be reconfigured and/or reorganized especially the manufacturing firms (companies). As a consequence of the global economic crisis (GEC), great political and economical maybe changed and some companies will go out from business and others will be merged with other firms. Also, a big effecting will be represented in unemployment. The industrial enterprises will start to deal intensively for better utilization of resources (e.g., equipments, machines, etc.) and human resources. There are a lot of issues needed to be addressed to cope with this recession. The most important issue is then the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques. The other issues which this paper illustrated representing in complexity level of industrial enterprises, designing hybrid or innovative manufacturing systems, applied manufacturing strategies and philosophies, product development, management for change, and good accounting system. In this paper, a conceptual framework as a roadmap for discussing these issues of reconfiguring industrial enterprises will be explained and discussed. The analysis shows that reconfiguring industrial enterprises is not easy task and a multi-dimensional problem.

Absorptive capacity, network embeddedness and local firm's knowledge acquisition in the Global Manufacturing Network

Global Manufacturing Network (GMN) is an innovative manufacturing system that provides great opportunities for local firms in developing countries to acquire knowledge and upgrade through collaborations in GMN. Using data of manufacturing firms, we confirm the conceptual model that local firm's absorptive capacity can contribute to its knowledge acquisition and performance in the context of GMN. Furthermore, our finding also suggests that firm's abilities to understand external knowledge will be more positively associated with its knowledge acquisition when the information embeddedness is high, and firm's abilities to apply external knowledge and knowledge acquisition will be more positively associated with the firm performance when the work embeddedness is high.

Innovative manufacturing systems for photovoltaic cells

Innovative manufacturing systems for photovoltaic cells

Network embeddedness and local firms' strategic upgrading in the Global Manufacturing Network

The Global Manufacturing Network (GMN) is an innovative manufacturing system that has super manufacturing and servicing capabilities, and provides a platform for local firms in developing countries to acquire knowledge and capabilities. In this paper, after the literature reviews of the GMN and network embeddedness, the exploratory work suggests that Chinese local manufacturing firms can acquire knowledge and capabilities by embedding themselves into the GMN. There are four stages through which manufacturing firms embed themselves into the GMN and upgrade their strategies, which are penetration based on low-cost manufacturing, network embedding and evolving, accumulating knowledge and capabilities, and strategic upgrading.

The team that changed the world

Daimler Chrysler has introduced a new type of automotive production technology that enables precisely coordinated teamwork between robots and makes them faster, more versatile and more precise. Known as "cooperating robot" technologies, the innovative manufacturing system was developed in close cooperation with the KUKA Robot Group and is being used for the first time within manufacturing of the Mercedes-Benz premium brand. Cooperating robots has helped Daimler Chrysler make great progress in all areas of manufacturing including ergonomics and safety as well as quality and efficiency.

The dream team [industrial robots

Robots and human interaction in manufacturing plants have always been limited by safety concerns. This innovative manufacturing system, which was developed in close cooperation with the KUKA Robot Group in Augsburg, enables precisely coordinated teamwork between robots and makes them faster, more versatile and more precise.

Production model discourse and experiences from the Swedish automotive industry

Discusses production models for final assembly in the automotive industry and also reports on the performance of one final assembly plant representing an innovative production model, namely the Volvo Uddevalla plant. Briefly considers some issues and pitfalls in current production model discourse, and in this connection introduces a distinction between two manufacturing models and broader industrial models. Describes two manufacturing models for final assembly work as namely the “serial flow model” and the “parallel flow model”. Discusses the Japanese “lean production”, sometimes synonymous with “Toyotism”, as an industrial model and the impact of socio‐economic and socio‐cultural contexts on manufacturing models and industrial models. Concludes that the Uddevalla plant highlights the paradox that long cycle time work in parallel flow assembly systems is in fact more efficient than short cycle time work in serial flow systems, provided that suitable technical and administrative preconditions exist. Therefore, the engineering point of view and the Swedish experiences of innovative manufacturing systems should be carefully considered in the current production model discourse.

A review of: “Organising Innovative Manufacturing Systems.” By H. BOER (Avebury, 1991) [Pp. ix + 274] Price: £35·00.

A review of: “<i>Organising Innovative Manufacturing Systems.</i>” By H. BOER (Avebury, 1991) [Pp. ix + 274] Price: £35·00.