Configuration Rules for Assembly Line Layouts: An Integrated Approach for the Preliminary Design

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Furini ◽  
Andrea Ascheri ◽  
Giorgio Colombo ◽  
Massimo Ippolito ◽  
Eleonora Atzeni
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Systems ◽  
Assembly Line ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Preliminary Design ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Assembly Lines ◽  
Knowledge Based

The design and the configuration of manufacturing systems, such as assembly lines layouts, are time consuming activities, mainly based on implicit knowledge and no definite rules. This complicated design process is associated with high costs, long lead times and high probability of risks and reworks. Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) is a technique that can tackle these issues and support the engineers in the early design steps of a manufacturing system with a comprehensive and systematic approach, into the integrated design in a complex system and its related processes. The purpose of this research involve the use of KBE methodology in order to collect and formalize knowledge about the a case study, the design of an assembly line layout system for the cylinder head valve of a car engine. With the formalization of the case study is possible to create an application of configuration that supports the decision making process during the preliminary design phase. The possibility to extend the process to a multi objective optimization is considered. The methodology should be able to help manufacturing equipment providers to shrink design times, evaluating more alternatives and integrating different activities related to the preliminary design phase of a system. This research proposes a practical approach combining the current research state of the art and a real industrial environment for knowledge extraction and application.

Managing Complexity in Manufacturing Changeovers: A Sustainable Manufacturing-Oriented Approach and the Application Case Study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Mustafa ◽  
Kai Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Systems ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Sustainable Manufacturing ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Manufacturing Complexity ◽  
Oriented Approach

Increasing manufacturing complexity continues to be one of the most significant challenges facing the manufacturing industry today. Due to these rapid changes in manufacturing systems, one of the most important factors affecting production is recognized as the frequent production setup or changeovers, consequently affecting the overall production lead times and competitiveness of the company. Developing responsive production setup and process capability is increasingly important as product ranges and varieties in manufacturing companies are growing rapidly and, at the same time, production business models are operating more towards being customer-oriented. Furthermore, although different conventional methods have been used to manage complexity in production changeovers, sustainability and competitiveness development in a manufacturing company needs to be scientifically addressed by managing manufacturing complexity. In this paper, a sustainable manufacturing-oriented approach is presented in mind of managing manufacturing changeover complexities. A case study is carried out specifically concerning changeover complexity in a pharmaceutical company, aiming at minimizing complexities in production changeover and waste, increasing plant flexibility and productivity, and ultimately the sustainable competitiveness of the company in managing manufacturing changes.

Simulation-Supported Early Stage Design Optimisation for a Case Study of Life Cycle Oriented Buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 887 ◽  
pp. 353-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sören Eikemeier ◽  
Ardeshir Mahdavi ◽  
Robert Wimmer
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Preliminary Design ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Design Optimisation ◽  
Stage Design ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Early Stage Design

To reduce the energy and resource consumption in the building sector this study is focusing on a design optimisation of life cycle oriented buildings. In order to optimise the performance of the buildings and in consequence also to achieve improved results for the mandatory Austrian energy certificate a simulation-based rapid design approach is used for the early stage design phase of the buildings, in particular for the architectural design of the buildings.Methods like the Window to Wall Ratio, at the very beginning of the design process, a parametric simulation with EnergyPlus or a more detailed optimisation approach with GenOpt are integrated in this study applied to example buildings. The results are showing that the method can be used in a circular approach for improving the heating demand of the Austrian energy certificate for this case study by more than 25 % compared to the preliminary design

An Integrated Approach to Design Mechatronic Systems: Cross-Disciplinary Constraint Modeling

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenway Chen ◽  
Jitesh Panchal ◽  
Dirk Schaefer
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Design ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Robot Arm ◽  
Mechatronic Systems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Constraint Modeling ◽  
Automated Feedback ◽  
To Receive

Mechatronic systems encompass a wide range of disciplines and hence are collaborative in nature. Currently the collaborative development of mechatronic systems is inefficient and error-prone because contemporary design environments do not allow sufficient information flow of design and manufacturing data across the electrical and mechanical domains. Mechatronic systems need to be designed in an integrated fashion allowing designers from both electrical and mechanical engineering domains to receive automated feedback regarding design modifications throughout the design process. Integrated design of mechatronic products can be realized through the integration of mechanical and electrical CAD systems. One approach to achieve this type of integration is through the propagation of constraints. Cross-disciplinary constraints between mechanical and electrical design domains can be classified, represented, modeled, and bi-directionally propagated in order to provide automated feedback to designers of both engineering domains. In this paper, the authors focus on constraint classification and constraint modeling and provide a case study example using a robot arm. The constraint modeling approach presented in this paper represents a blueprint for the actual implementation.

CREATING HIGHLY RELIABLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

2000 ◽  
Vol 07 (03) ◽  
pp. 205-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. ALI AZADEH
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Systems ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Organizational Systems ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Systemic Mechanism ◽  
Operation And Maintenance ◽  
Human Operators ◽  
Complex Manufacturing Systems ◽  
Early Design Phase

The causes of complex manufacturing systems' failures are preliminarily analyzed. The techniques of creating highly reliable manufacturing systems are then discussed. It has been shown that modern safety and quality analysis conducted from early design phase to operation and maintenance will enhance the reliability of complex manufacturing systems. In addition, optimization between human operators and machines reduces confusion and increases the reliability of such systems. Employing teamwork in all aspects of the organizational systems will enhance the productivity of complex systems. Moreover, there should also exist a unique and systemic mechanism which integrates the performance of the organizational systems with those of technical (engineering) and nontechnical (people) subsystems.

scholarly journals Mixed integer linear programming models for minimizing ergonomic risk dispersion in an assembly line at the Nissan Barcelona factory

2018 ◽  
pp. 72-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joaquín Bautista-Valhondo ◽  
Rocío Alfaro-Pozo
Keyword(s):  
Assembly Line ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Assembly Line Balancing ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Assembly Lines ◽  
Absolute Deviation ◽  
Mixed Model Assembly Lines ◽  
Average Maximum ◽  
Ergonomic Risk

We present a variant of the approach to the assembly line balancing problems, with the aim of reducing the ergonomic risk for operators of mixed-model assembly lines (MILP-3). Specifically, the MILP-3 model is focused on minimizing the average range between ergonomic risk values of workstations. Using a case study from Nissan’s plant in Barcelona, not only are the differences between levels of ergonomic risk of stations reduced, but we attempt to reduce the average maximum ergonomic risk of the assembly line. The new model is compared with two others, MILP-1 and MILP-2, which minimize the average maximum ergonomic risk and the average absolute deviation of the risks, respectively.

An Integrated Approach to the Planning of Manual Assembly Lines

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Pintzos ◽  
Markos Matsas ◽  
Christos Triantafyllou ◽  
Nikolaos Papakostas ◽  
George Chryssolouris
Keyword(s):  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Manufacturing Systems ◽  
Assembly Line ◽  
Assembly Line Balancing ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Line Balancing ◽  
Assembly Planning ◽  
Manual Assembly ◽  
Wide Range

Manual assembly planning methodologies have been in the center of industrial and academic research for many decades, since the manual assembly costs may often account for even half of the total manufacturing expenses. The existing and emerging manufacturing trends, such as mass customization and personalization, require fast responses when it comes to the conception and realization of the relevant manufacturing systems. Even though, work methodologies, such as concurrent engineering, have been proposed and applied, gaps still exist among product development, configuration and manufacturing. The Current Product Lifecycle (PLM) systems focus on the coordination of activities among engineers of different disciplines. However, they are unable to provide actual decision support functionality to decision makers. Moreover, solutions for the different phases of assembly planning have been proposed, without nevertheless taking into account the holistic nature of assembly planning that spans the different engineering phases. The study presented in this paper is based on a methodology that integrates three distinct steps, regarding assembly planning; the generation of assembly related information, from the Computer Aided Design (CAD) files of an assembly, the calculation of the relevant process times from functions, generated through empirical measurements and the assembly line balancing of a line, based on the information gathered. The innovative aspect of this approach relies on the advancement of the relevant technologies as well as on their integration into a common working practice. The methodology enables the estimation of production related values in the later phases of product design or in the early phases of manufacturing planning. The generation of assembly precedence diagrams is made in an automatic way through the extraction of information on collision detection and the parts’ relations. This application is developed in the form of an add-on to a commercial CAD software suite. It utilizes features that are available in a wide range of such systems. The second step relies on the identification of specific features of parts, such as dimensions and mass. This information is then used as input in the functions already proposed in the academic literature for the estimation of the relevant process times for each part. Finally, the assembly line balancing is performed through the generation of the precedence diagram and the estimated process times, via a web-based service, which makes use of advanced optimization techniques. In order for this methodology to be evaluated, a case study is presented by using the CAD file of an automotive sub-assembly. The case study demonstrates each step separately, beginning with the generation of the precedence diagram down to the balancing of the assembly line.

A Productivity Improvement of a Packing Line

2015 ◽  
Vol 789-790 ◽  
pp. 1240-1244
Author(s):  
Peeyapach Jitchaiyaphum ◽  
Suksan Prombanpong
Keyword(s):  
Production Line ◽  
Assembly Line ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Line Balancing ◽  
Assembly Lines ◽  
Customer Demand ◽  
Productivity Improvement ◽  
Manual Assembly ◽  
Line Design

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a productivity improvement through waste reduction and line balancing. One of the obstacles of a manual assembly line nowadays is an awkward line design with over manpower, a lot of wastes, and low balance efficiency. As a result, the production line may not satisfy customer demand and ends up with low production line efficiency. This is due to the fact that this type of production line is operated by human and the customer demand or requirements are frequently fluctuated. Human workers are prone to make mistakes, inefficient, and unorganized. Thus, the major causes of production line down time are discussed with suggestion of remedy actions to improve the productivity. In addition, calculation of line balancing is demonstrated. One of the actual manual assembly lines will be used as a case study. It is found that after improvement line balance efficiency is increased from 46.49 to 86.66 percent with the productivity improvement of 159 percent.

scholarly journals A computer application for parametric aircraft design

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Filipe R. Fraqueiro ◽  
Pedro F. Albuquerque ◽  
Pedro V. Gamboa
Keyword(s):  
User Interface ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Graphical User Interface ◽  
Aircraft Design ◽  
Computer Application ◽  
Preliminary Design ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Design Phase ◽  
Aerial Vehicles

Abstract The present work describes the development and final result of a graphical user interface tailored for a mission-based parametric aircraft design optimization code which targets the preliminary design phase of unmanned aerial vehicles. This development was built from the XFLR5 open source platform and further benefits from two-dimensional aerodynamic data obtained from XFOIL. For a better understanding, the most important graphical windows are shown. In order to demonstrate the graphical user interface interaction with the aircraft designer, the results of a case study which maximizes payload are presented.

Minimizing Geometric Variation in Multistage Assembly Lines by Geometrical Decoupling

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Edholm ◽  
Lars Lindkvist ◽  
Rikard So¨derberg
Keyword(s):  
Assembly Line ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Assembly Lines ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Geometrical Quality ◽  
Geometrical Variation ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Geometric Variation ◽  
Sheet Metal Assembly

Geometrical part robustness is used today as an engineering criterion in many manufacturing companies. The goal is to minimize the effect of geometrical variation by optimizing the locating schemes for the parts. Several methods and tools now exist to support geometrical robustness optimization for parts, but also for assemblies. In this paper the focus is on geometrical decoupling, which is one parameter of geometrical robustness of the different locating strategies in a complete assembly line. A goodness value is proposed that describes the level of geometrical couplings in a complete assembly line together with the part robustness value. By calculating this goodness value it is possible to predict the geometrical sensitivity of a complete assembly line as well as predicting the risk of geometrical variation in the final product. To illustrate the definition of this goodness value, and also the purpose of calculating it, a case study is used where a part of a sheet metal assembly line is described. Several different scenarios (assembly concepts) are applied to clarify the meaning and to validate this definition of the goodness value. The case study shows that the goodness value gives a good indication of the level of geometrical couplings within the assembly line and that this value can be used to evaluate different assembly concepts, with their locating concepts, against each other. The goal is to have a more robust and also geometrically decoupled assembly line which enables root-cause analysis in production, and also optimizes the geometrical quality minimizing the effect of geometrical variation of the final product from the plant.

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