Manual Manufacturing Process Research Articles

MANUFACTURING AND TESTING HIGH VOLTAGE FILTER CAPACITORS

This paper presents the manufacturing and testing methods of 30kV and 33nF high voltage filter capacitors. One of the biggest advantages of small companies is that they are able to produce a high diversity of capacitors in small quantities. One of the prices of this flexibility is a higher level of manual manufacturing process in production. But this higher level of manual manufacturing does not mean lower quality in the final product. For high quality products in the high voltage industry, it is necessary to do routine tests in all of the products. For high voltage capacitors the following three tests must be done to ensure quality: voltage strength test, partial discharge test, capacitance and dissipation factor test. The capacitance and dissipation factor test have to be done at different voltage levels. The voltage strength test has to be done at least 20% higher than the rated voltage. This kind of test gives us information not only about the quality of the product itself, but about distribution of the capacitance for example, or about the strength of the production process, and about the quality management system of the company.

Development of a robotic cluster for automated and scalable cell therapy manufacturing

Background aimsThe production of commercial autologous cell therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells requires complex manual manufacturing processes. Skilled labor costs and challenges in manufacturing scale-out have contributed to high prices for these products. MethodsWe present a robotic system that uses industry-standard cell therapy manufacturing equipment to automate the steps involved in cell therapy manufacturing. The robotic cluster consists of a robotic arm and customized modules, allowing the robot to manipulate a variety of standard cell therapy instruments and materials such as incubators, bioreactors, and reagent bags. This system enables existing manual manufacturing processes to be rapidly adapted to robotic manufacturing, without having to adopt a completely new technology platform. Proof-of-concept for the robotic cluster's expansion module was demonstrated by expanding human CD8+ T cells. ResultsThe robotic cultures showed comparable cell yields, viability, and identity to those manually performed. In addition, the robotic system was able to maintain culture sterility. ConclusionsSuch modular robotic solutions may support scale-up and scale-out of cell therapies that are developed using classical manual methods in academic laboratories and biotechnology companies. This approach offers a pathway for overcoming manufacturing challenges associated with manual processes, ultimately contributing to the broader accessibility and affordability for personalized immunotherapies.

Automatic data-driven design and 3D printing of custom ocular prostheses.

Millions of people require custom ocular prostheses due to eye loss or congenital defects. The current fully manual manufacturing processes used by highly skilled ocularists are time-consuming with varying quality. Additive manufacturing technology has the potential to simplify the manufacture of ocular prosthetics, but existing approaches just replace to various degrees craftsmanship by manual digital design and still require substantial expertise and time. Here we present an automatic digital end-to-end process for producing custom ocular prostheses that uses image data from an anterior segment optical coherence tomography device and considers both shape and appearance. Our approach uses a statistical shape model to predict, based on incomplete surface information of the eye socket, a best fitting prosthesis shape. We use a colour characterized image of the healthy fellow eye to determine and procedurally generate the prosthesis's appearance that matches the fellow eye. The prosthesis is manufactured using a multi-material full-colour 3D printer and postprocessed to satisfy regulatory compliance. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by presenting results for 10 clinic patients who received a 3D printed prosthesis. Compared to a current manual process, our approach requires five times less labour of the ocularist and produces reproducible output.

Exploration of bioinspired small wind turbine blade manufacturing alternatives: Defining materials and processes

In the domain of Horizontal Wind Turbines, the key role of blade material and process selection is discussed. Existing methodologies and manual manufacturing processes, while addressing this issue, suffer from complexity and environmental drawbacks. To mitigate these issues, the study introduces a comprehensive methodology for the selection, implementation, testing and analysis of materials and processes for small blade construction, taking into account various constraints. The research conducts a thorough exploration of manufacturing processes, considering factors such as time, affordability, machine accessibility, repeatability, elements to be manufactured, and adaptability to complex surfaces. A systematic comparison of materials and processes, along with proposed filtering methods, reveals that rotomolding/polyurethane casting exhibits superior performance due to improved energy capture and inertia. The study underscores the importance of careful material and process selection to optimize blade efficiency and highlights the need for further research to address mechanical, economic, environmental, scalability, and material advancement challenges.

Comparison of Safety Mechanisms for Human-Robot Collaboration in Assembly using a Top-View RGB-D Camera System

The paradigm shift from mass production to mass customization is leading to new requirements in today's manufacturing environment. Especially in manual manufacturing processes, these requirements are characterized by high-cost pressure, increasing variant diversity and required lot size. In contrast to full-automation settings with industrial robots, human-robot collaboration offers the potential to design adaptable hybrid solutions and generate individual levels of automation in rapidly changing production lines. The safety of the operator in collaborative robot applications is one of the key factors for facilitating their use in industrial practice. This paper addresses this issue and presents a solution for safe human-robot collaboration using a top-view RGB-D camera system that continuously monitors the shared workspace. Based on the detection of visual markers and human hand tracking, different safety strategies according to DIN ISO/TS 15066 are implemented and successively compared in a paradigmatic assembly scenario as a part of a user study with 12 test persons. The utilized safety strategies include safety-rated monitored stop, speed and separation monitoring, and active contact prevention. Compared to the incorporated safety features of collaborative robots, the results show that the acceptance and fluency of collaborative robot applications improves, but the execution time increases at the same time.

Engineering peptide-modified alginate-based bioinks with cell-adhesive properties for biofabrication.

Alginate (ALG) and its oxidised form alginate-dialdehyde (ADA) are highly attractive materials for hydrogels used in 3D bioprinting as well as drop-on-demand (DoD) approaches. However, both polymers need to be modified using cell-adhesive peptide sequences, to obtain bioinks exhibiting promising cell-material interactions. Our study explores the modification of ALG- and ADA-based bioinks with the adhesive peptides YIGSR (derived from laminin), RRETEWA (derived from fibronectin) and IKVAV (derived from laminin) for 3D bioprinting. Two coupling methods, carbodiimide and Schiff base reactions, were employed to modify the polymers with peptides. Analytical techniques, including FTIR and NMR were used to assess the chemical composition, revealing challenges in confirming the presence of peptides. The modified bioinks exhibited decreased stability, viscosity, and stiffness, particularly-ADA-based bioinks in contrast to ALG. Sterile hydrogel capsules or droplets were produced using a manual manufacturing process and DoD printing. NIH/3T3 cell spreading analysis showed enhanced cell spreading in carbodiimide-modified ADA, Schiff base-modified ADA, and PEG-Mal-modified ADA. The carbodiimide coupling of peptides worked for ADA, however the same was not observed for ALG. Finally, a novel mixture of all used peptides was evaluated regarding synergistic effects on cell spreading which was found to be effective, showing higher aspect ratios compared to the single peptide coupled hydrogels in all cases. The study suggests potential applications of these modified bioinks in 3D bioprinting approaches and highlights the importance of peptide selection as well as their combination for improved cell-material interactions.

Additive manufacturing of steel components by cold spraying

AbstractDesign of steel structures in the construction industry uses built‐up or rolled steel sections. These are processed as steel elements and connected together at joints. Massive and complex steel nodes such as those in steel frame bridges or truss structures are still manufactured by forging or casting to avoid weld seams in highly stressed areas. Since this is a manual manufacturing process, it results in increased costs and time. Cold spray (CS) technology has recently attracted attention in aerospace and automotive engineering for producing metallic, composite coatings as well as repairing the surface damage of components in service. Additive manufacturing by cold spraying can offer significant advantages with respect to other additive manufacturing methods due to higher material deposition rates (up to 14 kg/h), lower energy consumption, and deposition in solid state. So far cold spraying has not been used for 3D‐printing of typical steel constructions.In the preliminary test campaign, structural steel‐powder was investigated to evaluate their suitability for cold spraying in civil engineering applications. Simple flat specimens were used, and a range of metallographic and mechanical tests were conducted to determine the properties of the deposited coupons, such as the coating quality, layer thickness, the degree of porosity, micro‐hardness, and micro flat tensile test. This paper presents the results of the powder characterisation and the preliminary tests on the printed specimens.

Robot forming: Automated English wheel as an avenue for flexibility and repeatability

The English wheel is a highly flexible traditional metalworking tool. Currently, English wheeling is a manual manufacturing process that allows skilled craftsmen/smiths to form compound curves. The geometric accuracy and repeatability of the forming pieces are heavily influenced by human factors. Consequently, its applications in modern production industries are limited due to its mechanism. This paper presents the application of a single-robot automation system in the English wheeling process (i.e., robot forming). The automation system reads simulation-based toolpaths or camera-tracked trajectories, autonomously computes the end-effector trajectory and ensures efficient robotic end-effector motion planning by avoiding workspace constraints in operation setup. The automation system hardware (UR5e robotic arm) setup and software program structures developed are demonstrated. Experiments are conducted to compare the automation system performance against human performance when following the same toolpath data. It is found that the automation system is compatible with various types of trajectory data and the system effectively enhances the accuracy and repeatability of toolpath executions.

Intentionally Light-Loss Carbon-Optic Fiber (COF) Twisted Sensor for Calf Strength Sensing via Monitoring Vastus Medialis

Flexible sensing exhibits application scenarios in the measurement of muscle deformation and wearable robots. Muscle deformation during exercise is multi-directional, therefore one of the essential challenges is capturing muscle deformation in multiple directions. In this study, we proposed a wearable sensor of twisted carbon fiber and optical fiber (Polymethyl Methacrylate, PMMA) embedded in the fabric, and by converting the light intensity loss to voltage loss, the sensor has the capability to detect muscle activation during movement. The sensor mainly consists of an LED, a photodiode to provide and convert light to a voltage signal, a twisted carbon-optic fiber structure to ensure bending without elongation during deformation under force, and an amplification filter circuit to modulate the signal. A commercial tension sensor was used to verify the relationship between the activation of the vastus medialis and force during calf flexion and extension. Three subjects were employed to complete the experiment, and a correlation coefficient of 0.99 was obtained as well as an experimental average correlation coefficient with a standard deviation of around 0.01. Although influences of the manual manufacturing process are apparent, as well as individual reasons of different subjects, the experimental results suggested that the presented COF sensor can be effectively applied in finding the relationship between vastus medialis activation with tension in calf flexion and extension. We also indicate that the sensor is not sensitive to differences between the right and left legs. This work paves a new way for the design of sensing systems <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">e.g</i> . prostheses and exoskeletons.

Multicriteria task classification in human-robot collaborative assembly through fuzzy inference

AbstractThe advent of new technologies and their implementation in manufacturing is accelerating the progress of Industry 4.0 (I4.0). Among the enabling technologies of I4.0, collaborative robots (cobots) push factory reconfiguration and prompt for worker empowerment by exploiting the respective assets of both humans and robots. Indeed, human has superior dexterity, flexibility, problem-solving ability. Robot excels in strength, endurance, accuracy and is expendable for risky activities. Therefore, task assignment problem in a production line with coexisting humans and robots cannot limit to the workload balancing among workers but should make the most of everyone respective abilities. The outcomes should not be only an increased productivity, but also improved production quality, human safety and well-being. Task assignment strategy should rely on a comprehensive assessment of the tasks from the viewpoint of suitability to humans or robots. As there are several conflicting evaluation criteria, often qualitative, the study defines the set of criteria, their metrics and proposes a method for task classification relying on Fuzzy Inference System to map each task onto a set of collaboration classes. The outcome of the study is the formal description of a set of evaluation criteria with their metrics. Another outcome is a Fuzzy Classification procedure that support production managers to properly consider all the criteria in the assignment of the tasks. The proposed methodology was tested on a case study derived from a manual manufacturing process to demonstrate its application during the process planning.

Design and experimental study of a rotational piezoelectric energy harvester

This article presents the characterization of an rotational generator with ceramic piezoelectric transducers, applied to energy harvesting. The physical structure developed, presents flexibility in relation to the number of beams, piezoelectric elements and coupling of generator modules, and keeps the piezoelectric transducers without direct contact with extern environment, which allows the device adaptation for practical applications. The prototype developed has two generator modules, totaling four beams with two piezoelectric transducers PZT C-64 each, and it worked for approximately 670 hours, without waste signs. An experimental configuration was developed to analyze the behavior of the proposed generator, with the generator being driven by a motor coupled to its axis with a rotation speed of 1 Hz to 35 Hz. The signals generated by the beans were connected to variable resistors, obtaining different power values in each one of the blades, justified by the manual manufacturing process. The results showed that the suggested harvester has high durability and the potential to power wireless sensors that are integrated into rotating machines.

Stretchable Optical Waveguide Sensor Capable of Two-Degree-of-Freedom Strain Sensing Mediated by a Semidivided Optical Core

With the rising demand for flexible strain sensors for soft robots, optical sensing solutions have been proven to be electrically safe, stable, and precise. This study presents a highly stretchable optical waveguide sensor that extends existing solutions to two degrees of freedom while maintaining low manufacturing complexity and part count. Through casting in a 3D-printed mold, a polymer waveguide is manufactured, featuring a semidivided core cross section. The light from a near-infrared LED light source is guided to two phototransistors connected to each chamber. The connection between both core chambers makes the power throughput amplitude and ratio at the two outputs dependent on the strain amplitude as well as its location or direction. The proposed waveguide is experimentally compared with single and dual core designs in four different strain modes, to sense elongation, local deformation amplitude and position across length, twisting angle and direction, as well as bending amplitude and direction in a soft finger. While influences of the manual manufacturing process are apparent, the results verify that the presented waveguide sensor can be effectively applied in these four strain scenarios. We also demonstrate that information about superimposed strain states can be obtained from the time signal.

Robot-Based Automation for Upper and Sole Manufacturing in Shoe Production

(1) Background: Conventional shoe manufacturing involves many processes that most workers avoid because of loud noises and harmful environments. Therefore, a robot-based shoe manufacturing system is needed to implement an automated process. (2) Aim: We propose a new robot-based shoe manufacturing automation system that includes an automatic robotic solution for replacing the manual manufacturing processes of the upper and sole. (3) Methods: For the upper manufacturing process, a new trajectory acquisition system with a digitizer and a shoe last turning device is proposed. A method to plan the robot’s tool path for roughing and cementing by industrial robot manipulators is also presented. For the sole manufacturing process, we adopted an industrial robot manipulator with a 3-D scanning system and a cementing tool. A trajectory generation algorithm for cementing the outer and inner sides of the sole by transforming 3-D information of the sole into a 6-D posture for the robot is proposed. (4) Results: All developed systems and proposed algorithms are applied to an automated production testbed, and their performances are experimentally verified. (5) Conclusions: The proposed system and methods can be applied for upper and sole manufacturing processes according to evaluation experiments in a demonstrative production line.

Rancang Bangun Mesin Pembuat Pellet Berbais Internet Of Things (IOT) Untuk Mengotomatisasi Produksi Pakan

This study aims to build an Internet Of Things (IOT)-based pelletizing machine to automate the production of poultry feed, in order to save time and save costs with the machine. In this study, farmers still buy pur/pellets so that feed on ducks is more expensive than making their own, while with Pagar Alam conditions which have agriculture such as rice fields and extensive plantations there are many materials that can be processed such as bran, milled corn, fish meal and Tofu pulp is very good for duck feed, therefore it is necessary to make a poultry feed making machine. In making duck feed, you can use the Internet of Things (IOT), the advantage of using the Internet of Things (IOT) is to simplify and speed up operations. The mixer is used as a mixer for the dough ingredients and a mill for the dough maker, the water pump acts as a driver, the relay functions as a breaker and an electric current connector, the NodeMCU ESP8266 is programmed to disconnect and connect the electric current, using the blynk application. In this study using the Raqid Application Development (RAD) development method using Expert Review testing to test the validity. To obtain data in this study, data collection techniques were carried out including observation, interviews, literature studies and questionnaires. The results of this study resulted in the automation of poultry feed production so as to save time and save costs using an Internet Of Things (IOT)-based pellet making machine. Comparison of the manual mixing and manufacturing process with the automation of poultry feed production, which is 1 kg, it takes 6.40 minutes, while the automation only takes 2 minutes, can be seen in table 4.12. and test the validity of all very valid questions.

Process control measures in reaction to assembly adjustments in one-off production

The construction of large maritime structures requires the manufacture of higher order assemblies. A large number of components with different machining processes and different production sequences make it difficult to coordinate the overall process. In addition, high and long-lasting customer influence and continuous iteration loops mean that product adjustments are made repeatedly. Furthermore, the mostly manual manufacturing processes are difficult to calculate due to the uniqueness of many products in the maritime sector. Insufficient orchestration of the processes disrupts the flow of materials. Especially the integration of modified components is associated with an increased control effort. Longer waiting and throughput times are the result.In this article, the potential of optimized order release with a focus on constructively modified components is demonstrated with the help of comprehensive digitalization. In this context, the development of mechanisms for optimized scheduling plays an overriding role. In this respect, the special features of make-to-order production are the subject of the considerations. The characteristics allow specific control methods, but at the same time pose challenges for process design. Evaluations with regard to practical use provide information about the potential possibilities and the frequencies of taking action. The consequences of the action steps are also part of the present investigations.

Concept on using visual and tactile sensors for knowledge management in manual manufacturing processes

Demographic change and the digital transformation are megatrends of our time. This paper presents a concept of how to use elements of the digital transformation to transfer knowledge in order to cope with the demographic transitions especially in manufacturing SME. The concept combines visual and tactile sensors in order to determine hand movements. In order to recognize hand movement this paper will review different approaches of how to describe hand movement in manufacturing environments. In an outlook, the application of this concepts and challenges applying the concept in a prototype will be discussed.

Innovative robotization of manual manufacturing processes

Manufacturing industries are continually challenged to adapt to a competitive environment. Consequently, there is an urgency to opt for automation technologies to upgrade their manufacturing facilities and make them more flexible. Especially this relates to automating manual manufacturing processes, which is often challenging to structure to ensure repetitiveness and generalization to other processes within the facility. Consequently, innovating systematic approaches to identify robotization opportunities is an interesting proposition for manufacturing set-ups that would like to integrate collaborative robots on the shop floor and struggle with the decision steps to follow.In this paper, a framework for supporting robotization effort for manufacturing set-ups is proposed. The methodology consisting of five phases, culminating in the identification of robotization opportunities. A case for manual milling manufacturing processes is demonstrated as a ‘proof-of-concept’. The first step of the proposed approach focuses on task decomposition, in which manual manufacturing tasks are characterized. This is followed by task allocation to a robot and human agent based on intrinsic characteristics of the task to capabilities of the agent. Next, alternative layout configurations for candidate cell layouts are generated. In the final step, a candidate layout is selected and modeled in an agent-based simulation platform, considering factors such as realism, interaction safety between the robot and human agent, and interesting manufacturing metrics such as resource utilization and throughput rate. A final configuration is optimized, which visualizes a collaborative robot performs loading and unloading tasks alongside an operator performing highly cognitive tasks. For safety, zoning of the manufacturing cell is visualized, considering a working area separated by a safety fence.

Methodology for a reverse engineering process chain with focus on customized segmentation and iterative closest point algorithms

One-off construction is characterized by a multiplicity of manual manufacturing processes whereby it is based on consistent use of digital models. Since the actual state of construction does not match the digital models without manually updating them, the authors propose a method to automatically detect deviations and reposition the model data according to reality. The first essential method is based on the “Segmentation of Unorganized Points and Recognition of Simple Algebraic Surfaces” presented by Marek Vanco (2003). The second method is the customization of the iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm. The authors present the overall structure of the implemented software, based on open source and relate it to the general reverse engineering (RE) framework by Buonamici et al. (2017).A highlight will be given on.•The general architecture of the software prototype.•A customized segmentation and clustering of unorganized points and recognition of simple algebraic surfaces.•The deviation analysis with a customized iterative closest point (CICP) algorithm.Especially in the field of one-off construction, characterized by small and medium companies, automated assessment of 3D scan data during the design process is still in its infancy. By using an open source environment progress for consistent use of digital models could be accelerated.

Design and Analysis of Automatic Pipe Feeding and Cutting Machine

The main objective of this paper is to design & analysis of an automatic operated pipe cutting machine. Engineers are developing refined machines and modern techniques are employed for economical manufacturing of products. At the same time, we should care about its quality and accuracy. In the era of automation, machines become an intrinsic part of human being. By the use of automation, machine gives great production rate than manual manufacturing process. In today’s competitive market automation has powerfully entered in the industrial manufacturing process in order to increase the production rate and to reduce the process time without conceding with the accuracy of the product. Automatic pipe cutting machine is designed for industries to fragments metals pipes, rods or cylinders of accurate dimensions with high accuracy in less time. oil is used as a working fluid which is pumped with high pressure through pump to perform the mechanical work with the use of proper mechanism. Operator can easily operate Automatic pipe cutting machine. The running and maintenance rate of this machine is very cost-effective.

Assessment of occupational exposure to fine particulate matter in dental prosthesis laboratories in Kocaeli, Turkey.

Dental prosthesis laboratories (DPLs) are among the workplaces where predominantly manual production takes place. In such working environments, during the manual manufacturing process, which involves fine smoothing and polishing of dental prostheses, fine particulate matter is released into the ambient air. In this study, the particulate matter (PM) concentrations and elemental content of the fine particles in the working ambient air were identified in six DPLs in Kocaeli, Turkey. PM2.5 mass concentrations, measured in all the DPLs, ranged between 80.8 and 1645 μg/m3 (mean 414 ± 406). As a result of the analyses performed with an ICP-MS device (Perkin Elmer Elan®DRC-e), trace elements of Be, Cd, Hg, and, notably, Co, Cr, Mo, and Ni were found. The researchers calculated the excess lifetime cancer risks and total hazard indexes. The average total cancer risk for all the DPLs was 8 × 10-3, which is higher than the acceptable limit of 1.0 × 10-6, and the total hazard index was 187, which is greater than the acceptable limit of 1.0. Considering these high-level risks, the study concluded that there is a need for new production methods, and strict application of occupational health and safety measures, to reduce the fine particle exposure of the workers in the laboratories. In addition, there are prescribed limit values for particulate matter only for respirable particles in working environments. The establishment of limit values, especially for PM2.5 concentrations, is important for the protection of the health of the employees.