Numerous Manufacturing Research Articles

Predictive maintenance: strategic use of IT in manufacturing organizations

A combination of big data and predictive analytics orchestrated through the Internet of Things (IoT) offers many opportunities for researchers in Information Systems, Operations Management and Strategy to look at old problems in new ways, and to identify completely new research areas. While there is much hype, little research has been conducted that informs companies about how to profitably integrate the IoT with strategic or operational processes. This paper views the IoT through the lens of predictive maintenance -- the use of real-time data and predictive analytics algorithms to dynamically manage preventive maintenance policies. These are being used by numerous manufacturing organizations to transition from product-oriented to service-oriented business models. In particular, we analyze optimal preventive maintenance policies in an environment where equipment is subject to a deterioration, which shifts it from its initial, fully-productive state, having a specified, age-dependent failure rate to a less-productive or deteriorated state, having a different, presumably higher, age-dependent failure rate. The deterioration, itself, is a random process.

Generation-After-Next Power Electronics: Ultrawide-bandgap devices, high-temperature packaging, and magnetic nanocomposite materials

A new generation of power electronic conversion systems is being enabled by wide-bandgap (WBG) devices. Applications in both the civilian and defense sectors are already beginning to benefit from the improved size, weight, and power (SWaP) now being demonstrated in power converters utilizing silicon carbide (SiC) and/or gallium nitride (GaN) switches, and numerous manufacturers are offering various types of switching devices fabricated from these two WBG semiconductors.

Building brand equity through industrial tourism

Abstract As a consequence of rising operating and labor costs, numerous manufacturing companies in Taiwan have been closed or relocated overseas during the last two decades. Since 2003, Taiwan's government has advocated for the transformation of traditional factories into tourism-oriented facilities to increase the brand strength of the companies. As a result, industrial tourism has been boosted and many manufacturers in Taiwan are keen on establishing tourism factories; however, the association, if any, between offering industrial tourism and building a strong brand equity remains relatively unexplored. Thus, the present study sought to examine customers' perceptions of the value of a branded tourism factory through the concept of brand equity. More specifically, it was hypothesized that brand equity, which is composed of brand awareness, brand associations, and perceived quality, contributes to brand loyalty. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in different phases of this study, including 1) questionnaires to identify industrial tourism factories with high brand awareness among consumers; 2) open-ended interviews regarding visitors' touring experiences to develop further questionnaires; and 3) questionnaires distributed to three food-oriented firms with similar levels of brand awareness. Analysis of the data from 312 valid questionnaires revealed that brand associations and perceived quality both positively and significantly predict brand loyalty. The results suggest that companies engaging in industrial tourism should focus on offering tourists interactive experiences to enhance brand associations and on ensuring a transparent operations process during tours to emphasize the high quality of whatever is being produced, thereby contributing to enhance brand loyalty.

Study of the cohesion of carbon fiber yarns: in-plane shear behavior

Cohesion of the fibers network is a key element in numerous manufacturing processes of textile structures and composite parts, because it significantly affects the implementability and the obtained result. However, cohesion remains at the moment an intuitive concept. This paper aims to deal with this concept, first proposing a first interpretation of yarn cohesion. Thanks to this definition, the in-plane shear test is proposed to characterize and measure cohesion. Among many difficulties, it appears to be an interesting way to analyze the cohesion of yarns extracted from 7 different batches and to establish the link between cohesion and implementation in manufacturing processes of Herakles which supports this study. In addition, the phenomenon responsible for the yarn cohesion are tackled and the influence of the yarn constitution is analyzed.

Through entrepreneurs’ eyes: the Fab-spaces constellation

Fabrication spaces (Fab-spaces) provide individuals with access to numerous manufacturing equipment (including additive manufacturing), to carry out different types of projects. Although scholars are starting to speculate about the importance of these new organisational forms and their potential for future distributed innovation and production ecologies, this phenomenon is still largely unexplored. Building on existing multidisciplinary research, this paper offers the first empirical analysis of existing fab-spaces as providers of knowledge and production competencies. Amongst all the possible perspectives to derive a framework, we choose that of fab-space users who have an entrepreneurial intention. After deriving an analytical framework to position fab-spaces in the current academic discourse, the paper develops a classification, which considers the competences available to entrepreneurs, via fab-spaces, in conjunction with how these competences are provided. The resulting map reveals the complementarities amongst the different fab-spaces. It also shows that the current portfolio of fab-spaces supports mainly the distribution of innovation across locations and social groups. Several types of fab-spaces are currently well placed to support the transition from innovation to manufacturing, but their geographical distribution and range of manufacturing capabilities are not yet enough to provide a fully distributed manufacturing model. This study has practical consequences for entrepreneurs, in the better identification of the appropriate fab-spaces for their needs, and for policy-makers, to help position the different types of fab-spaces as elements for national systems of innovation and production.

THE IMPORTANCE OF INSTRUMENT MAKERS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: THE CASE OF ALFRED BINET AT THE SORBONNE LABORATORY.

The importance of instrument firms in the development of psychology, and science in general, should not be underestimated since it would not have been possible for various leading psychologists at the turn of the twentieth century to conduct certain experiments without the assistance of instrument makers, as is often the case today. To illustrate the historical perspective introduced here, the example of Alfred Binet is taken, as he is an interesting case of a psychologist working in close collaboration with various French instrument designers of the time. The objective of this article is twofold: (1) to show the considerable activity carried out by early psychologists to finalize new laboratory instruments in order to develop their research projects; (2) to reassess the work of a major figure in French psychology through his activity as a designer of precision instruments. The development of these new instruments would certainly have been difficult without the presence in Paris of numerous precision instrument manufacturers such as Charles Verdin, Otto Lund, Henri Collin, and Lucien Korsten, on whom Binet successively called in order to develop his projects in the field of experimental psychology.

Optimal Alternative Selection Using MOORA in Industrial Sector - A

Modern manufacturing organizations tend to face versatile challenges due to globalization, modern lifestyle trends and rapid market requirements from both locally and globally placed competitors. The organizations faces high stress from dual perspective namely enhancement in science and technology and development of modern strategies. In such an instance, organizations were in a need of using an effective decision making tool that chooses out optimal alternative that reduces time, complexity and highly simplified. This paper explores a usage of new multi criteria decision making tool known as MOORA for selecting the best alternatives by examining various case study. The study was covered up in two fold manner by comparing MOORA with other MCDM and MADM approaches to identify its advantage for selecting optimal alternative, followed by extending MOORA with interval grey numbers, crisp and interval grey number and whitening coefficient and future scope of the present work concentrate on highlighting the scope and gap between MOORA, Multiplicative form of MOORA(MULTIMOORA) and Multi objective optimization on the basis of simple ratio analysis (MOOSRA) for numerous manufacturing and service applications.

Implementation of Augmented reality in CAD design

The visual representation of a product and the role of visualization have recently become a central issue in design research. By enhancing a real scene with computer generated objects, Augmented Reality (AR), has proven itself as a valuable Human-Computer Interface (HCI) in numerous application areas such as medical, military, entertainment and manufacturing. Also AR has potentials in design because the current interface provided by Computer-Aided Design (CAD) packages is less intuitive and reports show that the presence of physical objects help design. In this paper we proposed approach that user can create own 3D augmented reality scenes which enables interaction between real world and virtual object at the same time. For this purpose BuildAR software is applied using marker-based camera tracking and 3D object is obtained with standard CAD system SolidWorks.

(Invited) Mechanical Stabilty of Solid Electrolyte Interfaces in Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state electrolytes and solid-state batteries have recently garnered significant interest to enable unprecedented performance and safety. While in theory, the performance of solid-state batteries is appealing, in practice numerous manufacturing and cell design challenges are expected owing to the brittle nature of ceramic-based solid electrolytes. To address these challenges, the mechanical properties of solid electrolytes must be characterized. The purpose of this work is to characterize the salient properties of promising oxide and sulfide solid electrolytes to facilitate their transition into the manufacturing and testing of solid-state battery prototypes. Mechanical properties such as the elastic and shear moduli, Poisson’s ratio, fracture toughness, and hardness are presented and their implications discussed. Additionally, a novel approach to conduct in situ, non-invasive, non-destructive mechanical characterization during and after cycling solid-state prototype cells will be presented.

Weighing Efficiency-Robustness in Supply Chain Disruption by Multi-Objective Firefly Algorithm

This paper investigates various supply chain disruptions in terms of scenario planning, including node disruption and chain disruption; namely, disruptions in distribution centers and disruptions between manufacturing centers and distribution centers. Meanwhile, it also focuses on the simultaneous disruption on one node or a number of nodes, simultaneous disruption in one chain or a number of chains and the corresponding mathematical models and exemplification in relation to numerous manufacturing centers and diverse products. Robustness of the design of the supply chain network is examined by weighing efficiency against robustness during supply chain disruptions. Efficiency is represented by operating cost; robustness is indicated by the expected disruption cost and the weighing issue is calculated by the multi-objective firefly algorithm for consistency in the results. It has been shown that the total cost achieved by the optimal target function is lower than that at the most effective time of supply chains. In other words, the decrease of expected disruption cost by improving robustness in supply chains is greater than the increase of operating cost by reducing efficiency, thus leading to cost advantage. Consequently, by approximating the Pareto Front Chart of weighing between efficiency and robustness, enterprises can choose appropriate efficiency and robustness for their longer-term development.

Filling of High-Concentration Monoclonal Antibody Formulations: Investigating Underlying Mechanisms That Affect Precision of Low-Volume Fill by Peristaltic Pump.

Vial and syringe filling by peristaltic pump is considered a well-established manufacturing process and has been implemented by numerous contract manufacturing organizations and biopharmaceutical companies. However, its technical details and associated critical process parameters on fill weight precision are rarely published. Such information on high-concentration/viscosity formulation filling is particularly lacking. This study aimed to identify critical filling parameters that dictate a tight control on fill weight precision. The findings of this study indicate that mitigating suck-back height variation is the key to achieving improved fill weight precision. Liquid properties, the influence of liquid/nozzle interactions, and pressure variations during suck-back are inherent to fill weight variations. Optimizing fill weight precision by manipulating pump system parameters is not a root-cause solution. The outcomes of this study will benefit scientists and engineers who develop pre-filled syringe/vial products by providing a better understanding of high-concentration formulation filling principles and challenges.

Research on Machining Allowance Distribution Optimization based on Processing Defect Risk

It is necessary to control every key process to make sure the output quality of final product is stability. Because there existing many fluctuating factors during multistage manufacturing processes, it is inevitable lead to numerous manufacturing defects, which would make the quality of final product at risk. In this paper, a model about processing defect risk was proposed to measure the quality of products, which was associated with multistage machining allowance. Then, it was used to optimize machining allowance distribution program of multistage manufacturing process. A machining example of slide valve & sleeve matching parts was presented to verify the rationality of this model.

Evaluation of Overall Efficiency of Devices with Worm Gear

Overall efficiency represents an important qualitative property for devices used in manufacturing technology. This paper presents the mathematical modeling of calculating worm gear overall efficiency. The studied worm gear types goes into numerous manufacturing devices component. Mathematical model validation was experimentally performed on a tool sharpening device with a helicoidally profile. The analytical calculated results were closed to experimentally determined results, which partially validates the model proposed in the paper.

Tribological performance of TiN coatings deposited on 304 L stainless steel used for olive-oil extraction

Titanium-nitride (TiN) coatings have been developed and used by industry in numerous tribological applications, including machining, manufacturing and transportation. However, they have not attracted any attention as a tribological coating to be used in olive-oil extraction devices. In fact, since the separation of vegetation water and solid phase of the olive is always made in a continuous process and in very short time, the wear damage of the metallic devices used in this process is still a serious problem. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanical and tribological behaviors of TiN coating under a wide range of deposition conditions. The results of this study have confirmed that the coatings deposited using direct current (DC) bias present several distinct changes compared to those produced with pulse bias, depending on the magnitude of the duty cycle applied with and without Argon gas. Besides, different grain orientations have been detected for both kinds of TiN coatings. Tribological performances for the obtained TiN coatings were investigated using different configurations namely reciprocating sliding and pin-on-disk tests. The responses of these coatings in terms of friction coefficient and wear depth were discussed. The main results when sliding against olive seed and alumina ball as counterbody have clearly revealed a significant improvement of tribological properties with the application of DC and pulse bias voltage. Moreover, the tribological behavior of TiN did not change much with the addition of Ar gas.

An optical fiber spool for laser stabilization with reduced acceleration sensitivity to 10−12/g**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11034008 and 11274324) and the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KJZD-EW-W02).

Environmental vibration causes mechanical deformation in optical fibers, which induces excess frequency noise in fiber-stabilized lasers. In order to solve such a problem, we propose an ultralow acceleration sensitivity fiber spool with symmetrically mounted structure. By numerical analysis with the finite element method, we obtain the optimal geometry parameters of the spool with which the horizontal and vertical acceleration sensitivity can be reduced to 3.25 × 10−12/g and 5.38 × 10−12/g respectively. Moreover, the structure features the insensitivity to the variation of geometry parameters, which will minimize the influence from numerical simulation error and manufacture tolerance.

Analysis of the criticality of flaws found in trunnion of grinding ball mills used in mining plants

Abstract The grinding ball mills are equipments present in mining plants, being important in the ore comminution circuits. Depending on numerous factors, such as, for example, inappropriate design, manufacturing, overloads, poor maintenance and inadequate operating procedures, flaws are developed in the structural components of this equipment. The structural components of a mill, basically, shell, heads and trunnions, besides high costs, have lead times that might reach three years, according to market demand. Therefore, it becomes increasingly necessary that any flaws in those components to be properly evaluated. This paper analyzed the fracture mechanics of flaws, such as cracks observed in a ball mill trunnion and compared the theoretical values of growth rate of these defects with actual values obtained through periodic inspections performed in this component. The cracks nucleation was caused by lack of lubrication in the trunnion bearings, generating circumferential thermal stresses, thus the estimated temperature of the trunnion and bushing contact achieved 150 °C. The lack of lubrication was originated by a logic failure which allowed the mill to start and run over the trunnion bearing bushing without the lubrication system to be turned on, that is, without oil film. The logic failure was caused by an operator fault. During the analyzed period, the results obtained by the standard BS7910 proved to be closest to the actual values than the standard ASME, Section XI, Appendix A.

Cooperative promotion under demand uncertainty

Numerous manufacturers use brand advertising or make related promotional efforts to differentiate their product from other products on the market and stimulate demand. In the presence of manufacturer promotional efforts, cooperative promotion is the practice of a retailer sharing the manufacturer׳s promotional cost to stimulate sales. The retailer is interested in knowing how the promotional cost-sharing policy affects the channel members׳ decisions and, consequently, the profits. In this study, we considered a decentralized supply chain in which a risk-neutral manufacturer sells a single product to a risk-neutral retailer under manufacturer promotional efforts and demand uncertainty. The manufacturer determines the optimal wholesale price and promotional efforts and the retailer determines the optimal order quantity and retail price, both of whom are seeking to maximize their own profits. We demonstrated that the promotional cost-sharing policy motivates the manufacturer to increase promotional efforts and the retailer to order more products. However, the retailer is not willing to share the manufacturer׳s promotional cost when the retail price is exogenous because their profit will decrease. On the contrary, the retailer is willing to share the manufacturer׳s promotional cost only when the retail price is endogenous.

Filling of High-Concentration Monoclonal Antibody Formulations into Pre-filled Syringes: Investigating Formulation-Nozzle Interactions To Minimize Nozzle Clogging.

Syringe filling of high-concentration/viscosity monoclonal antibody formulations is a complex process that is not fully understood. This study, which builds on a previous investigation that used a bench-top syringe filling unit to examine formulation drying at the filling nozzle tip and subsequent nozzle clogging, further explores the impact of formulation-nozzle material interactions on formulation drying and nozzle clogging. Syringe-filling nozzles made of glass, stainless steel, or plastic (polypropylene, silicone, and Teflon®), which represent a full range of materials with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties as quantified by contact angle measurements, were used to fill liquids of different viscosity, including a high-concentration monoclonal antibody formulation. Compared with hydrophilic nozzles, hydrophobic nozzles offered two unique features that discouraged formulation drying and nozzle clogging: (1) the liquid formulation is more likely to be withdrawn into the hydrophobic nozzle under the same suck-back conditions, and (2) the residual liquid film left on the nozzle wall when using high suck-back settings settles to form a liquid plug away from the hydrophobic nozzle tip. Making the tip of the nozzle hydrophobic (silicone-coating on glass and Teflon-coating stainless steel) could achieve the same suck-back performance as plastic nozzles. This study demonstrated that using hydrophobic nozzles are most effective in reducing the risk of nozzle clogging by drying of high-concentration monoclonal antibody formulation during extended nozzle idle time in a large-scale filling facility and environment. Syringe filling is a well-established manufacturing process and has been implemented by numerous contract manufacturing organizations and biopharmaceutical companies. However, its technical details and associated critical process parameters are rarely published. Information on high-concentration/viscosity formulation filling is particularly lacking. This study is the continuation of a previous investigation with a focus on understanding the impact of nozzle material on the suck-back function of liquid formulations. The findings identified the most critical parameter-nozzle material hydrophobicity-in alleviating formulation drying at the nozzle tip and eventually limiting the occurrence of nozzle clogging during the filling process. The outcomes of this study will benefit scientists and engineers who develop pre-filled syringe products by providing a better understanding of high-concentration formulation filling principles and challenges.

Corporate Ergonomics Programs: Identifying Value through a Company Award Process

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS The application of ergonomics principles can reduce the number, severity, and costs of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Increasingly, academic and practitioner research demonstrates that ergonomic improvements also contribute to manufacturing operating efficiency and a company's profitability. This article examines whether it is possible to identify business benefits achieved through ergonomics interventions via an ergonomics award process. The projects, conducted independently at numerous manufacturing locations and submitted to a global company's internal ergonomics award process, were reviewed for effect upon both work-related musculoskeletal disorders and operational efficiency. The results suggest the award process was successful in gathering relevant information about the projects, and that a macroergonomics program methodology along with a participatory approach supported successful results. A cost-benefit estimation showed positive effects in operational efficiency and work-related musculoskeletal disorders reduction. Possible improvements to the award submission process were identified.TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: As documented by academics and practitioners, and generally accepted by the popular media, application of ergonomics principles can reduce the number, severity, and costs of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Research increasingly demonstrates that ergonomic improvements also contribute to manufacturing operating efficiency and a company's profitability. Purpose: To expand the body of practitioner-based knowledge related to the benefits that may be realized through implementing an ergonomics program in industry, focusing on the physical aspects of work. Specifically considered is the importance of a macroergonomic, company-wide process to define how risk assessments are conducted, how interventions are chosen and measured, and how results are summarized. Method: Eighteen case studies, selected from among 166 submitted to a global manufacturing company's internal ergonomics award process were reviewed. Results: A macroergonomics program methodology, in combination with a participatory approach, supported success in terms of reduced work-related musculoskeletal disorder risk and operational efficiency. Specifically, information about how projects were identified and who participated as team members demonstrates the importance of a participatory approach to achieve positive results. Conclusion: The case study results, based upon a practitioner perspective, suggest that operational efficiency and work-related musculoskeletal disorder reduction are often both improved by ergonomic interventions in the workplace, which is consistent with similar findings in earlier research. However, requiring more specific and standardized cost and benefit information in an award submission process is likely to provide more complete information about project results in a manner of value to practitioners, academia, and business. A future challenge is to gain more specific information in a manner that does not significantly add to the workload of individuals leading the projects who, in these case studies, have many responsibilities beyond ergonomics. A collaborative effort between practitioners and researchers to create and test such a method would be of value to both.

A Conceptual Framework for Designing Informatics-based Services in Manufacturing Industries

Numerous manufacturing companies have “servitized” their value propositions to address product commoditization and sustainability issues. Service—essentially different from a product—contributes to the fulfillment of customers’ unmet needs and increases the freedom of finding an environmentally more benign offering beyond simply offering the product. Informatics is a key to the design of services in manufacturing companies. Informatics facilitates the collection of various types of data from products and customers and enables the production and delivery of useful information for customers. This paper (1) proposes a conceptual framework for designing informatics-based services in manufacturing industries, (2) introduces a service design case study that the authors recently conducted with a major car manufacturer in Korea, and (3) suggests future research issues. This paper is expected to contribute to product–service integration in manufacturing companies in this information economy.