Manufacturing Effort Research Articles

Manufacture and use of cutting inserts made of different glass ceramics

The most commonly used materials for cutting tools worldwide are carbide-based. Its production requires the increasingly scarce metals tungsten and cobalt, the latter is often obtained under ethically questionable circumstances. In addition, a lot of manufacturing effort along the process chain is required to produce the final tool. The intensive manufacturing efforts are what carbide-based tools have in common with other important cutting materials such as cubic boron nitride, ceramics, or synthetic diamond. For this reason, efforts are underway to expand the range of cutting materials beyond current options such as e.g. cemented carbides, high-speed steel, or cubic boron nitride. This work shows that, in principle, glass ceramics can also be included in the investigations. The glass ceramic materials examined here can be ground into indexable inserts and have been successfully used in the machining of polyether ether ketone and aluminum EN AW 2007. These first results are intended to pave the way for further research in this area.

Intelligent robotic control system based on computer vision technology

Computer vision is a kind of simulation of biological vision using computers and related equipment. It is an important part of the field of artificial intelligence. Its research goal is to make computers have the ability to recognize three-dimensional environmental information through two-dimensional images. Computer vision is based on image processing technology, signal processing technology, probability statistical analysis, computational geometry, neural network, machine learning theory and computer information processing technology, through computer analysis and processing of visual information.The article explores the intersection of computer vision technology and robotic control, highlighting its importance in various fields such as industrial automation, healthcare, and environmental protection. Computer vision technology, which simulates human visual observation, plays a crucial role in enabling robots to perceive and understand their surroundings, leading to advancements in tasks like autonomous navigation, object recognition, and waste management. By integrating computer vision with robot control, robots gain the ability to interact intelligently with their environment, improving efficiency, quality, and environmental sustainability. The article also discusses methodologies for developing intelligent garbage sorting robots, emphasizing the application of computer vision image recognition, feature extraction, and reinforcement learning techniques. Overall, the integration of computer vision technology with robot control holds promise for enhancing human-computer interaction, intelligent manufacturing, and environmental protection efforts.

Exploring the effects of structure and melting on sweetness in additively manufactured chocolate

In view of the health concerns associated with high sugar intake, this study investigates methods to enhance sweetness perception in chocolate without increasing its sugar content. Using additive manufacturing, chocolate structures were created from masses with varying sugar and fat compositions, where hazelnut oil served as a partial cocoa butter replacement. The study found that while variations in sugar content minimally affected the physical properties of the chocolate masses, hazelnut oil significantly modified melting behavior and consumption time. Chocolate masses with higher hazelnut oil content but similar sugar content exhibited a 24% increase in sweetness perception, likely due to accelerated tastant (i.e., sucrose) release into saliva. Multiphase structures, designated as layered, cube-in-cube, and sandwich structures, exhibited less sensory differences compared to the homogeneous control. Nonetheless, structures with hazelnut oil-rich outer layers resulted in an 11% increase in sweetness perception, even without sugar gradients. This suggests that tastant release plays a more critical role than structural complexity in modifying sweetness perception. This research highlights the efficacy of simpler multiphase structures, such as sandwich designs, which offer sensory enhancements comparable to those of more complex designs but with reduced manufacturing effort, thus providing viable options for industrial-scale production.

Investigations of Al-Manufacturing while 7075/RHA/Al2O3 Composite by Squeeze Casting Approach"

The superior performance. metal matrix nano-composite substance containing agro-waste reinforcements is the subject of this study's manufacturing and characterization efforts. Composites made using aluminum 7075 as their basis substance with reinforced with rice husk ash (RHA) and Al2O3 are very desirable. The revolutionary composite was made using squeeze casting as the fabrication technique. The overall size % of ash from rice husks on its metal interface was adjusted from 0% to 15% with a constant increase of 5%, while the Al2O3 percentage was set at 3. Many qualities, including hardness, toughness, tensile strength, XRD analysis, XDS analysis, Surface Morphology and wear, define the manufactured composite. According to the findings, the produced cost-effective composite outperforms the raw material in terms of hardness, toughness, and tensile strength.

Bubble and Dissolved Gas Distribution in Flow through Membraneless Water Electrolysis

Membraneless water electrolysis devices offer an alternative method for hydrogen production without the use of a membrane separator used in traditional alkaline (porous diaphragm) or PEM water electrolysis (polymer electrolyte membrane). This could offer lower capital cost devices (only requiring two electrodes and a cell body) with simple and scalable manufacturing. It could also result in lower operating costs if highly conductive liquid electrolytes are used. Membraneless devices come in a variety of forms including parallel plate, diverging flow through and buoyancy driven devices to name a few. However, the key concept between them is using fluid forces in the bulk electrolyte (controlled by device or porous electrode structure) to remove bubbles from the electrode surfaces and attempt to reduce cross-over of dissolved hydrogen and oxygen, as well as their two-phase flow [1]. Since there is no separator or membrane to restrict transport between the anode and cathode the fluid convection with laminar flows must be used to guide the products to the separate outlets with minimal cross-over and to minimise bubble accumulation on the electrode surfaces. Bubbles on the electrodes increase the activation overpotential by reducing the active electrochemical surface area and decrease the effective conductivity of the flowing electrolyte by inducing tortuous pathways in the electrode gap. In this study, we look at the single-phase and two-phase flow response of flow through membraneless electrolyser by coupling secondary current distribution (which includes the effects of ionic and activation overpotentials) with the volume of fluid method in OpenFOAM. The effects of increasing the length of the device and the electrolyte flow rate on the product cross-over and the dynamic potential of the devices are evaluated to give guidelines for process scale up from 1 to 10 cm. Furthermore, the effect of device porous electrode microstructure on the current density distribution and bubble accumulation is evaluated using custom microstructure reconstruction algorithms built into PMG 1.6 [2]. It was found that there is a balance in flow rate required for uniform flow over the electrodes which depends on the device length and the porous electrode properties. Ordered, graded or unstructured electrodes have different electrochemical performance, and this study highlights some electrode designs that could improve if future manufacturing efforts are increased. Depending on the current density distribution, dissolved gas accumulation and the wettability conditions of the porous electrodes, bubbles may emerge in the electrode gap.Figure 1 - Effect of the hydrogen and oxygen bubble accumulation (yellow) on the ionic current density distribution in a flow through membraneless water electrolyser

A network-of-networks adaptation for cross-industry manufacturing repurposing

During a crisis, manufacturing processes in supply chains of different industries may network with each other as an adaptation response. We propose and examine a “network-of-networks” mechanism of such a cross-industry adaptation to learn about the value of reducing uncertainty through collaborative crisis preparedness and response during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study allows revelation of the underlying trade-offs between the manufacturing capacity conversion time and effort required to adapt and the gains from collaborative preparedness to uncertainty. Through a real-life data-based analysis with the help of mathematical optimization, we connect the networks-of-networks coordination design and the outcomes of scenario modeling demonstrating a superiority of the coordinated capacity repurposing when compared to ad-hoc adaptation. We conclude that an appropriate collaboration of governmental agencies, healthcare, and industry is crucial for a prompt capacity conversion to healthcare production in a pandemic. Concrete implementation ways are visibility, healthcare inventory monitoring, technology backup plans, and repurposing contingency plans at the preparedness stage. At the response stage, a correct adaptation start time determines success. The results obtained can be instructive to develop technological and managerial plans for a cross-industry adaptation. The proposed “network-of-networks” perspective contributes to theory of supply chain viability and adaptation under disruptions using intertwined supply networks.

Novel Approaches in Detail Design of Composite Structures: Case Studies

The detail design plays a vital role in the development of composite structures by exploiting the ability of composites for integral construction through cocuring technology. Detail design takes into account the requirements from stress, tooling, manufacturing and assembly to conceive the component. This paper addresses two case studies, wherein, the detail design of components in the wing of a transport aircraft was carried out using integral construction. The design was compared with the existing design on a prototype aircraft. The ingenuity of configuration led to several benefits associated with cocuring. In the first case, the wing tip structure was designed with fewer parts co-cured with reduced weight and part count thereby amounting to lesser tooling and manufacturing effort. In the other case, the flap track rib was designed by integrating two I-section ribs into one composite rib which led to increased stiffness and smooth diffusion of flap track loads into wing structure.

Investigation of permanent magnet synchronous machines with buried magnets and carbon fiber sleeve for automotive application

Due to the limited space available in vehicles, traction drives with high torque densities are a key objective of machine design in the automotive sector. In order to be able to dispense with a multispeed transmission and still achieve high vehicle end speeds, there is also the design objective of a high motor speed. Therefore, permanent magnet synchronous machines with buried magnets are preferred. In the following, a rotor concept is presented as a combination of buried rotor magnets and a carbon fiber sleeve in order to eliminate the radial and tangential rotor iron ribs. The resulting reduction in magnetic flux leakage, in combination with high mechanical strength, leads to an increased magnet utilization for the air-gap field and, thus, allows for a high torque density as well as high maximum speed. A disadvantage, however, is the increased manufacturing effort required for the production and assembly of the carbon fiber sleeve.

Non-destructive classification of unlabeled cells: Combining an automated benchtop magnetic resonance scanner and artificial intelligence.

In order to treat degenerative diseases, the importance of advanced therapy medicinal products has increased in recent years. The newly developed treatment strategies require a rethinking of the appropriate analytical methods. Current standards are missing the complete and sterile analysis of the product of interest to make the drug manufacturing effort worthwhile. They only consider partial areas of the sample or product while also irreversibly damaging the investigated specimen. Two-dimensional T1 / T2 MR relaxometry meets these requirements and is therefore a promising in-process control during the manufacturing and classification process of cell-based treatments. In this study a tabletop MR scanner was used to perform two-dimensional MR relaxometry. Throughput was increased by developing an automation platform based on a low-cost robotic arm, resulting in the acquisition of a large dataset of cell-based measurements. Two-dimensional inverse Laplace transformation was used for post-processing, followed by data classification performed with support vector machines (SVM) as well as optimized artificial neural networks (ANN). The trained networks were able to distinguish non-differentiated from differentiated MSCs with a prediction accuracy of 85%. To increase versatility, an ANN was trained on 354 independent, biological replicates distributed across ten different cell lines, resulting in a prediction accuracy of up to 98% depending on data composition. The present study provides a proof of principle for the application of T1 / T2 relaxometry as a non-destructive cell classification method. It does not require labeling of cells and can perform whole mount analysis of each sample. Since all measurements can be performed under sterile conditions, it can be used as an in-process control for cellular differentiation. This distinguishes it from other characterization techniques, as most are destructive or require some type of cell labeling. These advantages highlight the technique's potential for preclinical screening of patient-specific cell-based transplants and drugs.

Method for the design of additively manufactured inner channels intended for adhesive application

Joining of metal parts manufactured by laser beam powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) eliminates the inherent size restriction of this additive manufacturing process and reduces the manufacturing effort. Adhesive bonding presents great potential for joining of PBF-LB/M parts, as there are no constraints on the shape of the connecting surfaces, as long as the adhesive can be applied. The freedom of design underlying the PBF-LB/M process enables the construction of inner channels in the parts, which can facilitate the adhesive application. The adhesive can be injected into a single inlet on the exterior of a part and directed through inner channels before leaking from multiple outlets into the adhesive fill gap between the pre-aligned adherents. To avoid insufficient adhesive distribution and air inclusions in the adhesive fill gap, both of which reduce the bond strength, a methodical approach for the design of inner channels intended for adhesive application by injection is required. This work provides a corresponding design method based on the theory of fluid mechanics. Moreover, an example case of a PBF-LB/M sleeve to be joined to a circular tube is presented. Results from a CFD analysis show that the inner channels designed using the presented method lead to excellent coverage of the adhesive fill gap with adhesive and minimal air inclusions.

Part I: Significant reduction of lyophilization process times by using novel matrix based scaffolds

To improve the long-term stability of drugs with limited stability (e.g., biologicals such as monoclonal antibodies, antibody drug conjugates or peptides), some pharmaceuticals endure a lengthy and cost-intensive process called lyophilization. While the shelf life of lyophilized drugs may be prolonged compared to their liquid form, the drawbacks come in the form of intensified manufacturing, preparation, and dosing efforts. The use of glass vials as the primary container unit for lyophilized products hinders their complication-free, fast and flexible use, as they require a skilled healthcare professional and an aseptic environment in which to prepare them. The feasibility of substituting glass vials with novel container designs offering the complete transfer of the lyophilizate cake into modern administration devices, while reducing the economic footprint of the lyophilization process, was investigated. The lyophilization process of a monoclonal antibody solution was studied by assessing primary drying conditions, homogeneity of the drying process, and critical quality attributes after successful lyophilization. The creation of novel container designs utilized vacuum-forming to generate confined containers with removable bottoms and rapid prototyping, including subtractive and additive manufacturing methods, to generate porous 3D structures for drug housing. The novel container designs generated lyophilizates twice as fast and achieved a threefold faster reconstitution compared to their vial counterparts, without adaptation of the processing conditions. We conclude that the use of intermediate process containers offers significant relief for healthcare professionals in terms of reduced probability of handling errors, while drug manufacturers benefit from the accelerated processing times, increased batch homogeneity, and sustainability.

Application of Design for Manufacturing Technique to Lubricating Oil Pump Body for Reduction of Its Machining Time

Design, manufacturing (production) & quality are linked to each other. Design has large impact on manufacturing ease & time along with the quality of product. Hence design need to be modified taking into consideration the manufacturing aspect. In this work, a lubricating oil pump body is studied from manufacturing point of view. The operations requiring more processing time were identified. An effort is made to change the design of the lubricating oil pump body to reduce the manufacturing time & efforts. Use of finite element method-based software ANSYS is done to determine the stresses during the machining with reference to the present design. The lubricating oil pump body is redesigned from manufacturing point of view keeping the end product as it is, to avoid the modifications of the other components in assembly. The machining parameters are predicted for this new design. At last, comparison of the machining parameters for existing & proposed design is done. There seems to be overall improvement in processing time.

A review on additive manufacturing of refractory tungsten and tungsten alloys

We review the progress of additive manufacturing effort on refractory metal tungsten and tungsten alloys. These materials are excellent candidates for a variety of high temperature applications but extremely challenging to fabricate via additive manufacturing due to a series of existing issues during the manufacturing. We outline these issues and discuss the current understanding and progress to tackle them. Laser powder-bed-fusion, laser directed-energy-deposition, and electron beam powder-bed-fusion are three common techniques that have been applied to additively manufacture pure tungsten. This overview discusses current observations and understanding on the issues associated with each of these techniques. We identify future research opportunities in additive manufacturing of refractory metals.

A Review on Magnet Loss Analysis, Validation, Design Considerations, and Reduction Strategies in Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors

Eddy current losses in magnets are a major consideration in the rotor design of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). Stator design choices and the use of modern inverters with high switching frequency introduce harmonics that can contribute to significant losses in the magnets, causing the rotor to heat up. In typical PMSMs, the lack of rotor cooling can cause the magnet’s performance to degrade at high temperatures and eventually demagnetize. This review examines a large number of studies analyzing magnet eddy current losses using analytical methods and finite-element analysis. In some of these studies, magnet segmentation is carried out to reduce the losses; however, their loss-reduction effects depend highly on the type of PMSM and the mix of stator harmonics. Magnet segmentation without considering these effects can, in fact, increase the magnet losses, in addition to the extra manufacturing efforts. Multiple design analysis show the influence of rotor–stator geometric features on magnet losses. Although measuring magnet eddy current losses for these motor designs is a tedious task, authors have proposed calorimetric and loss segregation-based techniques to provide validation. This paper addresses magnet loss modeling techniques, PM material considerations, magnet segmentation effectiveness, motor and stator design effects, and experimental validation to inform motor designers about the costs and benefits of rotor designs that minimize rotor losses.

Collaborating product development and maintenance service: quality incentive with inspection and warranty strategies

ABSTRACT Service-oriented manufacturing has been a prevalent trend in integrating product collaborative development with maintenance service, whereas the final products are frequently trapped into severe quality defects lacking appropriate contracting incentives. This paper establishes a tractable framework investigating the alignment of inspection and warranty strategies to manage product quality throughout the R&D, manufacturing and usage processes. Specifically, the manufacturing effort is motivated by a cost-sharing contract provided by the researcher, who performs quality inspection upon receiving the final product. Subsequent maintenance service is predesignated for warranty period coverage that the cost is partially claimed for compensation from the manufacturer. Under both breakdown and preventive maintenance strategies, we elaborate and compare the optimal incentive intensities solving the equilibrium effort decisions and inspection accuracy. The results suggest that both R&D and manufacturing effort levels under preventive maintenance are slightly higher than that under breakdown maintenance scenario, while inspection accuracy contradicts conversely. The breakdown maintenance strategy is associated with a lower proportion of warranty costs borne by the manufacturer. For a sufficient long warranty period, the researcher is better off to conduct preventive maintenance periodically. Our study contributes to providing explicit implications to manage product development quality with adequate inspection and warranty strategies.

Genetically detoxified tetanus toxin as a vaccine and conjugate carrier protein

Tetanus toxoid (TTxd), developed over 100 years ago, is a clinically effective, legacy vaccine against tetanus. Due to the extreme potency of native tetanus toxin, manufacturing and regulatory efforts often focus on TTxd production, standardization, and safety, rather than product modernization. Recently, a genetically detoxified, full-length tetanus toxin protein (8MTT) was reported as a tetanus vaccine alternative to TTxd (Przedpelski et al. mBio, 2020). Here we describe the production of 8MTT in Gor/MetTM E. coli, a strain engineered to have an oxidative cytoplasm, allowing for the expression of soluble, disulfide-bonded proteins. The strain was also designed to efficiently cleave N-terminal methionine, the obligatory start amino acid for E. coli expressed proteins. 8MTT was purified as a soluble protein from the cytoplasm in a two-column protocol to > 99 % purity, yielding 0.5 g of purified 8MTT/liter of fermentation broth with low endotoxin contamination, and antigenic purity of 3500 Lf/mg protein nitrogen. Mouse immunizations showed 8MTT to be an immunogenic vaccine and effective as a carrier protein for peptide and polysaccharide conjugates. These studies validate 8MTT as commercially viable and, unlike the heterogenous tetanus toxoid, a uniform carrier protein for conjugate vaccines. The development of a recombinant, genetically detoxified toxin produced in E. coli aligns the tetanus vaccine with modern manufacturing, regulatory, standardization, and safety requirements.

Hybrid manufacturing: influence of material properties during micro milling of different additively manufactured AISI 316L

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of components with a high degree of individualization at constant manufacturing effort, which is why additive manufacturing is increasingly applied in industrial processes. However, additively produced surfaces do not meet the requirements for functional surfaces, which is why subsequent machining is mandatory for most of AM-workpieces. Further, the performance of many functional surfaces can be enhanced by microstructuring. The combination of both AM and subtractive processes is referred to as hybrid manufacturing. In this paper, the hybrid manufacturing of AISI 316L is investigated. The two AM technologies laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) and high-speed laser directed energy deposition (HS L-DED) are used to produce workpieces which are subsequently machined by micro milling (tool diameter d = 100 µm). The machining results were evaluated based on tool wear, burr formation, process forces and the generated topography. Those indicated differences in the machinability of materials produced by L-PBF and HS L-DED which were attributed to different microstructural properties.

An AI-Based Approach to Optimize Stress in Shrink Fits

AbstractThe present analytical design of shrink fits typically results in an uneven stress condition that can lead to failure in a variety of manners. With increasing loads and the use of brittle materials, the optimization of the stresses in the shrink fit hence becomes increasingly necessary. Currently existing approaches do not solve the problem satisfactorily or increase the manufacturing and design effort. This paper therefore considers the implementation of an AI-based stress optimization using reinforcement learning, which performs stress optimization by geometrically contouring the interstice.

Disclosure by Design

AbstractThis essay revisits the saga of Cold War era stealth development programs—classified but curiously public efforts to build airplanes that eluded radar detection—to explore how leaks work and the work leaks do when designing complex technical systems. Stealth programs are aging examples of an increasingly visible phenomenon: disclosures about large, closely guarded design, manufacturing, and administrative efforts before their official unveiling. Rather than simply policing the boundary between the secret and the public, in “big” design, in collective efforts to produce knowledge and things at scale, the article argues that leaks have a more subtle purpose: they help govern the uncertain terrain between knowing and knowing enough.

Impact Behavior of High-Strength Engineered Cementitious Composite and Concrete Layered Slabs

High strength Engineered Cementitious Composite (HS-ECC) is a promising material to be used in protective structures. Due to its high manufacturing efforts and cost compared to conventional concrete, nonlinear finite element (FE) simulation is performed to study the influence of replacing HS-ECC layers with concrete under drop weight impact load. Both materials are simulated using the MAT_72R3 material model impeded in LS-DYNA and verified with experimental results. Several FE slab models were developed to compare the impact responses of different configurations. This study as a whole will provide a guideline for researchers to carry out a performance and cost optimization for protective structure elements.