Depositing large components (>10 kg) in titanium, aluminium, steel and other metals is possible using Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing. This technology adopts arc welding tools and wire as feedstock for additive manufacturing purposes. High deposition rates, low material and equipment costs, and good structural integrity make Wire+Arc Additive Manufacturing a suitable candidate for replacing the current method of manufacturing from solid billets or large forgings, especially with regards to low and medium complexity parts. A variety of components have been successfully manufactured with this process, including Ti–6Al–4V spars and landing gear assemblies, aluminium wing ribs, steel wind tunnel models and cones. Strategies on how to manage residual stress, improve mechanical properties and eliminate defects such as porosity are suggested. Finally, the benefits of non-destructive testing, online monitoring and in situ machining are discussed.

https://tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1179/1743284715Y.0000000073

Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing

This paper reviews the breadth of complexity of the design process, products, manufacturing, and business. Manufacturing is facing unprecedented challenges due to increased variety, market volatility and distributed global manufacturing. A fundamental residue of globalization and market uncertainty is the increasing complexity of manufacturing, technological and economic systems. The nature and sources of complexity in these areas are reviewed and complexity modeling and management approaches are discussed. Enterprises that can mitigate the negative aspects of complexity while managing its positives should thrive on the continuous change and increasing complexity. To reap these benefits in the future, manufacturing companies need to not only adopt flexible technical solutions but must also effectively innovate and manage complex socio-technical systems.

Complexity in engineering design and manufacturing

This paper discusses production systems with a focus on the relationships between product supply and customer demand in the context of Industry 2.0–4.0. One driver of production evolution is change...

The evolution of production systems from Industry 2.0 through Industry 4.0

Self-healing polymeric materials based on microencapsulated healing agents: From design to preparation

In this paper, emerging technologies in the automotive assembly are discussed, along with techniques used in the vehicle assembly plants. The discussion involves technologies directly dealing with assembly processes such as handling, joining, human resources etc. as well as with supporting systems, mainly the information technologies. An overview of the existing technologies is provided. The assembly systems are unable to cope with the requirements of mass customization and need to be enriched with new technologies for a higher flexibility potential. Concepts integrating various new technologies into supporting both automated and human based assembly operations are presented and discussed versus this identified inability for mass customization. Future assembly plants need to utilize flexibility systematically, both for the system design and its operation. For this purpose, a close loop approach is discussed.

Automotive assembly technologies review: challenges and outlook for a flexible and adaptive approach

Modularization has been used mostly in order for the management of complex systems to be simplified. In the present paper, the major evolutions of modularity concepts are reviewed in the case of the automotive industry. The current trend indicates that the next generation of vehicles will change from the integrated “unibody” with high production volume and low flexibility, to the modular ones of middle to high production volume and flexibility. Typical examples of different modular design approaches are presented and discussed. The paper includes the vehicle's body design requirements that have to be met in order for such a modular approach to be effective.

Modularity concepts for the automotive industry: A critical review

Multifunctional materials are designed so as to meet specific requirements through tailored properties. Smart materials can be considered as multifunctional ones that have the ability to react upon an external stimulus, simulating, in this way, the behavior of nature’s materials. Furthermore, the introduction of biomemetics in the material science, allows the designing of materials with similar processes as nature does: building from molecules to complete structures. This paper focuses on the presentation of the various multifunctional materials reported in the literature and the processing means developed.

Multifunctional materials: engineering applications and processing challenges.

Product modularity and assembly systems: An automotive case study

Conventional material removal techniques, like CNC milling, have been proven to be able to tackle nearly any machining challenge. On the other hand, the major drawback of using conventional CNC machines is the restricted working area and their produced shape limitation limitations. From a conceptual point of view, industrial robot technology could provide an excellent base for machining being both flexible and cost efficient. However, industrial machining robots lack absolute positioning accuracy, are unable to reject/absorb disturbances in terms of process forces and lack reliable programming and simulation tools to ensure right first time machining, at production startups. This paper reviews the penetration of industrial robots in the challenging field of machining.

Machining with robots: a critical review

The clustering of a product's components into modules is an effective means of creating modular architectures. This article initially links the clustering efficiency with the interactions of a product's components, and interesting observations are extracted. A novel clustering method utilising neural network algorithms and design structure matrices (DSMs) is then introduced. The method is capable of reorganising the components of a product in clusters, in order for the interactions to be maximised inside and minimised outside the clusters. In addition, a multi-criteria decision-making approach is used, in order for the efficiency of the different clustering alternatives, derived by the network, to be evaluated. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate and assess the application of the method. The derived algorithmic clustering proved to be more efficient compared with the empirical one, and thus, it can be used by design engineers as an effective tool for the derivation of product clustering alternatives.

/pdf/a-neural-network-approach-for-the-development-of-modular-igvsqercro.pdf

John Pandremenos

Papers

Modularity concepts for the automotive industry: A critical review

Multifunctional materials: engineering applications and processing challenges.

Product modularity and assembly systems: An automotive case study

Machining with robots: a critical review

A neural network approach for the development of modular product architectures