Short Production Cycle Research Articles

Preliminary assessment of the ultra violet curing of composites manufactured by the resin infusion between double flexible tooling process

This study evaluates the feasibility of designing and incorporating a cure on demand system into the resin infusion between double flexible tooling (RIDFT) process, using ultraviolet (UV) light for the curing of composite laminates. This work set out to develop a process for the RIDFT that would eliminate or reduce the inflexibility in the current production process, resulting in shortened production cycle times. UV cured laminates were produced at a fraction of the time required for catalyst cured laminates. Mechanical and rheological tests were performed on each of the UV cured laminates produced. The results were referenced against those obtained for laminates produced using a catalyst curing system to determine their overall quality. Experimental results from the tensile and rheological tests inferred that the UV cured laminates yielded material properties that were comparable and in a few instances slightly better than that of thermally cured laminates. POLYM. COMPOS., 27:417–424, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers

ASPECTOS RELACIONADOS COM A EMISSÃO DE METANO DE ORIGEM RUMINAL EM SISTEMAS DE PRODUÇÃO DE BOVINOS

O gás metano possui reconhecidamente um importante papel como intensificador do efeito estufa. Pelo seu processo digestivo de fermentação entérica, os ruminantes convertem os carboidratos presentes na dieta em ácidos graxos voláteis, resultando na produção de dióxido de carbono e metano. Dessa forma, os ruminantes são reconhecidos como importantes emissores de metano ruminal para a atmosfera, sendo que a produção deste gás representa ainda perdas energéticas para os animais em relação à energia consumida. Animais consumindo dietas de baixa qualidade podem produzir mais metano por unidade de produto (carne ou leite) em relação aos animais de alta produção consumindo dietas de melhor qualidade em maiores níveis de ingestão. Resultados têm mostrado que a redução da emissão de metano pela pecuária está ligada à melhoria da dieta, à melhoria dos pastos, à suplementação alimentar, à seleção por maior potencial genético de produção e a outras medidas que reflitam na melhor eficiência produtiva, resultando em menores ciclos de produção.

Bioconversion of agrowastes by Lentinula edodes: the high potential of viticulture residues

The production of four strains of edible mushroom Lentinula edodes was evaluated through solid-state fermentation (SSF) of vineyard pruning (VP), barley straw (BS), and wheat straw (WS). Biological efficiency, proximal composition, and energy value of the fruiting bodies, as well as substrate chemical changes after harvest, were determined. The shortest primordium formation time (28 days), highest biological efficiency (93.25%), highest yield (37.46%), and shortest production cycle (6 days) were observed in VP. The fruiting bodies obtained from VP had high energy value (379.09 to 392.95 kcal) and contents of protein (12.37 to 17.19%), but low contents of fat (1.82 to 2.15%). After SSF, phenol concentration decreased on VP (1.2 mmol/L) and BS (0.31 mmol/L), but on WS remained practically the same. Hemicellulose decreased in all substrates; cellulose increased on WS and decreased in the rest of the treatments. Lignin decreased on WS and BS, but its concentration increased on VP. The variability observed in the degradation capacity of lignocellulosic components was influenced by the substrate's nature, environmental factors, and genetic factors among strains. VP has great potential for shiitake production due to its low cost, short production cycles, and high biological efficiency.

Teacher-Centered Production of Hypervideo for Distance Learning

This paper introduces the main features of LEZI, a software tool oriented to the production of indexed videos (hypervideos), enriched with hypertextual and multimedia elements. In certain types of educational applications, the quality of educational content may compensate easily for a user interface limited to the essentials or a reduced set of multimedia features. Production of this kind of multimedia application can be high quality, even with short production cycles, at a very low cost. This work concentrates on this particular field with LEZI, a conventional conference/lesson that can be transformed effectively into a powerful multimedia product based on a very simple and regular structure. The authors hope that the LEZI environment, which does not require specific expertise in information technology, will allow the author of an educational multimedia product to work at a higher level than conventional authoring tools in a short time and at a low cost.

Remanufacturing system based on totally automatic MIG surfacing via robot

Remanufacturing system is a term of green system project which conforms to the national sustainable development strategy. With the demand of the high adaptability of the varieties of waste machining parts, the short product cycle, the low machining cost and the high product quality are offered. Each step of the remanufacturing system from the beginning of the scanning to the accomplishment of the welding was investigted. Aiming at building a remanufacturing system based on totally automatic MIG surfacing via robot, advanced information technology, remanufacturing technology and management, through the control of the pretreatment and the optimization to minimize the time of remanufacturing and realize the remanufacturing on the terminal products of varieties, were applied. The steps mainly incude: 1) using the visual sensor which is installed at the end of the Robot to rapidly get the outline data of the machining part and the pretreatment of the data; 2) rebuilding the curved surface based on the outline data and the integrated CAD material object model; 3) building the remanufacturing model based on the CAD material object model and projecting the remanufacturing process; and 4) accomplishing the remanufacture of the machining part by the technology of MIG surfacing.

From Grain‑ sized Innovations to Triple‑ Test Patents in ASEAN: Patterns, Issues, and Implications in Development and Competitiveness

I. Introductory Remarks The dynamics of knowledge generation and diffusion have been fundamentally transformed by the rapid and cumulative progress in science and technology (ST Popp 2003; Shapiro 2000; and Lanjouw and Schankerman 1999). Reinforced by rapid advances in transportation technologies and logistics, the ICT revolution has changed significantly the meaning of national borders and distances, and the organizational modalities in value creation. In particular, many economies have shifted towards more decentralization, greater dispersion (or deverticalization), and leaner systems in their production and services activities, stimulating further the proliferation of national and cross-border production arrangements and service platforms. This trend, often driven by foreign direct investment (FDI) among developing economies, is especially evident since the mid-1980s (Yusuf et al. 2003; Urata 2001; Borrus, Ernst, and Haggard 2000; Ito and Krueger 2000; and Lipsey 2000). In the process, what separates developed from developing economies is the substantial, and widening, gap in knowledge creation, ownership of intellectual property (IP) assets, and the sophistication of applied industrial technologies and organizational techniques (Stiglitz 2003, p. 4; and Romer 1992, pp. 64-66). Meanwhile, the liberalization and deregulation of various cross-border transactions and of domestic product and factor markets have been in progress in virtually all economies, regardless of their former shades of ideology. This has led to a huge expansion of trade and financial flows as a response to the substantial increase in world demand for goods and services as well as the emergence of vast and new business opportunities across the globe. Additionally, value creation is now subject to intensified global competition and commercial rivalries, and more sophisticated and exacting consumer choice. (2) In the process, most manufactured goods have become standardized and are produced or customized in mass for greater economies of scale, scope, and agglomeration. Commoditization helps to counterbalance the falling prices and squeezed profit margins of many manufactures; the shorter product cycles and lead-time advantage; and the rapid obsolescence of costly technologies, equipment, and acquired skills. (3) All these developments have enhanced greatly the intrinsic importance of inventive entrepreneurship and the technology-driven small--and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as a major source of competitiveness in developed and, to a rising degree, developing economies. (4) Indeed, about nine-tenths of gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States are generated (directly and indirectly) from innovations and inventions since 1870 (Baumol 2002, pp. 133-34), yet another indicator of the much larger gains in total factor productivity (TFP) among the KBEs (more later in the text). As such, IP and the evolving global and regional regimes on intellectual property rights (IPRs) will have an even more profound and unprecedented influence on the social well-being, technological capabilities, and economic progress of interdependent economies in the years to come, those in the developing region especially. …

EFFECTS OF PACLOBUTRAZOL ON GROWTH AND FRUITING CHARACTERISTICS OF ´PITANGA´ ORNAMENTAL PEPPER

Two experiments using container-grown ornamental pepper (Capsicum chinense ‘Pitanga’), were conduced to determine effects of paclobutrazol on growth and fruiting responses. In experiment 1, paclobutrazol was sprayed on the canopy at concentrations of 0; 30; 60; 90; 120 and 150 mg ai⋅L. In experiment 2, paclobutrazol drenches were applied at 0, 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 mg ai⋅L. Increasing paclobutrazol concentration decreased plant height, plant diameter and plant dry mass but increased leaf chlorophyll content in both experiments. Severe height retardation of plants was evident at 30 and 60 mg ai⋅L in the second experiment, also exhibiting phytotoxicity symptoms. Paclobutrazol treated plants exhibited greener leaves compared to untreated plants. Increasing paclobutrazol foliar application concentrations, the fruit diameter was increased and the fruit weight was unaffected. Considerations of growth and fruiting response should be balanced when using paclobutrazol in ‘Pitanga’ ornamental pepper pot production. INTRODUCTION Brazil has a large genetic diversity of wild peppers but more scientific research is needed to undertanding the growth cycles and cultural requirements of those plants. The use of peppers as ornamental potted plants exhibit advantages like easy seed propagation, short cycle production, heat and drought tolerance, fruit production and excellent postharvest performance (Harbaugh and Waters, 1979). A new genetic access ‘Pitanga’ pepper (Capsicum chinense), catalogued in Germoplasm Bank of Federal University of Vicosa, has potential as an ornamental pot plant, if the growth can be controlled. Application of growth retardants is a common practice for commercial growers to achieve attractive compact pot-grown plants. Researchers have reported that paclobutrazol, a triazole plant growth regulator, is effective in controlling vegetative growth and promoting compactness in the production of a number of ornamental plants including Chrysanthemum morifolium (Barret, 1982; Zalewska, 1989), Lilium longiflorum (Jiao et al. 1986), Euphorbia pulcherrima (Goulston and Shearing, 1985) and Tulips (McDaniel, 1990). Starman (1993) investigated the effects of different concentrations of uniconazole, another triazole plant growth regulator, on controlling growth and fruiting of ‘Holiday Cheer’ Capsicum annuum. Concentrations ranging from 5.0 to 15.0 mg•L gave adequade height control. Triazoles are generally more effective in retarding growth when applied to the soil or directly to stems compared to foliar applications (Davis et al., 1988). However, foliar and drench paclobutrazol applications have been studied on growth control of ornamental plant production (Anderson and Hartley, 1990; Banon et al., 2002). Despite the use of paclobutrazol in the industry of potted plants, few studies have been published concerning paclobutrazol efficacy for ornamental peppers. Also, evaluation of the effect of paclobutrazol on growth and fruiting characteristics of ‘Pitanga’ ornamental pepper has not been reported. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of paclobutrazol on growth and fruiting characteristics of ‘Pitanga’ ornamental pepper. Proc. V IS on New Flor. Crops Eds.: A.F.C. Tombolato and G.M. Dias-Tagliacozzo Acta Hort. 683, ISHS 2005

Overcome management bias and win the globalisation and innovation races: a four-step international expansion strategy

With shorter product cycles, firms need to improve their innovation capacity and spread rapidly their innovations abroad before they are imitated or superseded. But when expanding internationally, managers often frame their decisions narrowly, leading to overconfidence and optimism in their market entries. This management bias often leads firms into less attractive markets with large inflexible investments that limit learning and innovation. To overcome this management bias, the article advances a Four-Step Strategy to achieve broad, rapid, deep, and innovative international expansion.

The road in the laboratory

Ever shorter product cycles require faster and more efficient commercial vehicle development. Engineers at MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG have developed a test-bed concept which has been planned and implemented by Schreiber, Brand & Partner in collaboration with Renk AG. It allows reproducible measurements and tests to be performed under constant conditions and permits the simulation of a very wide range of influences affecting vehicles in everyday road use.

Growth hormone transgenic salmon pay for growth potential with increased predation mortality

Recent advances in gene technology have been applied to create fast-growing transgenic fish, which are of great commercial interest owing to their potential to shorten production cycles and increase food production. However, there is growing concern and speculation over the impact that escaped growth hormone (GH)-transgenic fish may have on the natural environment. To predict these risks it is crucial to obtain empirical data on the relative fitness of transgenic and non-transgenic fish under nature-like conditions. Using landscaped stream aquaria with live food and predators, we show that the predation mortality of newly hatched GH-transgenic coho salmon fry (Oncorhynchus kisutch) is much higher than in non-transgenic conspecifics, and that this difference is amplified when food abundance decreases. The growth rate of transgenic and non-transgenic fish is similar at high food levels, whereas transgenic fish grow more slowly than non-transgenic fish when food abundance is reduced. Our results suggest that the fitness of young GH-transgenic coho salmon in the wild will be determined by both predation pressure and food availability.

Clerodendrum as Flowering Potted Plants

The genus Clerodendrum is of interest to the floriculture industry as a woody, flowering pot plant because of its variation in type of foliage and flowers, production of many inflorescences on one plant, continuous bloom, fast growing and short production cycle. Plant height, however, needs to be successfully controlled to produce a marketable plant. Paclobutrazol (Bonzi) and ancymidol (A-Rest) have been shown to reduce plant growth and increase the number of flowers of C. thomsoniae. The remaining species are relatively new to the floriculture industry and very little information is available on use of growth retardants. Determination of the proper timing, number of applications and rates of growth retardants were studied. Paclobutrazol and ancymidol were applied either as a spray at 0, 100 or 200 ppm, or as a drench at 0, 0.5 or 1.0 a.i./pot to C. thomsoniae, C. ugandense, and C. bungii. Applications began three weeks after rooted cuttings were potted for three consecutive weeks, with randomized plants treated either in week one, two or three with all treatment rates. As in previous studies, C. thomsoniae responded to paclobutrazol and ancymidol by producing a marketable plant, while plant height of C. ugandense and C. bungii was not affected by treatments.

Study on new method of the preparation of pure ammonium metatungstate (AMT) using a coupling process of neutralization–nanofiltration–crystallization

Using a coupling process of neutralization–nanofiltration–crystallization, pure ammonium metatungstate (AMT) was prepared. The effects of chemical neutralization of ammonium paratungstate (APT) by nitric acid, operating pressure, AMT concentration, the volume of washing water on the coupling process were systematically discussed. It was found that the better conditions of AMT preparation were as follows: the neutralization temperature was 80–95 °C, pH value was 2.0–3.5; the operating pressure of HDS-12-2 nanofiltration was 1.5–2.0 MPa, the density of AMT crystallization solution was 2.39 kg/L, and then cooling. APT conversion efficiency ( δ) to AMT was more than 97.62%. The removal ratio of nitrate ion (NO 3 −) was more than 99% while AMT rejection ( R AMT) was 99.9%. Besides, small-grained, even-proportioned, white-colored and high-purified AMT crystal was be obtained and analyzed. This method has several advantages such as simple technological process, short production cycle, lower environmental pollution and high quality.

Rapid metal tooling by applying plasma spraying and rapid prototyping/rapid tooling technology for metal sheet forming

To manufacture the metal mould for high-quality metal sheet parts forming at low cost with a short production cycle, an innovative method of mould manufacturing, based on rapid prototyping (RP)/rapid tooling (RT) technology by plasma spraying is proposed in this paper. First, the technological process of the rapid metal mould manufacturing is introduced, and the key technologies of the process such as RP fabrication technology, unbaked ceramic transition mould process, plasma spraying and back-up process are also introduced. Then, experimental moulds for the metal sheet parts forming are successfully made via this process, and examination and analysis of a mould is carried out. It proves that the method of manufacturing a rapid mould for metal sheet parts forming by plasma spraying and RP/RT technology is a successful technique.

Stackable system-on-packages with integrated components

In recent years, an increasing number of mobile electronic products such as mobile communicators, combining the functions of a mobile phone and a PDA are beginning to emerge. These devices are highly miniaturized and yet provide a variety of functions at ever higher speeds. Additionally, the product cycle time is getting faster, requiring short design and production cycles at ever lower cost. These trends are posing great set of challenges for the microelectronics and packaging and assembly industry. There seem to be two approaches to solve these challenges-system-in-package (SIP) by stacking of packaged integrated circuits (ICs) or system-on-package (SOP) by stacking of packages with embedded active and passive components. The buried components in SOP require significantly less space in the Z direction, thereby allowing the formation of three-dimensional (3-D) stackable packages. In this paper, two approaches for stacking SOPs were presented, the so-called chip-in-polymer (CIP) technology and duromer molded interconnect device (MID)/WLP technology.

Continuous Failure Diagnosis for Assembly Systems using Rough Set Approach

Increasingly, companies require faster ramp-up in order to cope with shorter production cycles and greater demand for product variety. Since quality and dimensional problems are one of the major reasons for delay during ramp-up, rapid diagnosis of dimensional failures is of critical concern. Given the lack of historical data and incomplete process knowledge in ramp-up, a Rough Set based diagnosis methodology is proposed which focuses on developing: (1) Self-learning ability to detect new faults as a system undergoes adjustments; and (2) A continuous diagnostic for faults rather than a crisp definition of faults. A case study illustrates the proposed approach.

Follow the rainbow: a knowledge management framework for new product introduction

This paper describes the development of a knowledge management framework for the “new product introduction process” of Motorola. Motorola operates in a very dynamic business with short product cycles, and has a clear need, therefore, to leverage the knowledge available worldwide. After developing a theoretical framework that reflected Motorola’s business processes, a large‐scale survey among workers at different locations in the world was conducted. The survey results were used for the design of a knowledge management framework, which supports sharing of various types of knowledge on different business levels.

Rapid prototyping for wireless designs: the five-ones approach

In a highly innovative market, wireless systems nowadays undergo very short production cycles. Due to these tough timing constraints, the time-consuming process of prototyping is often neglected, jeopardizing the entire product becoming successful. Heavy application of automatic tools can allow for rapid prototyping overcoming this unfortunate situation and de-risking the product challenge. However, the application of automatic tools alone does not speed up the prototyping process sufficiently. By reflecting on current design processes, several paradigms for faster prototyping are concluded, named the Five-Ones Approach: One team, One environment, One code, One documentation and One code revision tool. Based on such a Five-Ones Approach, a consistent prototyping environment to implement a prototyping design from first idea to final implementation is presented in this paper. In particular, the design of a prototype for a MIMO system with four transmit and four receive antennas, based on the current UMTS FDD downlink standard is reported.

Cycle time management during production ramp-up

Aggressive capacity ramp rate of a semiconductor wafer fabrication is vital for the commercial success of the enterprise. Basic requirements are short and stable production cycle times to timely qualify equipment and to provide acceptable yield. Therefore, in the ramp-up environment which is characterized by high variability and uncertainty, an adequate methodology is required to properly manage the conflict of short cycle times and fast throughput increase. This paper presents a methodology to manage cycle time by closely monitoring and limiting the work in process (WIP), by means of the so-called “WIP caps”. Used consequently, this methodology allows the ramp rate to accelerate as soon as the factory performance enables this while keeping cycle times under control.

Unidirectional AGV guidepath network design: A heuristic algorithm

In an AGV system, the design of the guidepath network is one of the most important factors that determine the system effectiveness. Many alternative guidepath design schema have been introduced in the literature. However, the methods generally address the static production environment where the product mix or machine routings are assumed to be stable over time. In today's dynamic production systems with small lot sizes and short product cycles, the assumption of an unchanging product mix over an extended period is unrealistic in some situations. Considerable system inefficiency can be introduced when a network designed under the assumption of a stable product mix is used when indeed the product mix has changed. To avoid this kind of hidden source of inefficiency, what is needed is a tool that can recognize when a previously designed network is inappropriate for a new product mix and then uses the new product routing information to reconfigure a new network appropriate for the new production condition. A heuristic algorithm for the design of AGV guidepath in an environment with changing product mix is proposed here. The algorithm not only makes it possible to adapt the system network as the product mix changes, but also produces new designs at reasonably short computational time.

Editorial announcement

As the editors of the Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Karen L. Wooley of Washington University in St. Louis as the fourth editor of the journal. Wooley, an acknowledged world leader in polymer synthesis, biologically related macromolecules, and nanoscopically defined materials, will be joining us in an effort to further increase the publication efficiency, impact, and quality of the journal. The expertise, vision, and enthusiasm that Wooley will certainly bring to the journal are key components in our continuing goal of providing the polymer chemistry community and related communities with the highest quality forum for the publication of research results. It is an exciting time for polymer science in general and polymer chemistry in particular, with its continuing evolution at the interface between chemistry, biology, and physics. With this evolution also come a number of changes, innovations, and improvements to continue the growth and success of the Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry. The appointment of Wooley as our newest editor is among the most obvious. Wooley will enhance the already strong effort of the journal in the areas of biomacromolecular chemistry and nanoscience and promote publications of high quality in these emerging topics. The last few years have also seen a continuous improvement in the impact factor of the journal and a substantial decrease in the publication time. In 2003, electronic submission will become available for authors, leading to an even shorter production cycle from the receipt of a manuscript to its publication on the web and in print. All of these changes and improvements have been made with an eye to the future and to better service for our authors and readers. It is our belief that the Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry provides an outstanding and ever-improving forum for the prompt publication of the most important developments in the fundamental organic and physical organic chemistry of natural and synthetic macromolecules and in related disciplines, including such topics as the organic, bioorganic, bioinorganic, and biological chemistry of monomers, polymers, oligomers, and model compounds; the inorganic and organometallic chemistry of catalysts; mechanistic studies of polymerization; supramolecular chemistry relevant to natural and synthetic polymers; and the reactions of natural and synthetic polymers. We are indebted to our advisory editors; to the members of our editorial board; to the editorial staff at John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; to our own editorial assistants; and especially to all our colleagues from around the world who are our authors and who serve as our referees. Your manuscripts, your support, and your advice are critical for the continuing success and evolution of the Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, and we hope that you are as pleased as we are with the addition of such a prominent scientist as Karen L. Wooley to our editorial team.