Short Processing Time Research Articles

Optimization of the Production Management of an Upholstery Manufacturing Process Using Lean Tools: A Case Study

This study aims to address the challenge of implementing Lean philosophy in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and fill the research gap regarding Lean application in vehicle seat upholstery maintenance/repairing processes. The Lean tools applied in a case study of an upholstery industry of vehicle seats were as follows: Value Stream Mapping, Spaghetti Diagram, Gemba, 5S, Standardized Work, Kaizen, Kanban, and Poka-Yoke tools. A Decision Support Method using Excel Microsoft 365 was developed for improved stock control. A GUT Matrix was formulated to prioritize improvement opportunities, aiding prompt decision-making. This systematic approach enabled the company to address critical areas requiring swift attention. The results of Lean tools implementation led to a process waste minimization around 47%, and the process Lead Time decreased by approximately 26%, resulting in a 33% production increase. Thus, the Lean tools integration leads to substantial waste reduction, shorter process time, and increased production. The Decision Support Method enabled the company to efficiently monitor and manage its stock levels, thereby enhancing inventory management practices. This case study outlines the successful optimization of an upholstery production process in an SME by effectively applying Lean tools, highlighting its feasibility and benefits.

Effect of laser power on microstructure and mechanical properties of selective laser melted AlSi10Mg alloy

Selective laser melting technology has the advantages of high machining precision, complex forming structure, short processing time, and low cost. In this work, the effect of laser power on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AlSi10Mg alloy formed by SLM was studied. The density, microhardness, and elongation of SLMed AlSi10Mg alloy increased with the increase of laser power, while the tensile strength and yield strength increased first and then decreased.

Low-temperature conformal vacuum deposition of OLED devices using close-space sublimation

Close-space sublimation (CSS) has been demonstrated as an alternative vacuum deposition technique for fabricating organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). CSS utilizes a planar donor plate pre-coated with organic thin films as an area source to rapidly transfer the donor film to a device substrate at temperatures below 200 °C. CSS is also conformal and capable of depositing on odd-shaped substrates using flexible donor media. The evaporation behaviors of organic donor films under CSS were fully characterized using model OLED materials and CSS-deposited films exhibited comparable device performances in an OLED stack to films deposited by conventional point sources. The low temperature and conformal nature of CSS, along with its high material utilization and short process time, make it a promising method for fabricating flexible OLED displays.

Microstructural development of as-cast AM50 during Constrained Friction Processing: Grain refinement and influence of process parameters

Mg and its alloys have a wide range of structural applications despite the limitations regarding the workability and low ductility associated with its hexagonal closed-packed structure. The Constrained Friction Processing (CFP) is a novel processing technique, developed based on the refill friction stir spot welding process, that has been proposed as an interesting alternative that can help to overcome challenges associated with the processing of Mg and its alloys. This technique is shown to be able to produce homogenous fine-grained rods. Correlation between processing conditions and the evolved microstructure, i.e. texture and grain size, were established for AM50 rods. In the center, the produced rods present a strong B-fiber texture. As the distance from the center changes along the radial direction, there is a progressive outward tilt of the 〈0001〉 because of specific flow conditions during the processing. CFP is shown to be able to produce fine-grained rods with grain sizes comparable with other severe plastic deformation techniques, with advantages like no requirement of additional preheating and short processing times.

Study on a cationic agent-based salt-free reactive dyeing process for cotton knit fabric and comparison with a traditional dyeing process

Since the majority of reactive dyes only have a moderate affinity for cotton, significant amounts of electrolytes are frequently needed to cause tiredness. As a result, wastewater contains significant amounts of salt and dye, and the increasing salinity of the rivers has an effect on the delicate biochemistry of aquatic life. The aim of the study was to find a sustainable dyeing process for cotton knit fabric using EPTMAC (2, 3-epoxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) as a cationic agent and comparison of the cationic dyeing process (salt free dyeing) with the regular dyeing process (dyeing with salt). For this purpose, cotton knit fabric samples were dyed with reactive dyes following salt free process and with salt. Afterwards, color fastness (wash and rubbing), spectrophotometric evaluation, bursting strength test, analysis of dye bath discharge water and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of the dyed samples were carried out. Moreover, water consumption was also evaluated for the both cationic and regular dyeing process. In terms of color fastness, cationized dyed fabric showed no change to a slight loss in depth (rating of 4–5) for both wash and rubbing fastness. From the spectrophotometric evaluation, it was found that cationized dyed fabric appeared darker and less yellowish tone. Moreover, in case of bursting strength, cationized black, hot pink, and light pink colored fabrics possessed bursting strengths of 287 kPa, 337 kPa, and 440 kPa, correspondingly. After analysis of dye bath discharge water, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) value of regular colored water samples were 45%, 39%, 54% greater than that of cationized dyed water samples respectively. Cationized dyed water value for Dissolved Oxygen (DO) was 6.39 mg/l, which was within the acceptable limit. The SEM image asserted that the cationized colored samples had consistent dye dispersion, greater adhesion, and no dye anomalies. Considering water consumption, it was found that 37%, 27% and 23% less amount of water required for dyeing dark, medium and light shade of cationized samples due to fewer washes after dyeing and elimination of fixing steps. In addition of that, total cost of cationic dyeing process was less due to less chemical consumption, less utility use, shorter process time and less amount of dyes needed. Cationic dyeing process is a sustainable practice of dyeing cotton fabric with reactive dyes that offers numerous advantages when compared to the regular dyeing process with less cost consumption and low amount of environmental pollution.

Dispatching Rules-based Optimization of the No-wait Flow Shop Scheduling Problem

To improve the productivity of the flow shop, this paper proposes a new mathematical model to describe the scheduling problem of the no-wait flow shop (NWFS) with the minimization makespan as the scheduling objective. In addition, a new dispatching rule PCA-AS is created using the principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm, and PCA-AS is applied to the process of solving the scheduling problem to gain a scheduling strategy with excellent performance. Finally, the paper numerically verifies that PCA-AS outperforms the shortest processing time (SPT) dispatching rule and the first-in-first-out (FIFO) dispatching rule in minimizing the makespan.

Thermally Stable Ceramic-Salt Electrolytes for Li Metal Batteries Produced from Cold Sintering Using DMF/Water Mixture Solvents.

The cold sintering process (CSP) for synthesizing oxide-based electrolytes, which uses water transient solvents and uniaxial pressure, is a promising alternative to the conventional high temperature sintering process due to its low temperature (<200 °C) and short processing time (<2 h). However, the formation of amorphous secondary phases in the intergranular regions, which results in poor ionic conductivity (σ), remains a challenge. In this study, we introduced high-boiling solvents of dimethylformamide (DMF, b.p.: 153 °C) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, b.p.: 189 °C) as transient solvents to develop composite electrolytes of Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 (LAGP) with bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt (LiTFSI). Our results show that composite electrolytes processed with the DMF/water mixture (CSP LAGP-LiTFSI DMF/H2O) yield a high σ of 10-4 S cm-1 at room temperature and high relative densities of >87%. Furthermore, the composite electrolytes exhibit good thermal stability; the σ maintains its initial value after heat treatment. In contrast, the composite electrolytes processed with the DMSO/water mixture and water alone show thermal degradation. The CSP LAGP-LiTFSI DMF/H2O composite electrolytes exhibit long-term stability, showing no signs of short circuiting after 350 h at 0.1 mAh cm-2 in Li symmetric cells. Our work highlights the importance of selecting appropriate transient solvents for producing efficient and stable composite electrolytes using CSP.

Enhancing the parboiling of pantanal rice with ultrasound-assisted hydration: Mass transfer kinetics and bioactive properties

We evaluated the effects of ultrasound-assisted hydration (UH) on process time and concentration of phenolic compounds during the parboiling of native Pantanal paddy rice (Oryza latifolia) in comparison to conventional hydration (CH). This rice variety is produced by indigenous and riverside communities in the Pantanal biome. The UH increased water absorption, with a 58% average reduction in process time. Irreversible changes in the physical structure of rice (visible to the naked eye and in electronic microscopy images) confirmed that the grains parboiled faster. The Peleg model satisfactorily predicted the moisture uptake experimental data (R2 > 0.94). The CH significantly reduced the concentration of total phenolic compounds (TPC) (16–19%), total flavonoids (TF) (30–40%), and antioxidant capacity (AA) (20–39%) of paddy rice hydrated at 65–75 °C. In turn, the UH caused minimal loss of TPC (<1%), lower reduction of TF (∼7%) and AA (4–12%). The results indicate that ultrasound enhances parboiling processes by increasing mass transfer rates during hydration, consequently shortening processing time, reducing the energy demand, and preserving the nutritional quality of rice. The preservation of phenolic compounds during parboiling via ultrasound-assisted hydration (UH) is notable because the significant loss of these compounds in conventional hydration (CH). Therefore, parboiled rice falls short of being classified as a functional food. By preserving the phytochemicals during parboiling, the proposed process here may contribute to classifying Pantanal rice as a functional food, enabling income generation for local communities through the commercialization of parboiled native rice.

Математична модель пневматичної пускової системи з урахуванням характеристик безпілотного літального апарату, двигуна та повітряного гвинта

Despite significant progress in the development of modern unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), universal launch systems are not currently used for them. In fact, each UAV project requires its own launcher, which is inefficient in many cases. To evaluate the characteristics of UAV launchers, simple methods are used at the level of analysis of acting forces, but they do not make it possible to correctly select the type and parameters of the catapult for specific tasks. The object of this study was a universal pneumatic launch system for operational-tactical UAVs. The purpose of this study is to select the design scheme and basic parameters of a universal pneumatic catapult for UAVs of the operational-tactical class. The task: to develop and numerically solve a mathematical model of a pneumatic catapult, perform an analysis of characteristics, justify the choice of a design scheme and main parameters of a pneumatic catapult when changing the initial parameters within broad limits. Method of the study. The thermodynamic method was used with the help of which the differential equations of motion of structural elements were compiled and solved for various combinations of parameters. The results. By modeling, the main characteristics of the catapult were obtained and it was shown that for the effective functioning of the launcher, no special pneumatic cylinder piston sealing is required; the air leakage through the gap is controlled due to the short process time even at high operating pressures. In addition, the permissible minimum height of the cable attachment point on the trolley above the block roller was determined below which the loads on the cable and piston increased sharply. Conclusions. The developed model confirmed the versatility of using the pneumatic launcher of the scheme under consideration for operational and operational-tactical UAVs with a take-off weight of 50 to 250 kg, and such a wide range is provided only by regulating the air pressure in the receiver and is not available for other types of systems. At the same time, if the increase in pressure is limited by safety requirements, the possibility of further increasing the takeoff weight of the UAV in the launch scheme under consideration will remain by increasing the diameter of the pneumatic cylinder.

A plant leaf-mimicking film with tailored photodynamic antibacterial behavior for efficient preservation of perishable products

This work unveiled a novel biomimic visible light-harvesting film (NHC-Cur-CS) with exceptional photodynamic bactericidal activity to address the microbial spoilage of perishable products. This film was designed through a demand-oriented tailoring process that involved the integration of curcumin-loaded nitrogen-rich hollow/porous carbon fillers (NHC-Cur) and the skillful selection of chitosan (CS) matrix. The NHC-Cur-CS film boasts an impressive array of antibacterial features, including high killing rates (≥ 99.27%) and short processing times (20 min) upon visible light stimulation. The NHC-Cur-CS film has demonstrated commendable preservation performance, extending the shelf-life of citrus by up to 2.2 times. These desirable outcomes stem from the innovative designs: (i) the formation of Z-type heterojunction and hollow/porous structure bestow NHC-Cur with superior photodynamic activity, and (ii) the meticulous matching of NHC-Cur with CS mitigates the shortcomings of both materials in antibacterial process. These remarkable features highlight the potential of NHC-Cur-CS film for safeguarding perishable products effectively.

One-step production and two-step assembly scheduling in identical factories

In this article, a production–assembly scheduling problem is presented in three steps. In the first step, the production operation is performed by dedicated parallel machines; in the second step, the assembly operation is performed by the same parallel machines, and in the third step, the post-assembly operation is performed by one machine, and these three steps exist in parallel factories. This problem is NP hard and cannot be solved in a reasonable time by mathematical models. Therefore, a mixed integer linear programming algorithm is presented for small-sized problems, and a new metaheuristic algorithm is presented for large-sized problems, by combining quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO), shortest processing time (SPT) and dominance rules, which is called the hybrid QPSOSPT dominance rules (HQSD) algorithm. Accurate parameter adjustment was achieved by analysis of variance. The HQSD algorithm was shown to obtain better results than the other algorithms.

Analisis Manfaat Penerapan Basis Data dalam Lingkungan Sekolah di Indonesia

The aim of this study to provide the importance of the benefits of databases in schools today, because in this sophisticated era, database needs are needed to make it easier to make reports, retrieve and store data that was originally made manually which is time consuming and prone to data errors. . With the application of a database system, everything can be done easily and quickly, and the resulting data will be accurate. The research method used is a qualitative method by observing and recording reality through observation, interviews, and documentation. The results of the study show that the benefits of using databases in schools today are the quality of the data and information accessed according to what is input, and the most important benefit is classifying data and information so that it is easier for teachers to understand, anticipating the occurrence of data similarities or data instability. Helping the process of saving, accessing, editing, and deleting data, Protecting databases for schools to shorten processing time and get significant results.&#x0D; Keywords: Database, School, Benefits of Database

Effect of Conventional and Microwave Heating on Protein and Odor Profile in Soymilk Powder

Soymilk contained serine protease enzymes with inhibitory activity against trypsin, causing a negative effect on nutritional absorption. This project aimed to investigate the effects of conventional heating (100 °C/20 min) and microwave heating (360–900 W/1–6 min) on trypsin inhibitor, protein digestibility, and odor profiles. Soymilk contained 46–47% protein, regardless of heating conditions. Using scanning electron microscopy, it can be seen that the conventionally heated sample had a smooth surface and a porous structure, whereas microwave-heated samples contained a protein matrix in clusters with rough surfaces. The molecular weight of proteins in SDS-PAGE was reduced to 19 kDa and &lt;16 kDa after conventional and microwave heating, respectively, resulting in the reduction of trypsin inhibitor from 36.66 to 0.91 and 0.56–0.66 mg/g, respectively. Protein digestibility was significantly improved when either the conventional heating at 100 °C for 20 min or the microwave heating at 900 W for 6 min was applied. From e-nose analysis, the beany flavor was reduced after the microwave heating for 3–6 min, and the highest intensity of the sweet odor compounds were observed after the microwave heating at 600 W for 1 min. Due to the short processing time, microwave heating was then recommended for inhibition of trypsin inhibitors and improving protein digestibility.

Selective Removal of Various Resilient Ionic and Halides-Based Surface Contaminants by Wet Cleaning

In this paper, we investigate the use of a wet cleaner developed to dissolve residues left after plasma etching selectively to aluminum in new applications such as the removal of various resilient ionic and halides-based surface contaminants. The compromise between efficiency and selectivity of this fluorinated acid cleaner makes it an interesting chemistry for many cleaning steps during wafer manufacturing. Two new applications were investigated: the selective removal of fluoride-based defects on aluminum pads and surface decontamination of various ionic metals with low substrate consumption. These studies showed very encouraging results in beakers level tests, but also on partly industrial equipment, opening new possibilities for this cleaner. Indeed, “water lily” defects removal seems to be possible with a low aluminum consumption in TechniClean IK73. Decontamination study carried out in static bath and in single wafer tool showed rather similar results, enabling static bath protocol and ionic metals removal to be validated and VPD-ICPMS results, after a short process time in a single wafer tool were very promising with metal levels close to the lower limit of detection of all elements tested.

Suspension Trapping-Based Sample Preparation Workflow for In-Depth Plant Phosphoproteomics.

Plant phosphoproteomics provides a global view of phosphorylation-mediated signaling in plants; however, it demands high-throughput methods with sensitive detection and accurate quantification. Despite the widespread use of protein precipitation for removing contaminants and improving sample purity, it limits the sensitivity and throughput of plant phosphoproteomic analysis. The multiple handling steps involved in protein precipitation lead to sample loss and process variability. Herein, we developed an approach based on suspension trapping (S-Trap), termed tandem S-Trap-IMAC (immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography), by integrating an S-Trap micro-column with a Fe-IMAC tip. Compared with a precipitation-based workflow, the tandem S-Trap-IMAC method deepened the coverage of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) phosphoproteome by more than 30%, with improved number of multiply phosphorylated peptides, quantification accuracy, and short sample processing time. We applied the tandem S-Trap-IMAC method for studying abscisic acid (ABA) signaling in Arabidopsis seedlings. We thus discovered that a significant proportion of the phosphopeptides induced by ABA are multiply phosphorylated peptides, indicating their importance in early ABA signaling and quantified several key phosphorylation sites on core ABA signaling components across four time points. Our results show that the optimized workflow aids high-throughput phosphoproteome profiling of low-input plant samples.

Correction of Shape Error at Cut-In and Cut-Out Points in Abrasive Waterjet Cutting of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP)

This paper presents a solution aimed at enhancing the accuracy of abrasive waterjet cutting (AWJC) for the processing of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP). Processing CFRP with high accuracy and good surface quality in a short processing time is a difficult task. One crucial problem is the occurrence of shape errors, overcuts, at the cut-in and cut-out point during the cutting process. Shape errors have the potential to create mechanical stress concentrators, which can result in structural failures and compromise the integrity and reliability of components. The primary objective of this study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the formation mechanism underlying the shape error. The observed shape error is closely associated with both the lead-in/lead-out strategies employed and the process parameters selected. The experimental investigation focused on two commonly used strategies for CFRP cutting: lead-in/lead-out in arc and lead-in/lead-out in line. In order to minimize shape errors, this study proposed a correction method that offers a set of recommendations for selecting the appropriate lead-in/out strategy and a suitable combination of process parameters. Additionally, a mathematical model has been developed to determine the depth of the shape error. The conclusions drawn from this study have been successfully validated through industrial applications.

Plasma-Electrolytic Coatings Obtained on VT1-0 Titanium with a Short Processing Time

Plasma-Electrolytic Coatings Obtained on VT1-0 Titanium with a Short Processing Time

3D Integration via D2D Bump-Less Cu Bonding with Protruded and Recessed Topographies

Bump-less copper (Cu) bonding is currently the most attractive approach for fine-pitch (<20 μm) 3D integration due to its compatibility with the wafer back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) fabrication process. In this study, themocompression bonding of bump-less Cu pads with a diameter of 4 μm and a pitch size of 10 μm was pursued, while chemical mechanical polishing (CMP)-processed Cu pads enclosed in SiO2 were employed with both protruded and recessed topographies. The effects of Cu topography (protruded or recessed) and bonding temperature on the electrical and microstructural properties of the die bonds as well as mechanical bonding strength were investigated. It was found that thermocompression bonding of CMP-processed Cu can be realized at shorter processing times, lower bonding temperatures, and pressures than standard electroplated Cu bonding. The bonding yield of the three configurations, i.e. protruded-protruded, protruded-recessed, and recessed-recessed Cu pads was also compared.

Electron beam irradiation for enhancing the properties of natural rubber latex

Raw rubber must be vulcanized to produce a useful rubber product. Vulcanization is a chemical process that creates crosslinking points between rubber molecules, transforming it into a thermosetting material. This study aimed to prepare vulcanized natural rubber latex containing a sulfur curing package by irradiating it with electron beams at doses of 1–30 kGy. The crosslink density increased with increasing electron doses. Additionally, electron beam irradiation increased the entanglement of rubber molecules, resulting in superior mechanical properties such as modulus, tensile strength, elongation at break, and tear strength in the natural rubber latex. However, when high electron doses (>10 kGy) were applied, the crosslink density reduced owing to polymer degradation or chain scission, leading to inferior mechanical properties. To evaluate the potential of using irradiation as a replacement for conventional vulcanization processes, the properties of natural rubber latex containing a sulfur curing package vulcanized by electron beam irradiation were compared with those vulcanized by heat (conventional process). The mechanical properties of the natural rubber latex vulcanized by electron beam irradiation were superior to those of the rubber vulcanized by heat, with a 40% increase in modulus, 80% increase in tensile strength, 14% increase in elongation at break, and 36% increase in tear strength. According to these findings, electron beam irradiation, which offers high productivity and shorter processing time, is a suitable vulcanization process for natural rubber latex containing a sulfur curing package, with electron doses of 5 and 10 kGy providing superior overall balanced properties.

Influence of post-treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of additively manufactured C300 maraging steel

The aim of this work is to explore various homogenization solution-aging post- treatments (HAT) related to maraging steel, manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM), in order to achieve high-level mechanical behaviours in the shortest processing time. Different (HAT) post- treatments experiments, combinate from a common homogenization solution treatment (HT) step performed at 1020 °C for 15 min, using aqueous NaCl solutions for cooling, and aging treatment (HT) step on mechanical properties of as-built maraging steel manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM). Three different aging temperatures (485 °C, 585 °C, and 685 °C) and aging times (120 min, 150 min, and 180 min) were used on the parts. In order to characterize the effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and on the mechanical behaviour, various microscopy techniques, such as confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), were used. To quantify the mechanical behaviour of SLM maraging steel (C300), hardness measurements and tensile tests were performed after homogenization solution-aging treatments (HAT). Furthermore, a statistical model was developed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) to predict the mechanical behaviour (hardness) and determine the related significant parameter. The model related the mechanical behaviour to the post-treatment properties in the work region. Compared to the as-built parts, the microhardness and ultimate tensile strengths were significantly improved after homogenization solution-aging treatments (HAT). The effects of heat treatment parameters (cooling solutions, aging temperature and aging time) on mechanical properties depend primarily on the microstructure changes that occur. The results showed that the heat-treated parts had a finer and non-continuous microstructure, leading to higher hardness (∼20–50%) and higher ultimate tensile strength (∼25–55%) properties, as compared to the as-built parts. The microhardness and ultimate strength can go up to ∼56 HRC and 2150 MPa, respectively, at the optimal heat treatment regime (solution treatment at 1020 °C for 15 min + aging treatment at 480 °C for ∼175 min).