Product design and engineering

Previous work developed a knowledge-based method named Design GuideLines Collaborative Framework (DGLs- CF), adopted during product redesign and process reconfiguration and aimed at dealing and matching with particular manufacturing and verification technologies, according to ISO GPS concepts. Aim of present work is improving the role of the ISO GPS within the DGLs-CF, not only to raise coherence in terms of concepts, but to gain some important internal and external improvements for the DGLs-CF. The main activity toward achieving this goal is the formalization of DGLs-CF product features by means of the ISO GPS features. The procedure is proposed and the consequences of its application on the elements of the DGLs-CF are evaluated. A case of study as an example of application is also presented. A significant improvement in the DGLs-CF is realized, both in terms of knowledge structure and organization, and in terms of the possibility of interfacing it with other methodologies, tools, and environments. Copyright © 2008 by ASME.

Keywords: ISO GPS (geometrical product specifications) , ISO TC 213 , Knowledge-based engineering , Process reconfiguration , Product features , Product redesign

A solution for a target aimed at the production of exotic nuclei will be analyzed. In the proposed configuration a primary proton beam (40 MeV, 0.2 mA) directly impinges on uranium carbide disks. The exotic nuclei are produced as a result of high energy fissions in 238U compounds. The system has been conceived in order to obtain both a high number of neutron-rich atoms, originating from about 1013 fissions s-1 and a low power deposition in the target. The target container is held at about 2000 °C in order to maximize the number of extracted fission fragments. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Fast release time , Fission fragments , Heat transfer , Isol target , Multi-foil , Power dissipation , Uranium carbide

In the last ten years, aerospace and automotive industries have addressed large attention to a new welding technology based on a solid-state process, called friction stir welding (FSW). FSW process shows several advantages, in particular the possibility to weld dissimilar aluminium alloys. In this paper, thin aluminium alloy 2024-T3 and 6082-T6 sheets, 0.8 mm thick, have been welded in the rolling direction by μFSW (FSW for ultra-thin sheets). Both similar and dissimilar joints have been successfully produced and analysed. Mechanical characterization has been executed through static and uniaxial fatigue tests with a constant load amplitude. Finally, microhardness and residual stress measurements have been executed on welded sheets for each joint typology. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Fatigue , Micro friction stir welding , Residual stress

A new device for the preparation of stoned olive oils, called SPIA, has been developed, aiming at fulfilling the targets of: (i) employing a less powered engine, (ii) reducing the size of the machine and (iii) reaching a good efficiency in terms of oil yields. Oleuropein expression was used as a biochemical parameter to distinguish stoned oils from oils produced by conventional milling systems. In vitro experiments performed by exposing oleuropein to pit enzymes, showed an exponential decay of the substrate. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Isotope dilution , Oleuropein , Spring pitting apparatus , Stoned olive oil , Tandem mass spectrometry

We present a flexible framework for multimodal engineering applications using augmented reality. Our goal is to simplify the configuration procedures and to provide a higher grade of flexibility in multimodal interfaces. The system architecture is based on an extensible plug-in approach. A specific component has been designed to manage and synchronize the different multimodal inputs. A configurable XML based layer manages user preferences in a hierarchical way. We tested two engineering applications: a structural component re-design case and an industrial plant visualization. Industrial experts were positively impressed by the augmented visualization and by the usability of the interface. Most of them agree that the multimodal interface surpasses the desktop based interface.

Keywords: Augmented reality , Computer aided engineering , Multimodal interaction

Recycling of clothes is a straightforward approach for the supply of a coloured raw material which does not involve the cost of the colouring process. A real time and completely automated colour classification tool for woollen clothes to be recycled is proposed. The tool uses the combination of a statistical method, called matrix approach, of a self-organizing feature map (SOFM) and a feed-forward backpropagation artificial neural network (FFBP ANN)-based approach, to correctly classify the clothes by respecting the selection criteria provided by human know-how. The developed tool, which uses an appositely developed workbench with a spectrophotometer, is aware of the way the different coloured clothes to be recycled combine each other to create a new one. The tool has been validated using a set of 5,000 differently coloured clothes to be recycled and the classification error in classifying the clothes is within 5%, i.e., lower than the one resulting from the use of an expert human operator. © 2007 Springer-Verlag London Limited.

Keywords: Colour , Neural networks , Picking , Recycling , Spectrophotometry

This paper argues that the design intent can be preserved along the product design cycle only if the whole process is supported by proper methods and advanced digital technologies to model virtual prototypes managing the styling product coherence. In this context, the most critical phase is the transformation from the design concept represented by sketches and physical prototypes and the engineered CAD models necessary for testing and manufacturing. We aim at facilitating the design intent preservation identifying the better digital technology usable to convert designers' conceptual models in digital ones. The proposed classification is based on the analysis of creative strategies adopted by the designer and on their correlation with the modeling features in the computational systems. This goal requires the definition of design intent transmitters that we define freeform aesthetic features, and the determination of a benchmarking method to map computational systems with the creative strategies. Experimental work through protocol studies has been performed to validate the mapping method. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2008.

While incremental innovation is for most companies a well assessed process, radical product innovation is often handled with difficulty, mainly due to myriad obstacles in the idea-to cash process which limits company's ability to innovate. As a typical approach, engineers firstly try to find innovative solutions only inside their technological product space, basically thinking accordingly to their commonly assessed know-how. In this paper an industrial case is analyzed, showing how TRIZ methodology offers to technicians a systematic way to solve problematic contradictions and find effective ideas. © 2008 International Federation for Information Processing.

Keywords: Concept design , Idea generation , Radical innovation , TRIZ

This paper describes a web application for supporting the user in the assessment of the optimal loading configuration for several carriers (i.e. trucks, containers, ship, etc.). The application has a standard form-based user-interface to insert data of the available carriers and items have to be loaded. The solution of this problem (known as Bin-Packing Problem (BPP)) is found by a specific algorithm and visualized by a 3D graphics representation inside the web page. Although some commercial applications already exist, ours runs directly on the web and offers, at the same time, an efficient and robust solver and a 3D visualization allowing the user to better understand the localization of the items inside the carrier and to interactively change some of the problem constraints directly on the 3D representation.

Keywords: Bin-packing , Logistics , Web3D

The key focus of this paper is to introduce an approach to collaborative concept design which makes use of critical thinking styles and methods. It consists of four stages aimed to generate concept ideas, in response to identified needs, to explore them, to develop a set of solutions, and to finally choose a solution through critical examination of the solution set. Experimental findings and results obtained from an implementation of this approach in a blended learning classroom are also presented and discussed. © 2008 International Federation for Information Processing.

In this paper an integration between a computer aided 3D modeller and an augmented reality environment is presented. The system is based on an high resolution web cam to acquire video stream from the real world and an electromagnetic tracking system (Flock of Bird by Ascension) which allows the user to interact with real and virtual objects in the augmented scene. The software to manage user interaction and data flow is implemented in Visual C++ and it makes use of the Artoolkit libraries, the OpenGL libraries and the Flock of Birds libraries. The purpose of the system is to speed up reverse engineering and prototyping processes, because the user can relate real object features in the scene to model its virtual entities or acquire geometrical features of existing parts. Moreover, the user can export the virtual models into CAD system or import external models to see how they fit in their real environment.

Keywords: Augmented reality , CAD , Motion tracking

Purpose - The aim of this paper is the development of a modular robotic system for generic industrial applications, including assembly. Design/methodology/approach - A library of robotic modules has been designed; they are divided into two categories: link modules, not actuated, and joint modules, actuated; the library is characterized by a relatively low number of elements, but allows the assembly of a wide variety of medium-size serial robots. Findings - The prototypes of two joint modules (a revolute joint module and a wrist module) and of some link modules have been realized. The behaviour of several serial robots composed of the designed modules has been assessed by multibody simulation. The results confirm the goodness of the proposed approach. Research limitations/implications - The two prototype modules are under test in combination with simplified modules. The further steps of the research programme will be the completion of the prototype library, and an experimental campaign on different serial chains. Practical implications - Modularity allows one to achieve a great variety of robots starting from a small set of modules, in order to match different operative requirements. Moreover, modularity dramatically reduces the time-to-repair of the robot and consequently improves its overall availability; this is a fundamental feature for modern industrial enterprises aiming at maximizing the resources availability. Originality/value - The proposed mechanical design of therevolute joint modules, based on a harmonic drive that connects two bodies in relative rotational motion, is compact and robust. Modularity is not restricted to mechanics: a distributed control system is adopted to make the reconfiguration of the robot easier and quicker.

Keywords: Assembly , Production methods , Robotics

The product design methodologies and practices are expected to face in the short future important changes, to deal with the lifecycle requirements of the growth sustainability. These changes aim at granting the visibility over the points-of-service, in connection with the on-duty conformance-to-specification tests, and at the point-of-dismissal, to comply with the enacted recovery (reuse, recycle) rules. To that purposes, the major innovations develop along complementary lines: to establish appropriate knowledge frames, which embed lifecycle economy of scope proper orientation; to exploit modelling and simulation functions M&SF, which provide the pertinent product-view specialisation. The paper offers an introductory overview of these lines, to address the design practice management requirements, by a multi-disciplinary approach, with concern on available information technology CAD tools that embed algorithmic and heuristic blocks to offer mixed mode simulation-and-emulation aids, and PLM tools that explore Ambient Intelligence and net-concerns to tackle with the on-duty and end-of-life services provision.

Keywords: Lifestyle eco-design , Modelling & simulation , Net-concern , Product-service

The robot mine clearing, based on cheap and widespread farming contrivances, provides considerably unusual prospects, which aim at enhancing safety, reliability and efficiency, to transform the terrorist anti-personnel mine into almost useless practice. The talk develops along the following lines: · to conceive and implement low-cost robotic equipment, assuring effective, safe and reliable demining: the resources (facilities, functions, fixtures) choice lets devising worthy strategies; · to help out equipment integration, with resort to cheap and widely available (agricultural) fixtures: the on-process adaptive work-cycles lead to better tactical concert; · to provide the modelling and simulation background for the on-duty assessment and training assistance: the alarm (warning, emergency) management brings to efficiency and safety; · to make easier the operators groundwork, involved in self-learning and up-grading duties: the mixed-mode automation grants balanced resources use on the strategic, tactical and execution horizons.

Keywords: Military applications , Remote steering , Robotic mine-sweeping

The paper proposes a new highly automated drilling system able to create holes up to 20 m depth in rocky walls using standard 1.5 m length rods. The drilling system, to be used to automate rocky walls consolidation, has to be positioned in the points of the map earlier defined by the geologist; for this reason it is hosted onto a semiautonomous climbing platform, with rods stored on-board. An automatic system is also required to feed the drilling head with new rods while the hole progresses and to recover the rods once the hole is up. The drilling system mainly consists of: a commercial drilling rig with the requested modifications for the interfacing to an automatic feeding system; a manipulator (endowed with a suitable gripper) for the loading/unloading of the rods; a storage buffer for allocating the rods. In the paper, the alternatives considered for the design of the whole drilling system are shortly recalled, explaining the guidelines which led to the final architecture, as well. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Automation , Construction robotics , Drilling system , Remote handling

Among TRIZ users the importance given to patent resources is far behind the mere protection of R&D results. Patents represent a starting point for new inventions and a huge resource for collecting information on the way contradictions have been solved and in which different field such solutions may be adopted. Moreover the worldwide patent database contains information about the technology evolution that can be extracted so that the level of maturity of a product or process can be evaluated towards TRIZ laws of technical evolution. The contribution of this paper is to provide a step by step procedure, partially automatic, to perform TRIZ oriented patent search. The procedure, while determining the level of innovation of patents, allows defining a sharp set of patents responding to a structured query. The procedure has been applied to several case studies of different fields (e.g. mechanical, medical, and electronics) and a significant example referring to X-rays technology is shown in the paper. © 2008 International Federation for Information Processing.

Keywords: Level of inventiveness , Patent clustering , Patent investigation , TRIZ

A business process may be considered a technical system that generates value by turning available resources into products or services to be sold. When the process is not able to exploit all available resources in terms of market demand, raw materials, etc., the value generated by the system decreases owing to a lack of functionality or performance. The current paper presents an original road-map, based on the integration of different methods and tools (namely IDEF, TRIZ, TOC), able to support the analysis of an industrial production process in order to identify business opportunities that are not exploited to their maximum extent. The proposed approach goes from the As-Is process to the definition of a To-Be model by moving from the actual reality to the economic domain and then back to the desired or expected future reality. The link between these two domains is constituted by the functional domain, and the identification of the functional needs is the step to define innovation challenges aimed at removing business limits. An application of the road-map to improve the production process of solid biofuels is also presented as a case study in order to clarify and validate the proposed approach. © IMechE 2008.

Keywords: Business process re-engineering and innovation , Functional modelling , Process modelling , Product development

From a theoretical point of view, people are used to think that the adoption of innovative business solutions, for optimizing the product lifecycle, should always guarantee a sufficient return on the investment (ROI), even if the concrete benefits that the investment has given to the company are sometimes difficult to evaluate. Looking at the technical literature it is possible to find a lot of ROI's estimation metrics for the evaluation of business strategies, even if after the analysis of the theoretical concepts no one faces with a real implementation of the methodology proposed. This paper proposes a solution, based on the key performance indicator (KPI) method, for evaluating the benefits introduced by the adoption of a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tool in a one of a kind company. The methods have been validated with its implementation into an Aerospace and Defence company (Alcatel Alenia Space), highlighting the improvement created by the implementation of the PLM solution in the everyday activities and showing the system's contribution for some key-process as configuration, change and documentation. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Collaborative management , Extended enterprise , One-of-a-kind company , Product development management , Product lifecycle management

Nature is a starting point to analyse and to conceive solutions for complex systems, and a reservoir of inspiration to provide innovative answers to the product development as well as to the interaction between man and nature: this is the first key idea that the authors would like to transmit to the new generations of engineers and designers. Furthermore, it is also important to embed the development of technology within a sustainable development frame-work: from this point of view the authors are encouraging students to develop a particular case-study.

Keywords: Bionics , Design education , Theory of technical systems , TRIZ

In order to keep or to reach a high level of competitiveness and performance of a product, it is necessary to explore all the possible solutions that allow the best compromise between costs and project requirements. By this point of view the study of alternative designs and/or materials to use, is an important aspect that can identify a new concept or way of thinking about a product. This paper presents how to make use of composite materials in the field of heavy vehicles transportation. A new semitrailer in composite material has been designed, using a methodical redesign approach and an optimisation process. The main innovation in this project is, besides the use of the Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastics (GFRPs), also a new topology of the vehicle frame; the designed semitrailer, in fact, has a monocoque structure. Copyright © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Keywords: Composite material , Redesign process , Semitrailer , Structural frame