Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies Research Articles

Grindability study of hard to cut AISI D2 steel upon ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding

Ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding is a sustainable hybrid manufacturing technology that decreases the negative environmental impact of coolant, reduces manufacturing costs, and improves surface integrity. The present investigation analyses the mechanisms associated with ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding of AISI D2 tool steel with an alumina grinding wheel. It also compares the influence of traditional dry grinding and traditional wet grinding modes with the ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding mode at different ultrasonic vibration amplitudes. Ultrasonic vibration was applied to the sample in the longitudinal feed direction. Further, kinematics of the abrasive grit path during the traditional grinding and ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding is presented schematically. In this research, the impacts of ultrasonic vibration amplitude as well as the depth of cut on the process yields such as ground surface topography, grinding force, specific grinding energy, force ratio, surface finish, microstructure, and hardness were investigated experimentally. Experimental results revealed that the highest decline in tangential and normal grinding forces in ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding at ultrasonic vibration amplitude 10 µm and the reduction in surface roughness parameter ( Ra, Rq, and Rz) in ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding was 43.23%, 42.59%, and 33.69%, respectively, in comparison to those in traditional dry grinding and 26.35%, 26.94%, and 27.48%, respectively, in comparison to those in traditional wet grinding. It was observed that ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding is beneficial as the profile produced by ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding has a comparatively flat tip, and profile points are shifted to the bottom of the mean line. This study is expected to assist ultrasonic vibration-assisted dry grinding of hard materials.

Material Anisotropy in Additively Manufactured Polymers and Polymer Composites: A Review.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a sustainable and innovative manufacturing technology to fabricate products with specific properties and complex shapes for additive manufacturable materials including polymers, steels, titanium, copper, ceramics, composites, etc. This technology can well facilitate consumer needs on products with complex geometry and shape, high strength and lightweight. It is sustainable with having a layer-by-layer manufacturing process contrary to the traditional material removal technology—subtractive manufacturing. However, there are still challenges on the AM technologies, which created barriers for their further applications in engineering fields. For example, materials properties including mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of the additively manufactured products are greatly affected by using different ways of AM methods and it was found as the material anisotropy phenomenon. In this study, a detailed literature review is conducted to investigate research work conducted on the material anisotropy phenomenon of additively manufactured materials. Based on research findings on material anisotropy phenomenon reported in the literature, this review paper aims to understand the nature of this phenomenon, address main factors and parameters influencing its severity on thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of 3D printed parts, and also, explore potential methods to minimise or mitigate this unwanted anisotropy. The outcomes of this study would be able to shed a light on improving additive manufacturing technologies and material properties of additively manufactured materials.

Technology-Driven Responsiveness in Times of COVID-19: A Fuzzy Delphi and Fuzzy AHP-Based Approach

Supply chain responsiveness creates value for firms and their stakeholders and is a key towards generating above-normal profits for firms. Consequently, there has been a surge of research on it, which has expanded due to the pressures to be responsive during the pandemic of COVID19. Responsiveness is an attribute wherein the supply chains are equipped to respond resolutely and within a suitable timeframe to consumer requirements. The trouble to businesses posed by COVID-19 caught several firms off-guard. Further, there is limited research on the augmentation of supply chain responsiveness through new technologies. The present research, therefore, applies a hybrid approach by combining fuzzy Delphi and fuzzy AHP to understand the technology-driven enablers of supply chain responsiveness by employing a case company in food retail. The investigation reveals that supply chain integration technologies, sustainable manufacturing technologies, and smart warehousing are the most important enablers of supply chain responsiveness in the context of food supply chains. The results aid the key enablers that need attention and resources to be directed towards these enablers to eliminate a chance of missing on a successful transition into a more responsive supply chain.

Novel ultrasonic horn design for machining advanced brittle composites: A step forward towards green and sustainable manufacturing

Ultrasonic assisted machining is a proven green and sustainable manufacturing technology owing to low power consumption, no/low usage of lubricant, pollution free nature of the process, excellent machining quality and enhanced tool life. Performance of ultrasonic assisted machining system greatly depends on the amplitude of vibration of the tool, achieved through an ultrasonic horn, design of which is a main interest of researchers. Higher vibration amplification helps achieve good machining quality, minimizes wastes and produces dust free environment. In current research work, novel ultrasonic horn has been deigned to achieve higher vibration amplitude at tool end for ultrasonic machining of advanced brittle composites. 3rd order polynomial equation was used to define horn profile, having resonant frequency closer but greater than generator’s excitation frequency for high magnification factor. Modal and harmonic analyses were carried out to compute axial modal frequency, vibration amplitude, magnification factor and stresses numerically. Performance of newly designed ultrasonic horn was observed to be much better than that of state of the art of standard horn designs in terms of vibration amplification within safe working stress limits. With the same dimensions, the results were compared and found to be in good agreement with the past research. The magnification factor for novel horn design was observed to be 77.56% and 62.73 % higher as compared to that of step and 3rd order Bezier horns. Gaussian horn was also found to provide high vibration amplification when designed with axial modal frequency greater than the generator frequency. • Evaluates standard ultrasonic standard horn designs for machining advanced brittle composites. • Proposes a novel ultrasonic horn design to achieve higher vibration amplification. • Evaluates ultrasonic horns at axial modal frequency greater than generator frequency. • Highlights merits and demerits of ultrasonic horns for frequency ratio less than 1. • Offers recommendations for future work.

Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies: A Systematic Review of Latest Trends and Themes

Meeting current needs while not sacrificing the future ability to do so as a key sustainability concept is becoming more challenging than ever, with the increasing population rate, energy poverty, global warming, and surging demand for products and services. Manufacturing is in a prime position to address this challenge, with its significant economic contribution to the global GDP and its high influence over the environment and humanity. Sustainable manufacturing technologies research is growing to support our journey towards sustainable development. This article undertook the systematic review of state-of-the-art sustainable manufacturing technologies literature, evidencing the latest themes and trends in this important research avenue. Descriptive and thematic analyses were performed, synthesising the latest advancements in the field. Sustainable manufacturing processes, especially sustainable machining, was established as a key theme, including research endeavours of elimination of lubricants. Various manufacturing systems and process sustainability assessment technologies were noted. Sustainability indicators addressed were critically evaluated. As an outcome, a conceptual framework of sustainable manufacturing technology research was constructed to structure the knowledge acquired and to provoke future thinking. Finally, challenges and future directions were provided for both industrial and academic reader base, stimulating growth in this fruitful research stream.

Sound singularity analysis for milling tool condition monitoring towards sustainable manufacturing

Manufacturing plays an important role since they are among the largest energy consumers in modern societies. With the enhancement of environmental protection and a severe shortage of energy and resources globally, sustainable manufacturing technology has been recognized as an important future trend of manufacturing industries. Tool wear is inevitable in manufacturing and affects the surface quality and geometric tolerance significantly. Therefore, a robust and efficient Tool Condition Monitoring (TCM) system is needed to maximize tool life, ensure work-piece quality and benefit the cost control of manufacturers. Even though lots of tool condition monitoring systems have been established using various sensors, there is still an urgent demand for a low-cost and simple setup system. This article presents a sound singularity analysis approach for TCM in milling; this approach has never been previously employed for milling tools. A de-noising algorithm based on Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima (WTMM) estimation was proposed to eliminate noises and preserve singularities. Then a wavelet basis selection method was established for optimal sound singularity analysis. The singularity was estimated by Holder Exponents (HE). A full tool life-cycle milling experiments were conducted to obtain the sound signals. The mutual information method was employed to rank HE features. The Means, Standard deviations, Minima of estimated HEs and Quantities of singular points are found most correlated to tool conditions. Then a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model trained by these features for TCM has been proposed, achieving classification accuracy of 85%. Finally, the manufacturing sustainability of the TCM approach was evaluated by tracking and improving the usages of ten same type cutters in the CNC manufacturing plant. Experimental results indicate that this approach is efficient and capable of providing effective guidance on tool replacement, and can enhance the manufacturing sustainability.

Sustainable production of organic acids via ozonation of biomass derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural

Extracting value-added chemicals from renewable resources has attracted much attention in facing the crises arising from fossil resources. This study elucidates a promising strategy of producing valuable organic acids, including maleic acid, formic acid and succinic acid, via a new ozonation process. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural, two platform chemicals obtained from biomass hydrolysis, are used as the raw materials. Under alkaline reaction condition (25 °C, 10 mg/L O3, and 90 min), improved yields of maleic acid, succinic acid and formic acid reached 25.3 wt%, 10.0 wt% and 41.1 wt% from HMF, as well as 17.6 wt%, 2.5 wt% and 79.5 wt% from furfural; respectively. This sustainable manufacturing technology exhibited significant advantages, including one simple process, room condition, avoiding of organic solvent and absence of metal catalysts. This work paves the ways from biomass to commercial organic acids via hydrolysis followed by ozonation.

Influence of process parameters of wire EDM on surface finish of Ti6Al4V

Ti6Al4V is an alloy of titanium that offers high strength to weight ratio and excellent corrosion resistance which makes it of greater commercial value. It is widely used in the areas where high strength to weight ratio is of prime importance such as aerospace and automobile. Wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) is generally used for machining of Ti6Al4V alloy to obtain intricate shapes required for various applications. The present work focuses on studying the surface characteristics of Wire electric discharge machined Ti6Al4V alloy. Wire EDM has been done by varying few important process parameters such as feed rate, wire speed and voltage. Two different levels of wire speed and voltage and five different levels of feed rates were considered and the experiments were conducted using full factorial design. The post surface topography was analyzed using a non-contact optical profilometer and the quantitative roughness parameters such as Ra, Rq, Rz, Rp and Rv were analyzed. Variation of each roughness parameters were plotted against different process parameters. Main effect plot and interaction plot for Ra value against process parameters was plotted and optimized the process parameters of Wire EDM to obtain best surface finish. It was observed from the main effect plot that wire speed and feed rate are the most critical factors affecting the average roughness value. The optimum Wire EDM process parameters for machining of Ti6Al4V was concluded as low feed rate, high voltage and high wire speed within the limits of parameters considered for the study. Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Sustainable materials, Manufacturing and Renewable Technologies (i-SMaRT 2021)

Microstructural and mechanical properties evaluation of dissimilar aluminum alloy and bronze joints using friction stir welding

The current research work discusses on the mechanical and metallurgical studies of process of joining aluminium alloy and bronze by using friction stir welding method. The dimensions of base and substrate materials is considered as 100 mm × 50 mm × 4 mm. H13 Tool Steel with conical shape is utilized as a tool and the diameter of shoulder is chosen as 40 mm. The various process parameters such as speed of welding, rotational speed of tool, tilt angle of tool and axial force are considered as the most influencing parameters in this work. The welding speed affects the mechanical properties of friction stir welding weldments. Hence, the experiments are carried out to evaluate hardness and tensile strength of the friction stir weld joint. The output of tensile test suggested that speed of the welding 20 mm/min exhibits a high tensile strength of 94.5 MPa. In addition, maximum hardness value of 75 BHN is attained at the welding 20 mm/min welding speed. From the experimental study, the optimal process parameters are found as 10 kN axial force, 1125 rpm rotational speed, 20 mm/min welding speed and 2° tilt angle of the tool. Further microstructure studies of FSW welded joint resulted that there is existence of reinforcement and even spreading of the particles all over the weld region.Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Sustainable materials, Manufacturing and Renewable Technologies (i-SMaRT 2021)

Fabrication and analysis of LM13/B4C/Gr hybrid metal matrix composites

Due to mechanical characteristics like light weight nature, enhanced wear resistance, greater strength to wear ratio, stiffness, and better electrical and thermal properties, Aluminium (Al) matrix composites are deployed in military, automotive and aerospace areas. Frequently utilized ceramic elements for reinforcing with Al are alumina and silicon carbide (SiC). Boron carbide (B4C) is an excellent reinforcement substance having a higher hardness than other substances. Because of its substantial hardness, B4C can be used as a substitute to alumina and SiC. In addition to its superior hardness, modest density, greater strength, better chemical stability, and wear resistance are diverse appealing characteristics of B4C. So, for boosting the properties of the LM13/Gr composite samples, B4C is added up to 9% by considering its clustering property. This article describes the production process of LM13/B4C/Gr composites and evaluation of their mechanical characteristics. Stir casting method is adopted to produce the Al composite samples and the mechanical properties of new hybrid composites are found improved. Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Sustainable materials, Manufacturing and Renewable Technologies (i-SMaRT 2021)

Immobilized Biocatalyst Engineering: High throughput enzyme immobilization for the integration of biocatalyst improvement strategies

The increasing use of sustainable manufacturing technologies in the industry presents a constant challenge for the development of suitable biocatalysts. Traditionally, improved biocatalysts are developed either using protein engineering (PE) or enzyme immobilization (EI). However, these approaches are usually not simultaneously applied. In this work, we designed and validated an enzyme improvement platform, Immobilized Biocatalyst Engineering (IBE), which simultaneously integrates PE and EI, with a unique combination of improvement through amino acid substitutions and attachment to a support material, allowing to select variants that would not be found through single or subsequent PE and EI improvement strategies. Our results show that there is a significant difference on the best performing variants identified through IBE, when compared to those that could be identified as soluble enzymes and then immobilized, especially when evaluating variants with low enzyme as soluble enzymes and high activity when immobilized. IBE allows evaluating thousands of variants in a short time through an integrated screening, and selection can be made with more information, resulting in the detection of highly stable and active heterogeneous biocatalysts. This novel approach can translate into a higher probability of finding suitable biocatalysts for highly demanding processes.

Investigation on microgrid control for grid tied PV battery system incorporating sustainable manufacturing technology

In today’s scenario, the Sustainable Manufacturing has become vital due to the increase in expense of conventional resources. The awareness on the pollution causing factors to have risen under societal pressure which emphasize on recycling the waste thereby reducing the pollution. Therefore, power generation using sustainable technology has gained momentum all over the world and in a developing nation like India which is also blessed with sunlight throughout the year, this sustainable power generation has taken its place and a proper control strategy to operate the system effectively is needed. In this paper investigation is done on a three-phase utility interfaced Microgrid system by applying Optimum Filtering Theory Control. The Microgrid is incorporated with the manageable Battery Energy Storage (BES) and Photovoltaic (PV) cluster at DC transport of voltage source converter (VSC) to save capacity efficiently for the nearby loads and conveyance coordinated with improved power quality ability. At present Lithium Ion BES is utilized to improve the security and dependability of PV-BES microgrid framework. The Li-Ion BES isn't just gainful on every day vitality sparing however it is likewise estimated to outfit smoothing offices to the PV-BES microgrid framework. The optimum filtering theory based control is used to control the PV-BES microgrid system in current control mode. The dynamic operation of PV-BES Microgrid system is improved by incorporating the PV Feed Forward (PVFF) in current control for active power injection in the Utility. PV-BES Microgrid Network performance is tested and validated.

A big data-driven framework for sustainable and smart additive manufacturing

• A big data driven framework of sustainable and smart additive manufacturing is proposed. • Key enabling technologies are designed to implement the framework. • Benefits of the framework were explained for additive manufacturing. • An application of AlSi10Mg products is presented by SLM system for validation of SSAM framework. From the last decade, additive manufacturing (AM) has been evolving speedily and has revealed the great potential for energy-saving and cleaner environmental production due to a reduction in material and resource consumption and other tooling requirements. In this modern era, with the advancements in manufacturing technologies, academia and industry have been given more interest in smart manufacturing for taking benefits for making their production more sustainable and effective. In the present study, the significant techniques of smart manufacturing, sustainable manufacturing, and additive manufacturing are combined to make a unified term of sustainable and smart additive manufacturing (SSAM). The paper aims to develop framework by combining big data analytics, additive manufacturing, and sustainable smart manufacturing technologies which is beneficial to the additive manufacturing enterprises. So, a framework of big data-driven sustainable and smart additive manufacturing (BD-SSAM) is proposed which helped AM industry leaders to make better decisions for the beginning of life (BOL) stage of product life cycle. Finally, an application scenario of the additive manufacturing industry was presented to demonstrate the proposed framework. The proposed framework is implemented on the BOL stage of product lifecycle due to limitation of available resources and for fabrication of AlSi10Mg alloy components by using selective laser melting (SLM) technique of AM. The results indicate that energy consumption and quality of the product are adequately controlled which is helpful for smart sustainable manufacturing, emission reduction, and cleaner production.

(Invited) Additive Manufacturing: Sustainable Manufacturing of Flexible Sensors, Systems and Devices

Unlike subtractive manufacturing processes, additive manufacturing (AM), also called as 3D printing, can directly produce complex three‐dimensional parts. With near-complete design freedom, it is advantageous in markets that have a demand for customization, flexibility, design complexity, and high transportation costs. This process holds a great deal of potential for manufacturing novel designs and materials for sensors, electronics, energy conversion and storage devices, which were previously inaccessible due to the constraints of traditional manufacturing methods. Like any other manufacturing technology, AM suffers from certain limitations that hinder the use of AM in the field of sensor and energy research: 1) lack of materials available for AM; 2) multi-material AM; and 3) feature size and accuracy. In order to overcome these limitations, my team and I have developed a universal multi-material 3D printer that is capable of printing metals, thermoplastics, gels, pastes, elastomers, and nanocomposites. This newly developed 3D printer is unique in the sense that it employs a screw-based extrusion system. The different materials to be 3D printed (also known as feedstock) are fed into the hopper, the single screw extrusion system mixes and melts the materials, removes any air bubbles, and extrudes the nanocomposite material through a specially developed nozzle ensuring 3D printing without any defects. By using this universal multi-material 3D printer, my team and I have been able to 3D print steel, aluminum, silver, nickel, cobalt, copper, carbon fiber-based nanocomposites, ionic gels, semiconducting materials, titanium dioxide, various thermoplastics, wood, and epoxies. Work is ongoing to increase the resolution of this universal material 3D printer, but more research needs to be carried out to achieve sub 100-micron structures. With the success of this universal material 3D printer, we began to focus on developing 3D printed flexible sensors [1], electronics [2], solid state battries [3] and vanadium redox flow batteries by using recycled vanadium collected from ammonia slag [4]. We are also currently testing the mechanical properties of 3D printed materials against bulk materials in order to understand degradation mechanisms. Considering all of these factors, AM (3D printing) has great potential to become a sustainable manufacturing technology for flexible sensors, electronics and storage devices such as lithium ion batteries, redox flow batteries. This talk will discuss examples of ongoing research work on AM manufactured sensors, systems and devices.Keeping in mind the interdisciplinary in nature of the work, his talk will focuses on the development of sustainable 3D and 4D printable hybrid nanocomposite materials, with applications in energy storage devices, energy harvesting, flexible/stretchable sensors for the Internet of Things (IoT), and soft robotics. Careful consideration is given to synthesis and designing of 3D and 4D printable hybrid materials, so that the processes involved do not compromise the natural environment, or the ability of future generations to maintain sustainable communities.A key insight from our research over the last five years is that 3D and 4D printable hybrid nanocomposite materials for sensors, electronics, energy conversion and storage devices can only be implemented and improved when degradation mechanisms are clearly understood. With the goal of enhanced longevity, our research program aims to contribute to the fundamental understanding of degradation mechanisms, root causes, and failure modes in 3D and 4D hybrid nanocomposite materials. Specific research objectives are to: 1. Develop in-depth knowledge of key degradation mechanisms, from root cause to failure, in 3D and 4D hybrid nanocomposite materials;2. Develop modeling tools for longevity predictions and demonstrate strategies for longevity enhancements in 3D and 4D hybrid nanocomposite materials;3. Deploy and test 3D and 4D hybrid nanocomposite materials in real world scenarios.4. Establish and promote research collaborations between scientists working in sustainable energy engineering, materials science and computer science (machine learning) fields; and5. Establish collaborations with industrial and academic sectors, and all levels of government, to engage in dialogue on the societal implementation of developed technologies.To realize a sustainable society, it is necessary to promote not only the circulation of resources, but also the efficient use of energy, the development of new technologies associated with the efficient use of energy and materials such as (machine learning and artificial intelligence), recycling of valuable resources, and the production of environmentally friendly materials and systems. My long-term goal is to be part of the solution to help build a sustainable world by training future generations of researchers, ensuring effective knowledge mobilization, and engaging communities to develop sustainable engineering solutions.

Electroforming in the Industry 4.0 Era

Abstract In the Industry 4.0 Era, big data and automation will require precise knowledge that allows one to control, monitor and predict a process. Electroforming, which is the fabrication of free-standing components using electrodeposition, is rapidly gaining acceptance as a sustainable additive manufacturing technology. However, current knowledge of electroforming is based on empirical data, and academic engagement in this area has been limited. This article throws light on some of the complex issues surrounding the electrochemical and chemical behaviour during electroforming, which are yet unresolved. The differences between cathodic reactions in sulfamates and sulfates, ambiguities related to the role of boric acid and paucity of data on anode reactions are highlighted.

The mixed production mode considering continuous and intermittent processing for an energy-efficient hybrid flow shop scheduling

Abstract Energy-saving scheduling in forging production has attracted increasing attention because of the advances in sustainable manufacturing technologies. The unit energy consumption of forging production equipment is significantly higher than that of other general manufacturing equipment. Employing efficient and energy-saving scheduling methods can significantly reduce the energy consumption in forging production. However, the relationship between heating furnace and other equipment in forging production is complicated, resulting in few studies on energy-saving scheduling problem for forging production line. Thus, the energy-efficient hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with forging operations (EHFSP-FO) was investigated in this research. First, the production mode considering multiple time factors and mixed production was established. The mixed production mode consisted of continuous processing with variable parameters and intermittent processing. Then, a novel mathematical model considering makespan and energy consumption was constructed based on the mixed production mode for the proposed problem, and a new rule to identify the optimum transportation sequence and time was formulated. Furthermore, the population and major operators were designed and applied to an evolutionary algorithm by weighted sum approach. The scheduling results were achieved based on the real-world process data for different types of ring forgings to verify the feasibility of the established mathematical model. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed mathematical model can be used to identify the optimal schedule considering makespan and energy consumption simultaneously.

Preliminary design of sustainable industrial process alternatives based on eco-efficiency approaches: The maleic anhydride case study

The increasing need for mitigating environmental impacts has led the industries to develop more sustainable processes, which may represent an arduous task since economic, safety, social and environmental factors must be considered. Hence, this paper demonstrates the relevance of using sustainability indicators in developing cleaner industrial processes. Such metrics were used to design a more sustainable butane-based maleic anhydride manufacturing technology, which was compared to the benzene-based route in terms of economic, safety and environmental indicators. The analysis showed that, although the latter consumes approximately 2.8% less water, generates about 3.1% less wastewater and is 70 times less hazardous in terms of fire/explosion risks, the former is not only 33.8% more profitable but also consumes 28% less energy and, consequently, emits approximately 42.9% less CO2. After grouping the fifteen sustainability metrics in a composite evaluation index, the butane-based process proved to be about 34% more eco-efficient than the benzene-based technology.

Internal and external surface features of newly developed porous ceramics with random interconnected 3D channels by a fibrous sacrificial porogen method

Abstract The bone remodeling research field has shifted focus towards sustainable, eco-friendly and reproducible manufacturing technologies of 3D structures. It is now accepted that a suitable internal architecture and an active interface between the 3D structure and host bone-tissue constitute the two most critical traits for a successful bone tissue engineering application. A completely reproducible synthesis set-up was recently developed for calcium phosphate (CaP) bioceramics preparation from natural highly available marble and seashells. The influence of the pressing force in the fabrication process of porous 3D scaffolds derived from such CaPs by a sacrificial porogen method using natural fibers is here investigated. The fiber-ceramic based-products underwent thermal processing, followed by surface and volume features characterization. After fibers` thermal removal, interconnected 3D channels were obtained, which could allow a suitable in vivo irrigation and implant-associated negative side-effects prevention. This method provides the prospect of tunable HA/β-TCP content in the case of both precursors' derived-scaffolds. The morphological results revealed the internal and external pores dimensions, modulated through different pressing forces that led to a controlled total porosity, evidenced by computed tomography techniques. Further, the wettability and mechanical features supported the advance of the novel porous-ceramic-structure designs as reliable bone reconstruction alternatives.

Research Trends in Sustainable Manufacturing: A Review and Future Perspective based on Research Databases

Sustainable manufacturing has become of great importance in various fields include manufacturing, mechanical engineering, materials science, environmental science, and energy science. In this paper, we analyzed and reviewed the research trends of sustainable manufacturing technologies and suggested future perspective. Specifically, the state-of-the-art and historical trajectory of sustainable manufacturing are analyzed using data obtained from the Web of Science library and the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). Selected journals and research categories are evaluated by the number of publications, the number of citations, impact factor (IF), and H-indices. To suggest future perspectives on sustainable manufacturing research, growth rate of each research objects are evaluated and historically followed. Sustainable manufacturing is likely to be change in its nature in the era of digital transformation. It is expected to provide the status and future of research trends of sustainable manufacturing to the both manufacturing researchers and journal publishers.

A Sustainable Hybrid Inductive Joining Technology for Aluminum and Composites

Abstract Sustainable manufacturing technologies as well as lightweight and multi-material design in production have become key factors for success in industrial sectors such as transportation, automotive production or aerospace. Therefore, an automatable hybrid joining technology is required with a high industrial output. Mechanical, chemical and thermal technologies can be applied to join fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (FRP) with metals. The advantage of induction heating as a thermal joining process is the immediate generation of heat inside the electrically conductive material at the joining surface. Due to the direct conversion of electricity into heat the joining process can be emission-free if the energy is produced by regenerative sources. However, the distance between coil and joining partners, the transport of the workpiece to the pressing tool and the subsequent separate cooling in conventional inductive joining methods reported in the literature result in power losses and extended process times. The unique new hybrid inductive contact joining (ICJ) process is characterized by the integration of heating, pressing and cooling into one hybrid process step which is performed by one tool. The conducted experiments and finite element simulations provide data for the main process parameters during joining, joint strength as well as the impact of surface preparations and demonstrate the advantages of the ICJ process in comparison with conventional thermal joining processes.