Tailor-made Products Research Articles

Virtual numerical control: an approach towards autonomous manufacturing with a case study in welding

Today’s customer lifestyles have reshaped their expectations and preferences, driving a growing demand for tailor-made products. While current conventional manufacturing (MNF) systems are robust, they often lack the flexibility needed to accommodate customization. Most MNF systems, despite advances in technology and machinery, still rely on executing predefined instructions, limiting their flexibility. In contrast, human workers excel at handling product variations due to their cognitive abilities, which allow them to perceive, analyze, and make appropriate decisions to adapt to changing conditions. This study introduces virtual numerical control (VNC) as a solution to upgrade MNF systems and overcome these limitations. VNC aims to transform MNF systems into cognitive entities capable of autonomous decision-making, enabling greater flexibility to meet customization demands. To demonstrate the potential of VNC, we implemented it in a welding system as a practical case study. The results showed that VNC enabled the system to operate autonomously. It accurately identified the shape of the objects to be welded, determined the appropriate welding paths, and executed them with high precision, all without human intervention. This highlights the significant potential of VNC technology for broader applications in industrial automation in welding and beyond.

The Potential of the Socio-Demographic Profile of the Visitor in the Museum's Product Strategy

One of the types of cultural sector institutions with a solid potential to use modern management methods are organisations dealing with cultural heritage management, such as castle museums. Today, however, these cathedrals of cultural tourism have to face the pressures of economic and social change to build public authority and recognition, but most importantly, to create interest and an attractive offer for their existing audiences and a hitherto unreached public. The present article aims to develop a systematic review of empirical experiences in the socio-demographic profile of visitors to selected castle museums, to identify untapped potential in the segmentation of museum audiences and to derive propositions for individual solutions aimed at increasing the attendance of selected castle museums. We used a triplet of separated Chi-square tests for each period to identify the socio-demographic profile. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) was used to test for differences in ordinal variables (age and education of visitors). In addition to the individual results for each single museum partially, we can identify through the most frequent, most represented and periodically repeated responses the typical visitor profile of the Castle Castle Museums as follows: female, 31 – 45 years old, secondary education with a high school diploma, working as an executive secondary educated professional employee. Such findings could be helpful in the future when creating so-called tailor-made products for the visitor.

High-cell-density fed-batch strategy to manufacture tailor-made P(HB-co-HHx) by engineered Ralstonia eutropha at laboratory scale and pilot scale.

The transition towards a sustainable bioeconomy requires the development of highly efficient bioprocesses that enable the production of bulk materials at a competitive price. This is particularly crucial for driving the commercialization of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) as biobased and biodegradable plastic substitutes. Among these, the copolymer poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) (P(HB-co-HHx)) shows excellent material properties that can be tuned by regulating its monomer composition. In this study, we developed a high-cell-density fed-batch strategy using mixtures of fructose and canola oil to modulate the molar composition of P(HB-co-HHx) produced by Ralstonia eutropha Re2058/pCB113 at 1-L laboratory scale up to 150-L pilot scale. With cell densities >100 g L-1 containing 70-80 wt% of PHA with tunable HHx contents in the range of 9.0-14.6 mol% and productivities of up to 1.5 g L-1 h-1, we demonstrate the tailor-made production of P(HB-co-HHx) at an industrially relevant scale. Ultimately, this strategy enables the production of PHA bioplastics with defined material properties on the kilogram scale, which is often required for testing and adapting manufacturing processes to target diverse applications.

Modelling Factors Influencing Bank Customers’ Readiness for Artificial Intelligent Banking Products

In the era of globalisation and technological development, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a significant role in financial activities and services. AI in financial technology has a clear potential to accelerate the financial industry's transformation by offering excellent value to customers by providing tailor-made products and services, thus improving customer experience. The paper aims to model the factors influencing bank customers' readiness for artificially intelligent banking products within the South African banking sector. Data were collected from 346 banking customers within South Africa. The study results revealed that demographic and socio-cultural variables influence the readiness for artificially intelligent banking products. Behavioural finance biases also influence bank customers' readiness for artificially intelligent banking products. Furthermore, the study also found that customers' readiness for artificial intelligent banking products is faced with the limitation of the inaccessibility to technological tools in rural areas. Consequently, policies that can improve infrastructure and enable rural citizens to cope with advanced technology can improve bank customers' readiness for artificially intelligent banking products in South Africa.

Effect of Heat Treatments on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Nitinol Prototype Stents Produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is turning out to be very promising for biomedical components production and stents are among the devices that would be suitable for tailor-made production. One of the most common stent types are the self-expandable, manufactured with Nitinol (NiTi). The use of NiTi alloy with L-PBF needs to be well controlled, as Ni evaporation during the process leads to significant variations in the final component properties. In the present work, prototype NiTi stents were produced via L-PBF and heat treated to examine the possibility of employing this technology for their application, also considering the Ni evaporation resulting from the layer-by-layer deposition. Samples were characterized through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), microstructural observations, and compression tests in plate-to-plate configuration according to the standard. In parallel, a commercially available stent manufactured with traditional technology was tested for comparison.

A review on the melt extrusion-based fused deposition modeling (FDM): background, materials, process parameters and military applications

AbstractThe contemporary military sector needs a tailor-made product at a low cost and time. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a melt extrusion-based Additive Manufacturing technology for processing thermoplastics, composites, and biomaterials. FDM is competent in fabricating complex parts in different industries, including military, aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and jewellery. The FDM can process various materials and is ideal for fabrication prototypes, functional parts, visualization, concept proofs and fast product development. FDM is currently used in the military for novel components developments and maintenance, opening new logistics and supply chain management methods. Integrating sensors into weaponry for real-time physiological feedback and threat information is also possible. Additionally, FDM can fabricate trauma models for surgical planning and educating military surgeons. This paper presents the FDM background, filaments, and process parameters. Also, the work provides information to readers on the applications and possibilities of the FDM process from a military standpoint.

Improving biochar properties by co-pyrolysis of pig manure with bio-invasive weed for use as the soil amendment

Over recent years, pyrolysis has grown into a mature technology with added value for producing soil improvers. Further innovations of this technology lie in developing tailor-made products from specific feedstocks (or mixtures thereof) in combination with adjusted mixing ratio-temperature regimes. In this context, co-pyrolysis of pig manure (PM) and the invasive plant Japanese knotweed (JK) at different mixture ratios (w/w) of 3:1 (P3J1), 1:1 (P1J1), and 1:3 (P1J3) and varying temperatures (400–700 °C) was studied to address the low carbon properties and heavy metals (HMs) risks of manure-derive biochars and beneficially ameliorate the bio-invasion situation by creating value from the plant biomass. Co-pyrolysis of PM with JK increased by nearly 1.5 folds the fixed carbon contents in the combined feedstock biochars obtained at 600 °C compared with PM-derived biochar alone, and all combined feedstock biochars met the requirements for soil improvement and carbon sequestration. The total HMs in PM biochars were significantly reduced by adding JK. The combined feedstock biochar P1J1 generated at 600 °C was the most effective in transforming Cu and Zn into more stable forms, accordingly reducing the associated environmental risk of heavy metal leaching from the biochar. In addition, the accumulation of macronutrients can be an added benefit of the co-pyrolysis process, and P1J1-600 was also the biochar that retained the most nutrients (P, Ca, Mg, and K).

Genetic Algorithm-Based Optimization of Mass Customization Using Hyperledger Fabric Blockchain

With the developing technology, the production model, which is structured in line with user requests, has become a very popular topic. This production model, which expresses individualization, has become increasingly common. For this reason, it attracts the attention of many researchers and company executives. At this point, studies are concentrated on the concept of mass customization, which expresses personalized production. Considering the related studies, various difficulties are encountered in this production model on issues such as cooperation, trust, and optimization. In this proposed method, a blockchain-based platform is designed to solve the problems of cooperation and trust, one of the most important problems of mass customization. In addition, in this study, the problem of optimization of the production and supply chain process in the manufacturing sector has been examined. This process includes reaching from the producer to the consumer and many parameters. Therefore, the optimization of this process is a very difficult problem. A two-stage system has been proposed to find a solution to this problem. In the first stage, a reliable platform was created by bringing together service providers and buyers in the manufacturing sector with blockchain. In the second stage, the most suitable parties were selected by a genetic algorithm.

Abstract 2868: ADG206, an anti-CD137 agonistic POWERbody࣪ with tailor-made efficacy and safety profiles by strong crosslinking and tumor selective activation for single and combinational cancer immunotherapy

Abstract Targeting CD137 by agonistic antibodies faces various challenges in the clinic. Utomilumab appears safe but has modest efficacy, while urelumab is more efficacious but causes severe dose-dependent liver toxicity. To unlock the full potential of CD137 immunotherapy, we engineered a ADG206 POWERbody࣪ by combining our SAFEbody® technology’s precision masking of the antigen binding sites with the Fc engineering in order to achieve improved safety and efficacy profiles. In normal tissues, the CD137 antigen binding interfaces of ADG206 are masked using a covalently linked designer peptide to limit on-target off-tumor toxicities, whereas in the tumor microenvironment (TME), the masked antibody can be activated to selectively bind CD137, promoting costimulatory signaling in situ. The activity of ADG206 is further heightened by incorporating Fc mutations with increased FcγR-mediated crosslinking, resulting in enhanced T cell responses and antitumor activity. In vitro nonclinical studies demonstrate that activated ADG206 binds to CD137, with agonistic activity strictly dependent on FcγR-mediated crosslinking, in contrast to FcγR-independent stimulation of CD137 by urelumab. When activated, ADG206 exhibits up to ~4-fold stronger anti-CD137 agonistic activity than urelumab for T cell activation in the presence of a primary stimulatory signal, while masked ADG206 has much lower activity. In vivo nonclinical studies demonstrate that ADG206 has robust single agent antitumor activities in multiple syngeneic murine tumor models and synergistic efficacy when combined with other immunomodulatory agents. Moreover, ADG206 is well-tolerated in rats and cynomolgus monkeys in nonclinical toxicology studies, with normal pharmacokinetic behaviors and minimal activation in circulation. These results demonstrate that ADG206 POWERbody acquires a tailor-made product profile toward a best-in-class anti-CD137 immunotherapeutic agent that combines conditional activation in the TME with strong agonistic activity through heightened FcγR-mediated crosslinking. Further clinical development of ADG206 POWERbody may hold promises for achieving the long-awaited desirable tolerability and efficacy outcome of an anti-CD137 immunotherapy in either single agent or combination regimens. Citation Format: Guizhong Liu, Zhengxi Dai, Jiagui Qu, Jianfeng Shi, Qi Zhao, Linhai Qu, Yan Li, Songmao Zheng, Jiangchun Xu, Felix Du, Peter Luo. ADG206, an anti-CD137 agonistic POWERbody࣪ with tailor-made efficacy and safety profiles by strong crosslinking and tumor selective activation for single and combinational cancer immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2868.

Continuous Flow Glycolipid Synthesis Using a Packed Bed Reactor

Glycolipids are a class of biodegradable biosurfactants that are non-toxic and based on renewables, making them a sustainable alternative to petrochemical surfactants. Enzymatic synthesis allows a tailor-made production of these versatile compounds using sugar and fatty acid building blocks with rationalized structures for targeted applications. Therefore, glycolipids can be comprehensively designed to outcompete conventional surfactants regarding their physicochemical properties. However, enzymatic glycolipid processes are struggling with both sugars and fatty acid solubilities in reaction media. Thus, continuous flow processes represent a powerful tool in designing efficient syntheses of sugar esters. In this study, a continuous enzymatic glycolipid production catalyzed by Novozyme 435® is presented as an unprecedented concept. A biphasic aqueous–organic system was investigated, allowing for the simultaneous solubilization of sugars and fatty acids. Owing to phase separation, the remaining non-acylated glucose was easily separated from the product stream and was refed to the reactor forming a closed-loop system. Productivity in the continuous process was higher compared to a batch one, with space–time yields of up to 1228 ± 65 µmol/L/h. A temperature of 70 °C resulted in the highest glucose-6-O-decanoate concentration in the Packed Bed Reactor (PBR). Consequently, the design of a continuous biocatalytic production is a step towards a more competitive glycolipid synthesis in the aim for industrialization.

Collaboration in Value Constellations for Sustainable Production: The Perspective of Small Technology Solution Providers

The rapid ongoing digital transformation creates new opportunities to generate value but also challenges companies in the manufacturing industry to adapt to the recent changes. Moreover, committing to sustainability is essential to maintain competitive advantages, build a more resilient company, and manage increasing societal demands and regulations. Referred to as a “twin transition”, the digital transformation can positively impact firms’ commitments to environmental sustainability. This paper explores challenges that small technology solution providers face on their path toward developing sustainable production solutions for their manufacturing customers. An empirical study was conducted in an industrial cluster of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) providing innovative, tailor-made production technology solutions to manufacturing companies. As a result, a collaborative process model was suggested for such SMEs to overcome internal and external barriers to obtaining sustainability, thus better supporting the manufacturing companies, i.e., their customers, to strive towards more sustainable production.

Structure-Based Modeling of the Mechanical Behavior of Cross-Linked Enzyme Crystals

Because of their high volumetric catalytic activity, in addition to their high chemical and thermal resistances, enzymes in the form of protein crystals are an excellent choice for application as immobilized biocatalysts. However, mechanical stability is a requirement for the processability of immobilisates, in addition to the protein crystals retaining their enzymatic activity, and this is closely related to the crystal structure. In this study, the influence of protein engineering on the mechanical stability of cross-linked enzyme crystals (CLECs) was investigated using a genetically modified model protein in which additionally cysteines were introduced on the protein surface for targeted cross-linking. The results showed that the mechanical stability of crystals of the mutant proteins in the native form was decreased compared to native wild-type crystals. However, specific cross-linking of the introduced amino acid residues in the mutant proteins resulted in their increased mechanical stability compared to wild-type CLECs. In order to determine the correlation between the crystal structure and the resulting mechanical properties of CLECs to enable targeted cross-linking, a previously developed model was revised and then used for the two model proteins. This model can explain the mechanically investigated relationships, such as the anisotropic crystal behavior and the influence of a linker or mutation on the micromechanical properties and, hence, can be helpful for the tailor-made production of CLECs.

Plastidial wax ester biosynthesis as a tool to synthesize shorter and more saturated wax esters

BackgroundWax esters (WE) are neutral lipids that consist of a fatty alcohol esterified to a fatty acid. WE are valuable feedstocks in industry for producing lubricants, coatings, and cosmetics. They can be produced chemically from fossil fuel or plant-derived triacylglycerol. As fossil fuel resources are finite, the synthesis of WE in transgenic plants may serve as an alternative source. As chain length and desaturation of the alcohol and acyl moieties determine the physicochemical properties of WE and their field of application, tightly controlled and tailor-made WE synthesis in plants would be a sustainable, beneficial, and valuable commodity. Here, we report the expression of ten combinations of WE producing transgenes in Arabidopsis thaliana. In order to study their suitability for WE production in planta, we analyzed WE amount and composition in the transgenic plants.ResultsThe transgenes consisted of different combinations of a FATTY ACYL-COA/ACP REDUCTASE (FAR) and two WAX SYNTHASES/ACYL-COA:DIACYLGLYCEROL O-ACYLTRANSFERASES (WSD), namely WSD2 and WSD5 from the bacterium Marinobacter aquaeoleoi. We generated constructs with and without plastidial transit peptides to access distinct alcohol and acyl substrate pools within A. thaliana cells. We observed WE formation with plastid and cytosol-localized FAR and WSD in seeds. A comparative WE analysis revealed the production of shorter and more saturated WE by plastid-localized WE biosynthesis compared to cytosolic WE synthesis.ConclusionsA shift of WE formation into seed plastids is a suitable approach for tailor-made WE production and can be used to synthesize WE that are mainly derived from mid- and long-chain saturated and monounsaturated substrates.

Gas-phase synthesis of mesoporous films of Ag/C:H:N:O core-satellite nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Rapid development in the field of detection of biomolecules by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is enabled by enormous progress in the nanofabrication that nowadays allows for the tailor-made production of nanomaterials that can serve as effective and reliable SERS-active platforms. Among others, heterogeneous mesoporous coatings constitute an important class of nanomaterials that receives increasing attention. In this study, we investigate the possibility of producing such nanomaterials using a novel, one-step, and fully solvent-free technique. This approach employs the in-flight decoration of gas-phase synthesized C:H:N:O plasma polymer cores with nanometre-sized silver nanoparticles. Such physically produced Ag/C:H:N:O core-satellite nanoparticles upon deposition on a planar substrate spontaneously form mesoporous nanoparticle films with SERS-active Ag nanoparticles evenly distributed on the surface of supporting C:H:N:O cores. As shown, such produced nanomaterials exhibit, due to their structure, the SERS enhancement factor of (1.1 ± 0.2) × 106, i.e., the enhancement factor one order of magnitude higher than the value 1 × 105 typically reported for silver nanostructures prepared by commonly used magnetron sputtering onto planar substrates.

Synthetic biology for the synthesis of aromatic natural products: a review

Plant-derived aromatic natural products have important medicinal value and can be made into pharmaceutical and healthcare products with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-oxidative, insecticidal and anthelmintic, expectorant and cough suppressant, tranquilizer and antitumor effects. However, the low content of aromatic natural products in plants and the difficulty and high costs in extraction and purification hampered its large-scale production and application. Recent advances in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering have enabled the tailor-made production of aromatic natural products using engineered microbial cell factories. This review summarizes the categories, the synthetic pathways, the key enzymes and the synthetic biology strategies for production of aromatic natural products, and discusses the challenges and opportunities in this area.

Gärrestaufbereitung als Beitrag zur Nährstoffentfrachtung von Überschussregionen – Kosten und Treibhausgasemissionen

The processing of slurry and biogas digestate reduces their volume and separates nutrient flows, especially in regions with nutrient surpluses. This makes it possible to cut transport costs for supra-regional utilisation and to configure tailor-made products for different customers. However, the additional capital and equipment costs can usually only be compensated by revenue from the CHP bonus for the use of excess heat from combined heat and power systems in biogas plants, unless high prices can be achieved for the products outside agriculture. The use of heat also has a considerable impact on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with processing. If reference emissions are charged because the heat is no longer available to replace fossil resources, this far outweighs savings from transport. However, it is not possible to draw general conclusions due to the diverse plant-specific conditions (amount and type of nutrient surplus, transport distance, heat availability, size of the plant, etc.). In individual cases, the processing of biogas digestate may well be economically viable, especially in the case of long transport distances.

Rational Design of Resveratrol O-methyltransferase for the Production of Pinostilbene.

Pinostilbene is a monomethyl ether analog of the well-known nutraceutical resveratrol. Both compounds have health-promoting properties, but the latter undergoes rapid metabolization and has low bioavailability. O-methylation improves the stability and bioavailability of resveratrol. In plants, these reactions are performed by O-methyltransferases (OMTs). Few efficient OMTs that monomethylate resveratrol to yield pinostilbene have been described so far. Here, we report the engineering of a resveratrol OMT from Vitis vinifera (VvROMT), which has the highest catalytic efficiency in di-methylating resveratrol to yield pterostilbene. In the absence of a crystal structure, we constructed a three-dimensional protein model of VvROMT and identified four critical binding site residues by applying different in silico approaches. We performed point mutations in these positions generating W20A, F24A, F311A, and F318A variants, which greatly reduced resveratrol’s enzymatic conversion. Then, we rationally designed eight variants through comparison of the binding site residues with other stilbene OMTs. We successfully modified the native substrate selectivity of VvROMT. Variant L117F/F311W showed the highest conversion to pinostilbene, and variant L117F presented an overall increase in enzymatic activity. Our results suggest that VvROMT has potential for the tailor-made production of stilbenes.

Silver Tourism and Recreational Activities as Possible Factors to Support Active Ageing and the Resilience of the Tourism Sector

"Population ageing, affecting both developed and developing countries nowadays, poses new challenges but also represents an opportunity for socio-economic systems in general, and in particular for tourism and recreation. In the light of the recently designed EU silver economy policies, active ageing shapes itself to be an attractive opportunity for the European leisure market. Seriously affected by the COVID-19 health crisis, the tourism sector’s resilience depends on the hospitality industry’s capacity to adapt, innovate, and respond to society’s new demographic challenges. Consequently, new types and forms of tourism and new service technologies should be implemented having in mind an ageing population. This paper used as the main research tool a survey on Bucharest residents aged 65 and over, aiming to identify their main preferences and limitations regarding recreational activities and leisure tourism. The main results identify similarities and differences to findings on European silver tourists and could be further valued by better adapted holiday packages and tourism marketing strategies for Romania. The present research emphasised differences in senior travel preferences and a possible segmentation of silver tourists in Romania (e.g. based on their income, education level), highly suggesting that the elderly’s needs have to be addressed by tailor-made products. "

Envisioning Building-as-Energy-Service in the European context. From a literature review to a conceptual framework

ABSTRACT Positive Energy Buildings (PEBs) represent an emerging paradigm for high performance in the building sector. This paradigm focuses on the possibility of exploiting the interaction between individual NZEBs and smart Smart Grids, using energy surplus exchange. Acknowledging this technical potential, building sector should re-think the role of individual buildings as nodes of intelligent energy infrastructures with large penetration of distributed renewable energy resources. This requires a better understanding of the emerging properties related to PEBs and an organisation of new alliances across sectors in order to put PEBs nets into practice. However, there is no evidence of a comprehensive socio-technical framework concerning PEBs nets working at scale. This paper aims to fill this gap. Through a literature review, based on Constructive Grounded Theory Method, it proposes a new conceptual framework focused on Buildings-as-Energy-Service as a key enabler for creating PEBs nets. Research findings are organised according to four integrated lines of research, which describe: the trajectory towards PEBs nets; the management of new alliances across sectors; the definition of an ecosystem of applications for PEBs; and, the socio-technical implications in putting PBEs into practice. These research lines may contribute to re-inventing the role of the building sector in delivering tailor-made products and services for a low carbon society. Thus, academic and non-academic stakeholders in the fields of Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Planning might find this conceptual framework useful, as it summarises significant potential interactions among these sectors, emerging from recent studies. Highlights A conceptual framework is proposed as a key enabler for creating PEBs nets. New peculiarities offered by PEBs nets are conceptualised The importance of re-thinking buildings as active nodes in infrastructures is motivated. Knowledge fragmentation is recomposed to reshape building sector alliances. Exploratory research, based on the Constructive Grounded Theory method, is conducted.

Predicting Molecular Weight Distribution, Melt Flow Index, and Bulk Density in a Polypropylene Reactor via a Validated Mathematical Model

One of the main goals of polymer science has been to relate the process variable to their vital macroscopic properties in order to obtain tailor-made products. In particular, this goal is significant when we have to use a catalyst that has a unique and unknown behavior with its own complex kinetics such as a Ziegler–Natta catalyst for polypropylene production. Today, computer simulation with acceptable accuracy has come to the aid of polymer science. The final product properties are highly dependent on the crucial factors comprising the average molecular weight, its dispersity, and bulk density of a polymer, and these factors also depend on process variables with the complexity of a kinetic reaction. A mathematical model can be a worthy replacement to the conventional manner, experiment by trial and error, for designing a favorite product. In this study, a mathematical model is proposed to fulfill this aim. By the model with its offered algorithm, kinetic constants can be easily adjusted with fairly good prediction of the desired product. The modeling approach is a polymer moment balance technique (population balance) in a slurry semibatch reactor and coded in MATLAB/SIMULINK software. The model has been validated via experimental data from a laboratory scale reactor with an acceptable margin of error.