Browse Topic: Computer integrated manufacturing
In Automobile manufacturing, maintaining the Quality of parts supplied by vendor is crucial & challenging. This paper introduces a digital tool designed to monitor trends for critical parameters of these parts in real-time. Utilizing Statistical Process Control (SPC) graphs, the tool continuously tracks Quality trend for critical parts and process parameters, predicting potential issues for proactive improvements even before parts are supplied. The tool integrates data from all Supplier partners across value chain into a single ecosystem, providing a comprehensive view of their performance and the parts they supply. Suppliers input data into a digital application, which is then analyzed in the cloud using SPC techniques to generate potential alerts for improvement. These alerts are automatically sent to both Suppliers and relevant personnel at the OEM, enabling proactive measures to address any Quality deviations. 100% data is visualized in an integrated dashboard which acts as a
Soft-bending actuators have garnered significant interest in robotics and biomedical engineering due to their ability to mimic the bending motions of natural organisms. Using either positive or negative pressure, most soft pneumatic actuators for bending actuation have modified their design accordingly. In this study, we propose a novel soft bending actuator that utilizes combined positive and negative pressures to achieve enhanced performance and control. The actuator consists of a flexible elastomeric chamber divided into two compartments: a positive pressure chamber and a negative pressure chamber. Controlled bending motion can be achieved by selectively applying positive and negative pressures to the respective chambers. The combined positive and negative pressure allowed for faster response times and increased flexibility compared to traditional soft actuators. Because of its adaptability, controllability, and improved performance can be used for various jobs that call for careful
Predictive maintenance is crucial for Industry 4.0, and deep neural networks are a promising approach for predicting the capacity of electric batteries. However, few applications effectively utilize neural networks for this purpose with lithium-ion batteries. In this work, different deep learning models are developed, starting with simple neural networks, dense neural networks, convolutional networks, and recurrent networks. Using a public domain dataset, training, testing, and validation datasets were generated to predict battery capacity as a function of the number of cycles. Despite the limited number of samples in the dataset, deep learning techniques are employed to ensure robust prediction performance. The work presents the loss functions for each iteration of the algorithms and the average absolute error. The models made good generalizations over the test dataset within a short prediction time window. Finally, the work presents an average absolute error below 0.3, ensuring good
This work aims to define a novel integration of 6 DOF robots with an extrusion-based 3D printing framework that strengthens the possibility of implementing control and simulation of the system in multiple degrees of freedom. Polylactic acid (PLA) is used as an extrusion material for testing, which is a thermoplastic that is biodegradable and is derived from natural lactic acid found in corn, maize, and the like. To execute the proposed framework a virtual working station for the robot was created in RoboDK. RoboDK interprets G-code from the slicing (Slic3r) software. Further analysis and experiments were performed by FANUC 2000ia 165F Industrial Robot. Different tests were performed to check the dimensional accuracy of the parts (rectangle and cylindrical). When the robot operated at 20% of its maximum speed, a bulginess was observed in the cylindrical part, causing the radius to increase from 1 cm to 1.27 cm and resulting in a thickness variation of 0.27 cm at the bulginess location
An industry-first 3D laser-based, computer-vision system can monitor and control the application of adhesive beads as tiny in width as two human hairs. This unique inspection system for electronic assemblies operates at speeds of 400 to 1,000 times per second, considerably quicker and more effective than conventional 2D systems. “Difficulty in precisely dispensing adhesives or sealants, especially in extremely small or complex electronic assemblies, can lead to over-application, under-application, bubbles, or incorrect location of the adhesive bead,” Juergen Dennig, president of Ann Arbor, Michigan-headquartered Coherix, told SAE Media. Improper application of joining material on electronic control units (ECUs) and power control units (PCUs) can result in poor adhesion, material voids and short circuits.
If you're just getting comfortable with Industry 4.0, which saw the beginnings of smart manufacturing, digitization and real-time decision-making in factories, a senior leader at Intel says the world is already moving on to Industry 5.0. What's Industry 5.0? A joint study by many researchers (link: Industry 5.0: A Survey on Enabling Technologies and Potential Applications (oulu.fi)) describes 5.0 as merging human creativity with intelligent and efficient machines to deliver customized products quickly. But it will take a lot of change and learning to get there.
Additive manufacturing (AM) is currently being used to produce many aerospace components, with its inherent design flexibility enabling an array of unique and novel possibilities. But, in order to grow the application space of polymer AM, the industry has to provide an offering with improved mechanical properties. Several entities are working toward introducing continuous fibers embedded into either a thermoplastic or thermoset resin system. This approach can enable significant improvement in mechanical properties and could be what is needed to open new and exciting applications within the aerospace industry. However, as the technology begins to mature, there are a couple of unsettled issues that are beginning to come to light. The most common question raised is whether composite AM can achieve the performance of traditional composite manufacturing. If AM cannot reach this level, is there enough application potential to warrant the development investment? The answers are highly
In the 1990s and early 2000s, the field of parallel kinematics was viewed as being potentially transformational in manufacturing, having multiple potential advantages over conventional serial machine tools and robots. Many prototypes were developed, and some reached commercial production and implementation in areas such as hard material machining and particularly in aerospace manufacturing and assembly. There is some activity limited to niche and specialist applications; however, the technology never quite achieved the market penetration and success envisaged. Yet, many of the inherent advantages still exist in terms of stiffness, force capability, and flexibility when compared to more conventional machine structures. This chapter will attempt to identify why parallel kinematic machines (PKMs) have not lived up to the original excitement and market interest and what needs to be done to rekindle that interest. In support of this, a number of key questions and issues have been identified
Recycling of advanced composites made from carbon fibers in epoxy resins is required for two primary reasons. First, the energy necessary to produce carbon fibers is very high and therefore reusing these fibers could greatly reduce the lifecycle energy of components which use them. Second, if the material is allowed to break down in the environment, it will contribute to the growing presence of microplastics and other synthetic pollutants. Currently, recycling and safe methods of disposal typically do not aim for full circularity, but rather separate fibers for successive downcycling while combusting the matrix in a clean burning process. Breakdown of the matrix, without damaging the carbon fibers, can be achieved by pyrolysis, fluidized bed processes, or chemical solvolysis. The major challenge is to align fibers into unidirectional tows of real value in high-performance composites.
ABSTRACT As technology continues to improve at a rapid pace, many organizations are attempting to define their place within this modern age and the Department of Defense (DoD) is no exception. The DoD’s primary focus on modernization ensures that its design, development, and sustainment of systems demonstrate unparalleled strength that outpaces our adversaries and continue to solidify our position quickly and efficiently as the world’s mightiest through fundamental change. Digital Engineering (DE) is the foundation of that fundamental change. Speed-to-Warfighter, reliability, maintainability, resiliency, and performance are all improved through DE techniques. Accelerating technical integration by connecting once isolated data to a digital thread encompassing all domains, and further facilitating the evolution of the traditional approach/processes into an effective DE strategy. DE’s goal supports a reduction of inefficient process/procedures/communications that traditionally can yield
The Software Production Factory (SPF) is a cyber physical construct of computers, hardware and software integrated together to serve as an ideation and rapid prototyping environment. SPF is a virtual dynamic environment to analyze requirements, architecture, and design, assess trade-offs, test Ground Vehicle development artifacts such as structural and behavioral features, and deploy system artifacts and operational qualifications. SPF is utilized during the product development as well as during system operations and support. The white paper describes the components of the SPF to build relevant Ground Vehicle Rapid Prototyping (GVRP) models in accordance with the model-centric digital engineering process guidelines. The factory and the processes together ensure that the artifacts are produced as specified. The processes are centered around building, maintaining, and tracing single source of information from source all the way to final atomic element of the built system.
A battery intelligence pioneer will work with a venerable semiconductor yield-improvement firm in a partnership that promises to drastically accelerate the production ramp for the many new EV battery factories on the horizon. Voltaiq, the battery-analysis experts, and PDF Solutions announced the partnership in late March. Tal Sholklapper, Voltaiq's CEO and cofounder, said the EV battery industry is in sore need of help in reducing the manufacturing development cycle, which can take anywhere from four to 10 years from shovels in the ground to output of a consistent, quality product. “The automotive battery industry is really behind.” he said in an interview with SAE Media. “There is a lot of manual analysis and semi-empirical learning going on,” and that slows the discovery of future problems. He said the partnership had the potential to cut battery factory development time in half.
Many design points go into electric vehicle (EV) battery assembly cells that ensure high reliability and repeatability, optimum overall equipment effectiveness, maximum throughput, and Industry 4.0 concepts of digitalization. Examining an EV battery degassing automated cell that is widely installed across the industry exemplifies many of these design features.
Traditional solutions developed for the aerospace industry must overcome challenges posed for automation systems like design, requalification, large manual content, restricted access, and tight tolerances. At the same time, automated systems should avoid the use of dedicated equipment so they can be shared between jigs; moved between floor levels and access either side of the workpiece. This article describes the development of a robotic system for drilling and inspection for small aerostructure manufacturing specifically designed to tackle these requirements. The system comprises three work packages: connection within the digital thread (from concept through to operational metrics including Statistical Process Control), innovative lightweight / low energy drill, and auto tool-change with in-process metrology. The validation tests demonstrating Technology Readiness Level 6 are presented and results are shown and discussed.
The making of a quilt is an interesting process. Historically, a quilt is a canvas of work made from old pieces of cloth cut into squares or whatever shape that make a nice connected pattern and then stitched together. The quilt could be random pieces that is not related to each other. In most recent years and more common cases, a quilt is made of different pieces of patches that are connected and laid out in a special way to tell a story. Not only does it portray a story that is put together in a certain sequence, but it also stiches the pieces of the quilt into a nice and complete narrative. A story that one can understand just by looking at the quilt spread and unfolded. Much like the making of a quilt that has a story to tell, a Product Digital Quilt will tell the story of a product. The Digital Product Quilt replaces the conventional way of telling a product story. The traditional product story is a method that is serially connecting multiple product life cycle silos together
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ABSTRACT The DoD Digital Engineering Strategy [1] released in June 2018 outlined the DoD’s strategic goals which “promote the use of digital artifacts as a technical means of communication across a diverse set of stakeholders” In addition to build, test, field and sustainment of defense systems, emphasis was placed on the acquisition and procurement of systems and the importance of digital engineering. This was further reinforced in the Feb 2022 release of the Engineering of Defense Systems Guidebook [2] which contains Digital Engineering sections in each chapter. The norm for Systems Engineering has become Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) in which models are used at all phases of development. To complete the digital thread from concept to disposal, models will be required for the acquisition phase. This paper will describe Model-Based Acquisition (MBAcq), and how it can be used to increase clarity compliance and understanding in Capability Systems and Software Acquisition for
The manufacturing industries are undergoing a digital transformation worldwide, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is speeding up the adoption of Industry 4.0. This shift to digital is fueling advances in smart sensors that not only capture sensing data, but also interpret that data into actionable insights for a variety of applications in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) space.
With the addition of computers, laser cutters have rapidly become a relatively simple and powerful tool, with software controlling machinery that can chop metals, woods, papers, and plastics. But users still face difficulties distinguishing among stockpiles of visually similar materials.
The traditional acquisition and development cycles of a weapon system by government agencies goes through multiple stages throughout the life cycle of the product. Over the last few decades, many of the United States military equipment had experienced acquisition cost growth. Many studies by the Department of Defense indicates that the cost growth is a result of multiple factors including the development and manufacturing stages of the product. Organizations with multiple operation sites that goes across multiple states or even countries and continents are finding it increasingly difficult to share informational databases to ensure the corporate synergy between multiple sites or divisions. For such organizations, there exist the need to synchronize the operations and have standard and common database where everything is stored and equally accessed by different sites. Digital transformation sounds real exotic and futuristic and promise to reduce operation costs of big organizations
Researchers have developed artificial intelligence (AI) software for powder bed 3D printers that assesses the quality of parts in real time without the need for expensive characterization equipment. The software, named Peregrine, supports the advanced manufacturing “digital thread” that collects and analyzes data through every step of the manufacturing process, from design and feedstock selection, to print build and material testing.
In recent years, the emergence of Industry 4.0 has been steadily transforming the manufacturing sector into an ultra-high-tech industry. Innovative smart technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation (RPA), the IoT, sensors, and machine vision are powerful tools that many companies are starting to integrate into both their manufacturing techniques and business practices.
As often happens in the medical industry, innovative ideas hatched in university research settings spawn innovative companies, which create innovative products. A case in point: HemoSonics. The Charlottesville, VA-based medical device company was started in 2005 by two professors and a post-doctoral research student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine's Bio-Medical Engineering program — Bill Walker, Mike Lawrence, and Francesco Viola, respectively. The trio identified a method for measuring the stiffness of blood clots by using ultrasound imaging technology and created a system built around that technology aimed to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.
Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design's Digital Manufacturing and Design Centre have developed UV-curable elastomers that can be stretched by up to 1100%. The 3D-printing process supports the fabrication of soft actuators and robots, flexible electronics, and acoustic metamaterials.
ABSTRACT This paper will discuss the systematic operations of utilizing the BOXARR platform as the ‘Digital Thread’ to overcome the inherent and hidden complexities in massive-scale interdependent systems; with particular emphasis on future applications in Military Ground Vehicles (MGVs). It will discuss how BOXARR can enable significantly improved capabilities in requirements-capture, optimized risk management, enhanced collaborative relationships between engineering and project/program management teams, operational analysis, trade studies, capability analysis, adaptability, resilience, and overall architecture design; all within a unified framework of BOXARR’s customizable modeling, visualization and analysis applications.
Tooling structures to make wing/wing, fuselage/fuselage, and wing/fuselage mates have long been rather massive tools. Not only are these tools large and expensive, but they often obstruct the very drilling and fastening work to be done in the mate tool. Furthermore, these legacy mate tools can only do one job - a mate tool cannot be used for a different airplane, or even a different part of the same airplane. A flexible, more versatile system will lower the cost of aircraft with a low quantity production run planned, and a more open design can reduce the cost of assembly on a high production aircraft. This paper will discuss the development and recent breakthroughs that allow the mating of any size aircraft sections with very high precision using only a set of specialized jacks that provide six degrees-of-freedom coupled with a non-contact measurement system. Data extracted directly from a CAD 3-D model is fed into a computer system that is then used with a closed-loop control system
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