Setup Time Reduction Research Articles

Design and Development of Low-cost Wearable Electroencephalograms (EEG) Headset

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a method of capturing the electrophysiological signal of the brain. An EEG headset is a wearable device that records electrophysiological data from the brain. This paper presents the design and fabrication of a customized low-cost Electroencephalogram (EEG) headset based on the open-source OpenBCI Ultracortex Mark IV system. The electrode placement locations are modified under a 10–20 standard system. The fabricated headset is then compared to commercially available headsets based on the following parameters: affordability, accessibility, noise, signal quality, and cost. First, the data is recorded from 20 subjects who used the EEG Headset, and signals were recorded. Secondly, the participants marked the accuracy, set up time, participant comfort, and participant perceived ease of set-up on a scale of 1 to 7 (7 being excellent). Thirdly, the self-designed EEG headband is used by 5 participants for slide changing. The raw EEG signal is decomposed into a series of band signals using discrete wavelet transform (DWT). Lastly, these findings have been compared to previously reported studies. We concluded that when used for slide-changing control, our self-designed EEG headband had an accuracy of 82.0 percent. We also concluded from the results that our headset performed well on the cost-effectiveness scale, had a reduced setup time of 2 ± 0.5 min (the shortest among all being compared), and demonstrated greater ease of use.

EEG Channel Selection Techniques in Motor Imagery Applications: A Review and New Perspectives.

Communication, neuro-prosthetics, and environmental control are just a few applications for disabled persons who use robots and manipulators that use brain-computer interface (BCI) systems. The brain's motor imagery (MI) signal is an essential input for a brain-related task in BCI applications. Due to their noninvasive, portability, and cost-effectiveness, electroencephalography (EEG) signals are the most widely used input in BCI systems. The EEG data are often collected from more than 100 different locations in the brain; channel selection techniques are critical for selecting the optimum channels for a given application. However, when analyzing EEG data, the principal purpose of channel selection is to reduce computational complexity, improve classification accuracy by avoiding overfitting, and reduce setup time. Several channel selection assessment algorithms, both with and without classification-based methods, extracted appropriate channel subsets using defined criteria. Therefore, based on the exhaustive analysis of the EEG channel selection, this manuscript analyses several existing studies to reduce the number of noisy channels and improve system performance. We review several existing works to find the most promising MI-based EEG channel selection algorithms and associated classification methodologies on various datasets. Moreover, we focus on channel selection methods that choose fewer channels with great precision. Finally, our main finding is that a smaller channel set, typically 10-30% of total channels, provided excellent performance compared to other existing studies.

Utilisation of digital authoring platform to enhance simulation delivery

The development and ongoing critique of simulation-based scenarios is critical to ensure a researched and standardised approach to learning [1]. This is achieved by creating scenarios that have set learning objectives to improve clinical practice within multidisciplinary teams and patient safety. Additionally, a robust scenario leads to stimulating and open debriefings [2]. Whilst a paper-based scenario will do this, the aim is to highlight the benefits of using a digital platform for both creating and updating scenarios. Paper scenarios have been used for many years to achieve the goals highlighted above but it became increasingly obvious that the resources needed to review, critique, and update those scenarios were no longer effective. This situation was emphasised due to the need to have multiple copies of scenarios across many sites. In order to maintain a quality service, whilst still being able to maintain resources to redevelop and enhance existing scenarios, we implemented a digital authoring platform called IRIS. Scenarios were transferred and created allowing a centrally controlled catalogue that could be audited and version controlled. Any changes made would automatically update the scenario on all the users’ tablets thus ensuring the same version of the scenario was used across all sites. An immediate benefit was the reduction in time spent redeveloping scenarios. This allowed for added details to be entered dependent on if it was a standardised patient or manikin driven scenario. Another benefit was the ability to rapidly collaborate and co-author with peers and subject matter experts. IRIS interfaces with manikins from leading vendors, sending patient data states directly to the manikins reducing setup time. We noticed an increase in simulation engagement as authors were able to log on remotely to update work. IRIS allows easy design and supports the development of high-quality scenarios. Its implementation saved resources in terms of time, staffing and environmental footprint. It enabled us to have a central hub of scenarios that dismissed the need to do multiple updates in multiple places and enabled us to have an audit trail of changes, by date time and user. Moving to a digital platform enhanced the experience of our users giving them a better learning experience leading to improved patient care. 1. Alinier G. Developing high-fidelity health care simulation scenarios: A guide for educators and professionals. Simulation & Gaming. 2011;42(1):9–26. 2. Dieckmann G, Gaba D, Rall M. Deepening the theoretical foundations of patient simulation as social practice. Simulation in Healthcare Journal. 2007;2(3):183–193.

An Interval Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy AHP–TOPSIS Integrated Model for Ergonomic Assessment of Setup Process under SMED

Single-minute exchange of dies (SMED) is one of the most significant lean tools which reduces the required time for setup operations. The consideration of appropriate ergonomic interferences during the SMED implementation improves working conditions, productivity, and flexibility. The SMED literature has an opportunity for expansion with ergonomic assessment. Moreover, ergonomic assessment studies have various limitations in terms of a broad hierarchy of ergonomic factors and their weighting. Therefore, this study enriches the literature by providing the ergonomic assessment of the setup process through integrating multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) into SMED. In this context, a wide hierarchy of ergonomic risk factors is compiled for ergonomic assessment. The Interval Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (IVPF-AHP) method is used to determine the weights of factors. Then, Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to prioritize setup tasks in terms of ergonomic factors by using the Interval Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy Sets (IVPFSs). The proposed model was validated by applying it to a real-life manufacturing system in the white goods supplier industry. The application results justify the proposed model with a setup time reduction of 58% and an ergonomic improvement of 19%.

Simulation of an Aeronautical Product Assembly Process Driven by a Metrology Aided Virtual Approach

Major aircraft manufacturers are expecting the commercial aircraft market to overcome the pre-COVID levels by 2025, which demands an increase in the production rate. However, aeronautical product assembly processes are still mainly manually performed with a low level of automation. Moreover, the current industry digitalization trend offers the possibility to develop faster, smarter and more flexible manufacturing processes, aiming at a higher production rate and product customization. Here, the integration of metrology within the manufacturing processes offers the possibility to supply reliable data to constantly adjust the assembly process parameters aiming at zero-defect, more digital and a higher level of automation manufacturing processes. In this context, this article introduces the virtual metrology as an assistant of the assembly process of the Advanced Rear-End fuselage component. It describes how the assembly process CADmodel is used by simulation tools to design, set up and perform the virtual commissioning of the new metrology-driven assembly methods, moving from a dedicated tooling approach to a more flexible and reconfigurable metrology-aided design. Preliminary results show that portable metrology solutions are fit-to-purpose even for hardly accessible geometries and fulfil the current accuracy demands. Moreover, the simulation environment ensures a user-friendly assembly process interaction providing further set-up time reduction.

Development of Flexible Fixtures with Incomplete Locating: Connecting Rods Machining Case Study

The rapid development of manufacturing in recent years has led to a significant expansion of the technological capabilities of modern metal-cutting equipment. Therefore, the modern approach to intensifying production requires an advanced fixture design. Design and manufacture of flexible fixtures capable of machining similar shapes and sizes of complex geometry parts reduce setup time. The article aims to design flexible fixtures for parts such as one-piece connecting rods under incomplete locating conditions. The advantages are the minimum number of parts and tool availability for multi-axis machining connecting rods in one setup. This approach, combined with up-to-date machining centers and industrial robots, can increase the production efficiency of manufacturing non-removable connecting rods. This effectiveness is in a decrease in the number of operations by 5–7 times, fixtures—by 3–4 times, and machine tools—by 3–5 times, depending on the type of a non-removable connecting rod and its design features. The numerical simulation results of the proposed fixture design confirmed the comprehensive technological capabilities and dynamic characteristics. Particularly, a decrease in displacements and oscillation amplitudes up to 7% compared to the full-basing locating chart was provided. It is determined that the system “fixture–workpiece” entirely meets all the strength, accuracy, and rigidity parameters, which allows you to perform machining with intensive cutting modes. The amplitudes of oscillations do not exceed the tolerances on the dimensions of these surfaces, established by requirements for non-removable connecting rods, and all displacements are elastic. During numerical simulation, the workpiece position remained stable at all machining steps.

Single machine scheduling in make to order environments: A systematic review

The single machine scheduling problems are still present in industry 4.0. The scheduling depends on several factors, variables, and specificity of each production environment, and make to order settings are in this context. As a typical environment in several companies, there are still methods to be developed and applied to solve production scheduling problems. This paper investigates by a systematic literature review (SLR) which approaches are used to resolve and validate methods for solving production sequencing problems on single machine in make to order environments. This study investigated the limitations classified in 13.89% Specific operations, 19.44% Scale, and 8.33% Processing time. And identified gains in 61.11% of the publications, which the main were reduction of setup time and computational. From this paper it is concluded that there is a gap of research with real applications of sequencing methods in make to order environments. Further studies can be directed to the study of scheduling in single machine in these environments, with low processing times and efficiency within acceptable standards.

Analysis of the Implementation of the Single Minute Exchange of Die Methodology in an Agroindustry through Action Research

This work aims to implement and analyze the effect of the Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) implementation in the bean packaging operation in a company in east Minas Gerais, Brazil. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research methodology used was action research. Two cycles of action research were conducted; the first to carry out phase one of SMED, and the second to execute phases two and three. Originality/Research gap: There are few studies on the application of Lean Manufacturing tools in agroindustry. Some works present case studies, mainly in the food supply chain aiming to fill this gap. Regarding SMED applied in agribusiness, no work was found. Key statistical results: The implementation of this methodology allowed the reduction of setup time by around 58%, the distance travelled by operators in the process by approximately 50%, in addition to gains in a production capacity of 14%. Practical Implications: It is concluded that the application of the methodology caused an increase in the company’s productivity, as it was possible to obtain gains in productive capacity without changing the amount of hours worked or the number of employees involved in the production process. Limitations of the investigation: This methodology was applied only once and the challenges encountered were not documented.

Proposal of an innovative ergonomic SMED model in an automotive steel springs industrial unit

Faced with globalization, high competition, and the demands of a market in constant dynamism, companies strive to adopt measures for increasing their productivity, among which Lean Manufacturing stands out. Although this set of strategies allows optimizing the production by reducing waste, the literature review showed that, in several organizations, the implementation of Lean does not reflect positive impacts on productivity. It is frequently related to the superficial nature of the approach: the tools and methods are applied, but the repercussions on the workers are commonly neglected. In response, companies seek to implement Risk Management policies to assess injury risk factors for operators during task execution. This study highlights the importance of integrating Lean Manufacturing and Ergonomics principles into organizations to increase productivity and improve working conditions simultaneously. Therefore, by identifying improvement opportunities using the VSM tool, this work aims to implement an innovative and systematic intervention model, which enables the integrated application of Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) and ergonomic analysis in a metallurgical factory. To this end, the innovative Ergonomic SMED (ESMED) Model is proposed, comprising six steps, which, in this study, focus on the setup operations of a molding machine and by including Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Job Strain Index (JSI), Key Indicator Methods (KIM), and Shoaf's Model methods. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to evidence the usefulness and effectiveness of the proposed model in this scenario, emphasizing the 55% reduction in setup time and the extreme attenuation of the level of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) risk in workers.

Evaluating the performance of a cellular manufacturing system proposal for the sewing department of a sportswear manufacturing company: A simulation approach

Cellular manufacturing systems (CMS) are a major application of group technology, that brings benefits related to the reduction of wastes, also known as ‘mudas’ in lean manufacturing philosophy, to organisations striving to compete on today’s markets. These benefits include the reduction of machine setup times, material handling and work-in-process inventory, among others. However, many organisations are reluctant to implement such decisions in their production systems, due to the uncertainty and economic and productive impact that these involve. For this reason, a simulation study is performed in this paper to evaluate the performance of a cellular manufacturing system approach for the sewing department of a sportswear manufacturing company. The simulation study was designed, and the results of the proposed model showed improvements of 51,46% in the average flow time, 1102,52% in the average throughput, and 50,65% in the average setup times of machines, compared to the current state of the case study.

Improved Metastability of True Single-Phase Clock D-Flipflops With Applications in Vernier Time-to-Digital Converters

This paper investigates the metastability of true single-phase clock (TSPC) D flip flops (DFFs) and its impact on the resolution of Vernier time-to-digital converters (TDCs). The mechanisms of the metastability of TSPC DFFs are investigated and the analytical expressions of setup time and hold time are obtained. A shunt capacitor technique capable of reducing setup time and hold time to zero with no power and delay penalty is proposed. The impact of PVT (process, voltage, temperature) on the effectiveness of the proposed technique is quantified using simulation. Vernier TDCs, both right-shifting and left-shifting, with untuned and tuned DFFs are designed in TSMC 130 nm 1.2 V CMOS technology and analyzed using Spectre with BSIM3V3 device models. Simulation results demonstrate TDCs with tuned DFFs enjoy zero conversion error while the right-shifting and left-shifting TDCs with untuned DFFs have 1-bit and 5-bit conversion errors or 11% and 56% error rates, respectively.

Design of a transfer system for the automotive industry

Continuous optimization of processes and products in automotive companies is necessary. The costumers’ demand is growing, making it necessary to increase the number of orders and reduce deadlines. All these changes showed that the processes used in the past are outdated and innovation is needed. Nonetheless, it is not viable to increase manpower or number of production lines without improving and optimizing the existing processes. This work aims to analyse and improve the efficiency of a stamping process of an automotive components’ manufacturer, arising due to the low overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of transfer dies. Under this scenario, the transfer system should be modified to decrease the setup time and production stoppage, by producing a design that reduces the setup time at the time of changing components/specifications of the fabricated parts or changing the stamping tool. Several management tools were applied, such as failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA analysis) in the pre-design phase. A new concept was devised for the transfer system to increase its stability. The new design accomplished a significant reduction of setup times and production stops, and also a major weight reduction, leading to higher reliability.

REVIEW LEAN MANUFACTURING MODEL OF PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT UNDER THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE APPROACH TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN PLASTICS INDUSTRY SMES: A CASE STUDY

Failure to deliver orders because of low production capacity is one of the main problems faced by companies in the plastics sector. This has repercussions, creating customer dissatisfaction and directly affecting profits by increasing production costs. Among the main causes of these problems is production downtime, which is caused by high set-up times and machine failures during the production process. To solve these problems, a lean manufacturing model is proposed that includes 5S, SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die), TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), and Jidoka tools. This model was validated in a company dedicated to the production of plastics by injection moulding, which resulted in an increase in OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) of 13 per cent and a reduction in set-up times of 48 per cent. Keywords Lean Manufacturing; Efficiency; Plastic Industry; Preventive Maintenance; SME

Fin Ray gripper for handling of high temperature hybrid forging objects

Universal handling systems are getting more and more relevant nowadays. Their unique ability to adapt to different objects and their various shapes enable cost savings by minimizing the number of handling systems and reducing set-up times. Furthermore, the mentioned aspects are advantageous for the hybrid forging manufacturing process, where the objects change their geometry several times. However, this work deals with the discrepancy between universal gripper, consisting mostly of polymer materials and the high temperature of the forging objects. Universal grippers are predominantly made of monolithic elastic material to achieve high functionality. However, the material has the disadvantage of only being applicable in a small temperature range, whereby the forging process reaches temperatures of up to 1200 °C. One type of monolithic grippers are so called Fin Ray grippers that use fingers based on the Fin Ray effect to close around objects when they encounter them. This adjustment takes place passively, requiring a minimum of actuation, which is advantageous for use at high temperatures. Therefore, we have designed a Fin Ray finger made of heat-resistant bulk material to close the mentioned gap. Our design consists of rigid links connected with joints providing shape variability. The thermal condition was taken into account as the temperature of the objects reaches up to 1200 °C. Thereby, temperature-related effects occur, such as thermal expansion, which strongly influence the design of the finger. To investigate this, a thermal simulation is used. Furthermore, an investigation of the adaptability is carried out based on a multi-body FEM simulation. In this process, the finger is specified in an iterative process based on hybrid demonstrator components.

Setup time reduction to enhance the agility of the manufacturing industry through kobetsu kaizen and SMED: a case study

Setup time reduction to enhance the agility of the manufacturing industry through kobetsu kaizen and SMED: a case study

Lean Manufacturing: Efficiency improvement application in multi-product area of the Aerospace Industry

This research addresses the problem of leveling workloads in a multi-product final assembly area. In which it was found that 27.4% of the time is used for set up and the current distribution presents areas of opportunity. The target was to implement improvement actions to make use of resources more efficient in the production process in the aforementioned area through Lean Manufacturing tools. The results obtained consist of eight products generated with the support of lean manufacturing support tools such as SMED, Workload Balancing and MUDA waste identification, achieving important results among which productivity in the area stands out from 109% to 125%, as well as a reduction in set-up time from 17 min to 4.4 min.

Process Design & Development Using Smed Concept- A Case Study

The growth of the industry and its production ultimately depends on its ability to respond systematically and continuously to market changes to increase product value. The process of adding value is necessary to obtain this advantage; therefore using a coherent production system and its tools becomes a key skill. Since the set time is the main reason for the production break time, a short set time is always desirable. The Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) as proposed by Shingo is a tool that aims to reduce overtime setting, but does not work when used alone. SMED can be used effectively with the help of additional tools such as FMRS (Finish, Merge, Reduce and Simplify). This paper describes the process of planning and implementing SMED and other useful tools. It is based on a collaborative approach that allows for a gradual reduction in machine set-up time associated with an ongoing continuity program.

Use of Surface Imaging in Combination With IGRT for Proton Beam Craniospinal Irradiation (CSI) Setup

Proton Beam Craniospinal Irradiation (CSI) requires multiple isocenters to cover the entire brain and spine target. These matching fields can lead to treatment field overlap or gap to yield dose heterogeneity. To ensure acceptable dose heterogeneity, we previously acquired KV-images at all isocenters to adjust patient posture before treating the first brain field. This process requires extra setup time and additional radiation exposure to the patient. We present a novel setup workflow using surface imaging in combination with IGRT to reduce the number of KV-images for proton CSI setup.The patient is first setup at the cranial isocenter where head position is confirmed with KV-imaging. The lower body posture is adjusted based on guidance from the surface imaging system. The patient is shifted to lower isocenters where spine position can be fine-tuned with KV imaging if needed. The residual corrections, i.e., shifts required per KV-imaging after using surface imaging guidance, are recorded. If spine position determined by the surface imaging is within set-up tolerance verified by the X-rays for the first three fractions, we will no longer shift patient and verify spine isocenters with KV-imaging before treating the brain field. We will only verify setup by KV-imaging before each field delivery.Setup of 127 treatment fractions were analyzed. The setup method is found to be beneficial for 9 out of 13 proton CSI patients. Among the 9 patients using surface imaging, the average magnitude of the residual shifts for X, Y, and Z directions were 0.17 ± 0.15 cm, 0.24 ± 0.18 cm, and 0.14 ± 0.16 cm respectively. The average KV-imaging count was reduced from 8 to 5 per fraction with reduced setup time. For surface imaging, the reference surface image auto-generated from planning CT images was found to be accurate, however, one may request an in-room setup capture due to the change of correlation between the skin and the bony anatomy. Setup using surface imaging for patients with high body mass index is less accurate due to the poor correlation between surface and bony anatomy.For proton CSI, while setting up the patient for the brain and cervical spine treatment, surface imaging provides a useful guidance for the setup of the spine. Overall, surface imaging provides a larger field of view than KV-imaging with no additional imaging dose. For treatment with target size larger than imaging field, surface imaging can potentially reduce the amount of setup images thus reduce imaging dose and increase setup efficiency.

C.H. Robinson Uses Heuristics to Solve Rich Vehicle Routing Problems

We consider a broad family of vehicle routing problem variants with many complex and practical constraints, known as rich vehicle routing problems, which are faced on a daily basis by C.H. Robinson (CHR). Because CHR has many customers, each with distinct requirements, various routing problems with different objectives and constraints must be solved. We propose a novel framework for solving rich vehicle routing problems, which we demonstrate is effective in solving a variety of different problems. This framework, along with a simple user interface, has been wrapped into a new module and integrated into the company’s transportation planning and execution technology platform. Since its implementation, this new module has outperformed the previously used third-party technologies at CHR, significantly reduced setup times, and improved users’ productivity as well as customer outcomes.

MEYE: Web App for Translational and Real-Time Pupillometry.

Pupil dynamics alterations have been found in patients affected by a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions, including autism. Studies in mouse models have used pupillometry for phenotypic assessment and as a proxy for arousal. Both in mice and humans, pupillometry is noninvasive and allows for longitudinal experiments supporting temporal specificity; however, its measure requires dedicated setups. Here, we introduce a convolutional neural network that performs online pupillometry in both mice and humans in a web app format. This solution dramatically simplifies the usage of the tool for the nonspecialist and nontechnical operators. Because a modern web browser is the only software requirement, this choice is of great interest given its easy deployment and setup time reduction. The tested model performances indicate that the tool is sensitive enough to detect both locomotor-induced and stimulus-evoked pupillary changes, and its output is comparable to state-of-the-art commercial devices.