Procedia manufacturing最新文献

This work presents a novel software tool to design, analyze and simulate parallel robots. It considers any desired constraints, requirements and load scenarios, while being able to be used by non-experts. This is comprehensively shown for one kind of the Gough/Stewart-platform kinematics class. First, the inverse kinematics is derived, which allows for the interactive exploration of the workspace, as well as other properties, prior to building the machine. In addition, the forward kinematics are implemented iteratively. The validation of the simulation is done by presenting a low cost, six degree of freedom robot for laboratory applications, being designed using this framework. Here, both the inverse and forward kinematics are used in real time to allow for precise and correct movement, detailed in-process measurements, such as process loads, along with overload protection. The approach fosters the efficient selection of existing as well as the design of custom robots of this kind.

Despite the widespread use of electronic devices and consumer products integrating flexible electronics, in industrial practice, the assembly process of film-based coverlays is still performed manually, and this, in turn, affects process accuracy in first place. Additionally, the related manual tasks can be troublesome for workers, causing stress and fatigue. As a result, such a process can represent a bottleneck in the fabrication of Flexible Printed Circuit Boards (FPCBs).

In the present paper, the architecture of a gripper is proposed as the core device of a completely automated film-coverlay assembly process. The architecture of the gripper is vacuum-based and exploits the action of several independent valves, enabling the grip configuration according to the geometry of the component. The gripper operation is shown by implementing specific solutions related to the removal of the coverlay protective film and partial coverlay thermal bonding, thus providing also a detailed description of the phases concerning a feasible automated assembly process. The results of the tests concerning the evaluation of both solutions are reported and discussed in the paper. Finally, a simplified gripper version is prototyped to perform some of the tests, and it is also used to preliminarily assess the performance of the gripping strategy, with good results.

In studying manufacturing processes it is often necessary to compare nominal or reference product shapes that are expected to be ideally achieved after applying a nominal set of process parameters and the actual product shape achieved. The latter is usually obtained by metrological equipment such as profilometers, tomographs and 3D scanners, whilst the former may also result from manufacturing process numerical simulation software. In this work, comparison of 2D contours is studied by adopting the well-established Procrustes method. The method relies on minimizing deviation of landmark points belonging to the shapes under scrutiny. Landmarks that need to be compared pairwise should be chosen in an optimal way, especially when the contours contain different numbers of points, when they differ locally etc. Optimal determination of landmarks and as a result implementation of contour comparison is performed through ant colony optimization implemented on Matlab^TM platform. Indicative results are shown where deviations discovered signify shrinkage of a die-cast clay part.

Honeycomb materials are widely used as core layers of sandwich panels in the packaging, furniture, aviation, and space industry. To fulfill the varying requirements of the different applications, a wide range of materials, cell geometries, and cell sizes is used. In combination with comparably low stiffness, fragile cell walls, and large dimensions, the various properties make the automated gripping of honeycomb panels challenging. In this paper, a new concept for a soft gripper, based on adjustable threads, providing the flexibility and sensitivity needed for gripping honeycomb materials, is presented. Based on analysis and preliminary tests, a prototype is designed and built. A series of tests is performed to determine the optimal gripping parameters for different honeycomb materials, as well as to quantify the gripping force. The tests show the suitability of the concept for automated gripping of a wide variety of honeycomb types.

In case of conical worm production by conventional thread grinder, the fluctuation in angular velocity causes thread error. One possible way to eliminate the pitch error at the conical screw surface machining by shaft displacement is to design a drive pin that provides a constant pitch. In the course of our research, the examination of the machining of the conical worm surfaces by apex adjustment to eliminate the pitch fluctuation problem was carried out as a generalization of studies simulated with trigonometric relations in a particular case. The investigation was continued in a constructive geometric way with the aim of exploring universal mathematical relations in explicit forms in the mathematical kinematic model instead of the point series of the driver pin creator curve calculated in a given occurrence. The developed method makes exact design of the correct threading possible as a function of angular rotation in motion transfer under the given technology conditions, and thus expands the mathematical toolbar for innovative engineering design. Here we introduce the constructive geometric path supported by the algebraic toolbar, which also required affine and projective geometric relations in developing a solution that meets freely chosen expectations.

Companies around the world have sought to produce sustainable products and services with less impact. The impact produced by the COVID-19 pandemic showed that the supply Systems Product-Service (PSS) with an emphasis on sustainability has grown to become one of the main strategic approaches used. The existence of an automated framework that can assist designers in creating a PSS that encompasses the preparation of products and services simultaneously, from its initial stages, has become extremely important. Thus, the objective of this article is to develop a Framework capable of organizing the necessary information for the development of product and service in an integrated way, using the development of information architectures rationale, such as TOGAF, so that in all stages there is fluidity and there are no duplicity terms in its development. The use of information architecture development methods to develop the PSS structure presents a great opportunity to carry out its mapping, thus ensuring that the model is suitable to represent real-world situations.

Despite recent advantages, internal logistics for aircraft production is mainly performed manually. Missing or wrongfully loaded components can cause costly delays. Transforming delivery units into smart participants of a digitalized logistic chain has the potential to avoid such delays. In the scope of this work, we present a concept of a smart delivery unit for use in intralogistic processes on aircraft production sites. Its main functionality, the detection of loaded components and material, handles a high variety of identification principles that are defined by pre-existing processes. We therefore conceptualize smart sensor boards. Through a novel modularity structure, demand-driven equipment of these boards with different sensor types can be achieved. This includes AI-based, visual detection of components on delivery units. We display the versatility of our concept with a practical implementation based on low-cost sensors and demonstrate how our approach leads to demand-driven delivery units.

Effective inventory management has a direct influence on monetary savings, high customer service level and product quality and thus plays an essential role in a company’s economic and strategic performance. Forecasting and inventory models for aviation logistics are essential in commercial aviation. The objective of this paper is to study the problem of identifying the optimal order quantity of aircraft spare parts and the demand periods using the Order-Up-To (OUT) inventory model in conjunction with the Negative Binomial Distribution (NBD) and the (s, S) inventory model with Revised Power Approximation Method. These models are compared and contrasted via a real-world paradigm. The analysis reveals that the OUT inventory model in conjunction with the Poisson distribution allows ordering the lowest order quantity. However, the (s, S) inventory model with the Revised Power Approximation outperforms it in terms of average total inventory costs.

The article describes the results of identification and analysis of the environmental aspects of metal bonding technology. It was shown that in each of the stages of gluing operations, starting from surface preparation, through preparation of adhesive mass, application of the mass, joining, curing and finishing of the joint, negative aspects for the environment can be indicated. Two particularly problematic stages have been identified: the preparation of the surface before bonding and the preparation of the adhesive mass. These are initial stages, but they are characterised by different forms of human and environmental impact. A modification of the first stage was proposed as an alternative approach. The traditionally used mechanical treatment for steel and chemical treatment for aluminium alloys was replaced by laser treatment. The roughness and wettability of the laser-prepared surface were measured. The numerical results obtained for both the 25HM and X6Cr17 steels investigated, and the 2024 and 5083 aluminium alloys, lead to the conclusion that laser processing can satisfactorily replace environmentally burdensome technology. However, this replacement is not absolutely unconditional. In the following part of the article, it is shown that the use of lasers may involve different environmental aspects and health risks than before. The analysis concludes that new forms of risk should be taken into account when choosing a laser surface preparation technique. However, the best solution, which requires further research, is not only to eliminate chemicals from the surface preparation stage, but also adhesives.