Showing papers on "Production engineering published in 2004"

Improved efficiency with production disturbance reduction in manufacturing systems based on discrete‐event simulation

Abstract: Discrete‐event simulation (DES) and disturbance reduction techniques are a combination for improving efficiency in manufacturing systems. The DES modelling allows different tests to be carried out by step‐by‐step alteration. The use of manufacturing improvement techniques should be combined for best results. The changes in disturbances will show us different alternatives in output of the manufacturing system. Two case studies have been drawn up to study the possibilities for disturbance reduction in manufacturing systems by using DES with the proposed method for improved overall manufacturing efficiency. The case studies showed an improvement of output of 14 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively.

Engineering management: operational design coordination

Abstract: Effective engineering management is acknowledged as being fundamental to the successful operation of organizations. While traditional and contemporary approaches to operational engineering management are of great significance, there remains a need to make further advances in this field. Such advances will enable an increase in the competitiveness of an organization by contributing toward delivering quality products in shorter timescales at an acceptable cost. As such, there is a requirement for a more comprehensive and innovative approach that offers a means of improving the operational management of engineering. Existing approaches recognize coordination as an important and pervasive characteristic of operational engineering management; however, they fail to offer a consistent understanding and appreciation of the concept. This paper comprehensively identifies the key elements of operational design coordination, which will provide the basis for an improved approach to engineering management.

Manufacturing grid: a next generation manufacturing model

Abstract: We envision that manufacturing would be operated in a more integrated and collaborative fashion in the future. A manufacturing grid would be created for low-cost and high productivity productions through controlled resource sharing across enterprises just like a computational grid. All participants (i.e., factories) in the manufacturing grid would provide designated production services for making different products. This paper introduces such an innovative concept. A formal model defining how a manufacturing grid would operate in the future is proposed. A simplified application is prototyped.

Combining economic and social goals in the design of production systems by using ergonomics standards

Abstract: textIn designing of production systems, economic and social goals can be combined, if ergonomics is integrated into the design process. More than 50 years of ergonomics research and practice have resulted in a large number of ergonomics standards for designing physical and organizational work environments. This paper gives an overview of the 174 international ISO and European CEN standards in this field, and discusses their applicability in design processes. The available standards include general recommendations for integrating ergonomics into the design process, as well as specific requirements for manual handling, mental load, task design, human-computer-interaction, noise, heat, body measurements, and other topics. The standards can be used in different phases of the design process: allocation of system functions between humans and machines, design of the work organization, work tasks and jobs, design of work environment, design of work equipment, hardware and software, and design of workspace and workstation. The paper is meant to inform engineers and managers involved in the design of production systems about the existence of a large number of ISO and CEN standards on ergonomics, which can be used to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

Organic Production Systems: What the Biological Cell Can Teach Us About Manufacturing

Abstract: Biological cells run complicated and sophisticated production systems. The study of the cell's production technology provides us with insights that are potentially useful in industrial manufacturing. When comparing cell metabolism with manufacturing techniques in industry, we find some striking commonalities, but also some important differences. Like today's well-run factories, the cell operates a very lean production system, assures quality at the source, and uses component commonality to simplify production. While we can certainly learn from how the cell accomplishes these parallels, it is even more interesting to look at how the cell operates differently. In biological cells, all products and machines are built from a small set of common building blocks that circulate in local recycling loops. Production equipment is added, removed, or renewed instantly when needed. The cell's manufacturing unit is highly autonomous and reacts quickly to a wide range of changes in the local environment. Although this "organic production system" is very different from existing manufacturing systems, some of its principles are applicable to manufacturing, and indeed, a few can even be seen emerging today. Thus, the organic production system can be viewed as a possible scenario for the future of manufacturing.

Engineering Management: Challenges in the New Millennium

Abstract: 1. Introduction To Management Challenges For Engineers. I. THE FUNCTIONS OF ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT 2. Planning. 3. Organizing. 4. Leading. 5. Controlling. II. BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS FOR ENGINEERING MANAGERS. 6. Cost Accounting For Engineering Managers. 7. Financial Accounting And Analysis For Engineering Managers. 8. Managerial Finance For Engineering Managers. 9. Marketing Management For Engineering Managers. III. Engineering Leadership In The New Millennium. 10. Engineers As Managers/Leaders. 11. Ethics In Engineering/Business Management. 12. Web-Based Enablers For Engineering And Management. 13. Globalization. 14. Engineering Management In The New Millennium. Appendix: Selected Engineering Management And Business Cases. Index.

An Engineer’s Workstation to Support Integrated Development of Flexible Production Control Systems

Abstract: Today’s manufacturing industry demands flexible and decentralized production control systems to avoid hours of down time of the production line in case of a failure of a single central production control computer or program. Additionally, today’s market forces demand smaller lot sizes and a more flexible mixture of different products manufactured in parallel on one production line. These requirements increase the complexity of the control software. Consequently, sophisticated techniques for the development of such production systems are needed. In this paper we present an overview of our seamless methodology for integrated design, analysis, and validation for such production control systems. We illustrate our approach by an existing material flow system which is a major part of a real production system. We show how our modelling approach is used for simulation facilities, code generation for programmable logic controllers, and maintenance purposes.

Production Process for Manufactured Housing

Abstract: A manufactured home is completely built in a controlled factory environment. Despite a large share of the market, the manufactured housing industry has a long way to go towards streamlining its production process. The objective of this paper is to map the production process of a manufactured housing factory and to demonstrate via simulation how the process can be improved. The produc- tion process including assembly, feeder, and storage stations were mapped using data from several manufactured housing plants and in-depth case studies at two plants in northern Indiana. The case study plants were also used for collecting cycle-time data for developing the simulation model for the roofing process. Subsequently, four "what if" scenarios were conducted to illustrate potential improvements to the production process. The efforts presented in this paper are part of on-going research sponsored by the National Science Foundation under the Partnership for Advancement of Technology in Housing (PATH) initiative.

Semi-heterarchical production planning structures in the support of team-based manufacturing

Abstract: Manufacturing enterprises are facing fierce competition within the modern global market, resulting in a requirement for continuous improvement of their production management practices. In this context, a number of manufacturing paradigms such as team-based manufacturing have been adopted to provide the flexibility, agility and responsiveness required to cope with the volatility of production demands. The introduction of team-based working practices necessitates a clear definition and delegation of responsibilities to various teams and often requires significant changes in production planning and control procedures. The successful implementation of such a distributed production approach is then dependent on the way that the production teams manage their internal activities and cooperate with other teams to achieve overall manufacturing goals. A novel team-based distributed production planning and control approach based on a semi-heterarchical structure is presented that aims to support the autonomous and c...

On Manufacturing System Development in the Context of Concurrent Engineering

Abstract: This thesis presents an extension of the contemporaryengineering design theory towards a unified view onsimultaneous development of products and manufacturing systems,i.e. concurrent engineering. T ...

Restrictions of production engineering on micro-specific product development

Abstract: The influences deriving from technology on the functions achievable by means of product design are typical characteristics of the development of micro-technological products. As a result, unlike the conventional design process the function attainable in micro technology due to product design appears to be less subjected to certain requirements. Multitechnological influences, resulting from production processes, material characteristics or micro-specific effects have an especially restrictive impact on the design of machine elements. On the basis of the product development process for primary shaped micro components from metallic and ceramic materials a method is presented which makes it possible to detect the know-how provided by disciplines subsequent and adjacent to the design process, having influence on the design of the machine element and interpret this relevant to design. The computer-aided availability of knowledge is accomplished with a knowledge-based design environment.

Performance quantification and simulation optimization of manufacturing flow lines

Abstract: • A submitted manuscript is the author's version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.

Systems engineering and engineering management: keys to the efficient development of products and services

Abstract: Because of globalization and technology, the roles of the traditional engineering manager are changing. All practicing engineering managers must be able to understand the tools available in order t...

Research on reconfigurable manufacturing execution system

Abstract: Abstrucr Firstly, it is pointed out that the research on Reconfigurable Manufacturing Execution System (RMES) is very important for the reconfigurability of the manufacturer and popularizing MES in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of china. Secondly, the deficiencies of traditional MES are analyzed basing on the introduction of MES. Then the reconstru’ctive dimensions and layers of RMES, which include applicable scope dimension, system framework dimension, development phase dimension and reconstructive granularity dimension, are researched in detail. Finally, the development method of RMES Is discussed and the system framework based on CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) and MAS (Multi-Agent System) is put forward.

Applicability of Engineering Design Theories on Manufacturing System Design in the Context of Concurrent Engineering

Abstract: The relationship between a product and a manufacturing system is addressed in various engineering design theories. The different approaches in the engineering design field are mainly focused on product design. The purpose of this paper is to review theories in the area of engineering design, in order to discuss applicability of engineering design theories on the concurrent product and manufacturing system development. The reviewed theories are: Axiomatic Design, Robust Design, Theory of Domains, and Theory of Technical Systems.

A concurrent engineering approach to selective implementation of alternative processes

Abstract: During the last decade, integration between design and manufacturing has shown to be a major competitive weapon and much research work has been carried out about considering at the product design stage production process issues. Most of the literature on such techniques focuses on integrating the design of a product and the design of its manufacturing processes, disregarding issues related to the design and management of the manufacturing system. Nonetheless, decisions taken at the product and process design stage could have an influence on typical production planning and control issues such as, for example, minimising lead times and maximising machine utilisation. Many research works show the advantage of a higher process flexibility, in terms of machine utilisation, manufacturing lead time, inventory level, and the like (see, for example, Tsubone and Horikawa, The International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems 11 (1999) 83 or Ferreira and Wysk, Journal of Manufacturing System 19 (2001)), but developing alternative machine possibility has a cost that is not negligible (International Journal of Production Economics 48 (1997) 237). Therefore, guidelines are needed for identifying for what items and for which operations to develop alternative processes. In this paper, the relationship between alternative processes availability and manufacturing system performances are investigated, showing that the advantage of additional alternative process decreases as the number of alternatives increases, and that given a certain number of alternative processes developed, there is a strong difference in performances depending on what alternative processes have been implemented. Then a new procedure is presented for guiding in selecting for which operations to implement alternative processes in order to maximise the flexibility advantages limiting the implementation cost. The proposed procedure is then tested, under different operating conditions, against a practical rule by means of a simulation model.

The Application of Value Stream Mapping to Lean Engineering

Abstract: For the past few years, almost every manufacturing or service industry has been trying to get “lean.” The tools that enable waste elimination in engineering processes are equally important and little has been done to map the application of lean tools from manufacturing to the engineering process. Value stream mapping for manufacturing is a basic, graphical tool used to describe production processes and highlight sources of waste. In its current form, value stream mapping cannot be implemented in engineering processes due to fundamental differences between manufacturing and engineering processes. This paper identifies these differences as well as similarities between the manufacturing and engineering. We then use them to create analogies that enable the adaptation of value stream mapping for use in engineering. The application of this tool to engineering processes is validated by an industry application to manufacturing engineering processes, specifically the equipment installation process. With this map of the equipment installation process, our industrial team was able to identify wastes and sources of wastes, and design a future state where the lead-time of the installation process was reduced by over 90% with a much better first time quality.Copyright © 2004 by ASME

Design, Implementation and Use of a Knowledge Acquisition Tool for Sheet Metal Forming

Abstract: Knowledge Management systems utilising a number of different techniques have been developed for manufacturing processes including sheet metal forming. These are designed to overcome knowledge loss and allow an organisation to more effectively leverage its corporate experience base. Most systems focus on design activities only, they do not capture and integrate the experience gained on the shop floor during testing and production. In order to be used in these areas, knowledge capture must be as simple and time efficient as possible, even if this is at the expense of later potential reasoning. The design, implementation and results from the use of a knowledge acquisition system of this kind for the automotive stamping industry are described. Despite perceived conceptions of data captured, it is concluded that underlying relationships can be extracted from the information entered, allowing significant reuse of captured experience, whilst maintaining timely knowledge acquisition.Copyright © 2004 by ASME

Integrating manufacturing and life cycle information into the product model

Abstract: The power of the integrated product model can be extended well beyond the mere definition of geometry, and this extension offers significant benefits to shipbuilders. The nature of computer-aided design/manufacturing (CAD/CAM) data allows use of arbitrarily extensible linked databases, which can contain any other information that might be useful for manufacture, production engineering, procurement, and even maintenance and operation of the ship throughout its life cycle.

Towards component-based control system engineering with IEC61499

Abstract: Component technology has rapidly expanded and become the dominating development technology in industrial automation. But the adoption of component-based control system engineering (CBCSE) is significantly slower due to the lack of appropriate methodologies. To address this problem, the IEC61499 Function Block (FB) standard is exploited. Based on a specific view on component technology as well as CBCSE, the component model and framework in the context of IEC61499 are identified. By integrating new technologies in software engineering with IEC61499, an innovative engineering methodology for CBCSE is proposed. The FB construct is employed as the main building component for modern industrial control system. Illustration is presented of a typical experimental system using the proposed engineering methodology, which promises to improve reusability, modularity, scalability and maintainability in automation systems, while supporting control engineering in a cost- and time effective manner.

Media-assisted product and process traceability in supply chain engineering

Abstract: Many engineering domains involve an intricate interplay of conceptual synthesis of alternative requirements and design configurations, preliminary impact analysis of these alternatives using complex simulations and multimedia visualizations, and human decision-making. Design traceability in such settings must be both product-oriented and process-oriented: it must enable an efficient media-based comparison of product alternatives from the current project or related experiences, and it must facilitate reuse of modeling experiences to avoid unnecessary repetition of negative experiences. We have studied these problems in a large interdisciplinary project whose aim it is to optimize supply chains linking chemical engineering, plastics engineering, and related application demands e.g. in the automotive industry. A number of novel experience reuse tools have been designed and implemented as part of a process-integrated modeling environment.

ExPlanTech: Multi-agent Framework for Production Planning, Simulation and Supply Chain Management

Abstract: We present a unified multi-agent technology for decision making support in production planning and scheduling, manufacturing simulation in and supply chain management. The technology has been tested on several industrial cases and is used in a daily production planning processes of one important automobile industry supplier in the Czech Republic.

Order batching and picking optimization in terms of supply chain management (SCM)

Abstract: Won, Jaeyeon, "Order batching and picking optimization in terms of supply chain management (SCM) " (2004). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1204. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion.

Globalizing manufacturing engineering education

Abstract: The educational experience of future manufacturing engineers should reflect the fact that manufacturing is an increasingly global activity. In this paper, we begin with a statistical study of long-term trends in global manufacturing. While there is some truth to the popular claim that manufacturing jobs are leaving the U.S. for Asia, our study shows a more complex picture that implies a continuing presence for significant manufacturing in the U.S. as well as substantial growth abroad. A review of most current U.S. manufacturing engineering programs shows that relatively few acknowledge the international nature of manufacturing in their published course requirements. We conclude with recommendations for ways to include more material on the global aspects of manufacturing in undergraduate engineering curricula.