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Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; Reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) is the recent addition in the field of manufacturing system. Different approaches deal with the generation of design solutions of RMS. Keeping in view quality as a key performance indicator there is a necessity to evaluate the generated solutions of RMS. In this work a comparative study between the two methods for evaluation of tolerances is performed. First using an algorithmic approach a three dimensional analysis of generated solutions of RMS is carried out. Secondly the model of the indeterminate is used for the tolerance analysis. In both methods the approach used among the existing ones for the tolerance representation and evaluation is the small displacement torsors (SDT). In order to represent the machining process plans the modified methods of graph is chosen. In the algorithmic approach the torsor equations are obtained between the interacting surfaces. Each geometric error is represented as a torsor which are then accumulated. Solutions are classified according to the tolerance values of the parameters. In the second method the gasps and defects of the surfaces are first identified and then are written in the form of torsors. The compatibility equations are obtained by resolving the loop equations. These equations are analyzed to obtain the sources of error and eventually part tolerances are calculated. The above methodologies have wide applications in the generative approach for process planning of RMS. They provide a direct link between the sources of error and part requirements. The said methodology acts as a feedback system for the capability of the system
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; Research indicates leadership commitment is an essential ingredient in the successful implementation of continuous process improvement in organizations. The purpose of this qualitative research was to gain a better understanding of the factors that compel senior leaders within organizations to initially consider continuous process improvement, commit to continuous process improvement, and sustain commitment to continuous process improvement. In-depth interviews with senior leaders within a department of the Department of Defense (DoD) were used to investigate the experiences, perceptions, and insights of senior leaders with respect to commitment to continuous improvement. Confirming previous research findings, participants in this study indicated that senior leader commitment is essential if an organization is to enjoy the benefits of continuous process improvement. Participants revealed that continuous process improvement was good for the organization and worth the effort expended. Meaningful results that lead to improved efficiency and effectiveness have a strong influence on a senior leader's willingness to commit to and sustain continuous process improvement. Participants indicated they were committed to continuous process improvement but noted that continuous process improvement can be an administrative burden. Participants asserted that credibility is critical when demonstrating their commitment to other members of the organization. Participants opined that top management must be willing to empower senior leaders to implement challenging or risky solutions. The primary contribution of this research is a better understanding of how senior leaders make the decision to commit to continuous improvement efforts in organizations. With this understanding, top leadership as well as continuous improvement managers can gain and sustain the commitment of senior leaders so vital to the success of continuous process improvement in any organizatio
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; With today's rapid advancement in technologies, commercial high tech components are rendered obsolete more frequently. Such components are often parts of long-life products. Hence, technology obsolescence can make design changes for systems expensive and result in high life-cycle costs. Several tools have been developed to support obsolescence management. While these tools provide benefits and serve as focal points for information related to components, these tools are limited in many respects due to data conflicts, incompleteness and inconsistency. Further, the lack of communication between these tools compounds the limitations making the proactive management of obsolescence even more challenging. This paper addresses gaps in existing tools, by providing a framework capable of integrating heterogeneous sources of information and knowledge that are required to resolve and manage obsolescence. This is implemented through an obsolescence resolution ontological model developed using the ontology editor Protégé. A reasoning method is used to query obsolescence information and resolution strategies to support decision-making. This paper includes two case studies describing results from the application of the ontological model and method and how these facilitate sharing and exchange of knowledge critical to obsolescence management
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; The UK beef industry holds around 12% value of total agriculture in UK. However, it is currently suffering because of some series of events in the past like outbreak of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), Foot and Mouth disease and reforms in CAP (Common Agriculture Policy). These events led to the ban on exports of British Beef, loss of headage subsidies of beef farmers and significant fall in demand of beef within the UK. The revenue of beef industry could be highly compensated by minimizing the waste in beef supply chain. According to a report by Food Chain Centre (UK), around 20% of costs incurred within the beef supply chain adds no value. It is a major concern for beef sector considering they are already in crisis as mentioned above. This article focuses on identification of root cause of waste in beef supply chain at abattoir and processor end. Thereafter, certain good management and operation practices are recommended to cope with the waste in beef supply chain. These good practices will boost the sinking fortunes of beef industry and create value for customers. These practices will further help in reducing the environmental pollution caused by the meat waste
H fault detection filter design for networked control systems in the continuous-time domain; Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; This paper deals with the problem of fault detection filter design for a class of networked control systems. Under the assumptions of network-induced time delay being unknown but bounded, packet dropouts and packets out of sequence being unavoidable, a system model for networked control system is firstly introduced in the continuous-time domain. Then an observer-based H fault detection is formulated and, by applying the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional approach, a delay-dependent sufficient condition on the existence of the H fault detection filter (FDF) is derived in terms of matrix inequality. Furthermore, an algorithm is proposed to get a feasible solution to the H fault detection filter gain matrices in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) using a cone complementary technology. A simulation example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed metho
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; Risk management has become a growing concern for manufacturers. Academics in the field have classified risks into operational (internal), network (supply chain) and environmental (natural, political and external) risks. Lean Manufacturing tools have been used to standardize and stabilize manufacturing processes, to reduce variability, to increase machine reliability, to incorporate quality into processes and to make the link with suppliers tighter, more efficient and dependable. All of these characteristics suggest that many of the Lean tools could be used to foresee and mitigate risks, and even to react to unexpected events. In this paper we examine the most important lean tools and relate them to the variables that are changed by them. We then examine those variables to identify the risks associated to them and propose a structured procedure for lean practitioners to apply the tools they already are familiar with and take explicit advantage of them in the corporate risk management effor
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; Industrial robots, both stationary and mobile, have been used in manufacturing applications for decades and are most often employed based on requirements for dedicated and repetitive manufacturing operations. Industrial robot capabilities have continued to advance in areas such as payload, accuracy and speed. Looking to the near-future, the use of robots must also transition to operate in dynamic environments for high-mix low-volume production. A variety of affordable technologies are emerging and blending to bridge the gap between the traditional use of industrial robotics and the future where robots react to consumer-driven customized product demands. This paper is intended to be informational in nature and will present applied technology development to overcome some of the historical limitations in the use of automation for complex industrial tasks. Additionally, this paper will describe internal and industry sponsored research efforts that are giving robots greater intelligence, more flexibility and greater ability to work collaboratively with human
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; Impeller is a rotating device, which transforms fluid flow from axial to radial direction. It consists of several identical, twisted blades with ruled surfaces, which are attached to a hub surface. Commonly, impeller needs high-speed rotation in order to increase the pressure flow of a pump or turbine engine. High machining accuracy is vital in producing an impeller. In this sense, there are many issues in producing a high quality impeller. Not enough information has been provided to guide new researchers in this field in the meantime. To overcome this problem, therefore, this paper reviews existing researches associated with impeller machining, focusing on the roughing strategies. An extensive study covers the literature from 1970 to 2013, mapping out research issues regarding roughing strategy in details. This paper classifies the impeller roughing strategy issues in a chronological order according to the main idea and issues. A clear analysis of machining strategies provided by dividing them into 4 categories; (1) improving machining time, (2) avoiding tool collisions, (3) undercut avoidance, and (4) chatter avoidance. Critics on the existing work and research trends reported as discussions and conclusio
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; Products such as furniture are a combination of components that together provide the functionality required by the customer. For the designer, the product configuration has special importance. The
impetus for new ideas becomes obvious as they will influence the future industrial designers. The objective of this research is to develop a new tools to help designer make a most effective decision making toward sustainable design. At early design decision makings, the design concept selection at the component design level can cause the product to be redesigned or remanufactured. Early design decision makings are essential and have significant impact on sustainable design of furniture products. However, there are still challenges to evaluate a significant sustainable design especially to furniture industry on open plan system. The aim of the research presented in this paper is to address the issues above in an integrated sustainable desig
Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing; FAIM 2014
No full textPaper presented at the Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Flexible Automation & Intelligent Manufacturing, held May 20-23, 2014 in San Antonio, Texas, and organized by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems, University of Texas at San Antonio; Includes bibliographical references; Current control systems are limited from a technical viewpoint in areas such as scalability, start-up and reconfiguration time and computational complexity for algorithms. These limitations call for a new concept for control systems to address current and future requirements. It has been suggested that the physical location of the control system be moved from that of the machine to a cloud, i.e. Control System as a service (CSaaS). In this way, the control system becomes scalable and can handle highly complex computational tasks while keeping the process know-hows. Utilizing capabilities of modern Wide Area Network (WAN) and Local Area Network (LAN) the control system can be connected with the rest of the machine, e.g. drives, sensors, devices and HMI. This approach, however, presents new challenges, i.e. the requirement for integration of network, cloud computing and control system expertise. This paper will focus on the requirements of the communication for a cloud based control system