Development of an intelligent decision model for non-traditional machining processes

In order to fulfil the ever increasing requirements of various hard and difficult-to-machine materials in automobile, turbine, nuclear, aviation, tool and die making industries, the conventional material removal processes are now being continuously substituted by an array of non-traditional machining (NTM) processes. The efficient and improved capabilities of these NTM processes have made them indispensible for the present day manufacturing industries. While deploying a particular NTM process for a specific machining application, the concerned process engineer must be aware of its capability which is influenced by a large number of controllable parameters. In this paper, an intelligent decision model is designed and developed in VBASIC to guide the concerned process engineer to have an idea about the values of various NTM process responses for a given parametric combination. It would also advise about the tentative settings of different NTM process parameters for achieving a set of target response values. The operational procedure of this developed system is demonstrated with the help of three real time examples.

Activity-Based Software Process Lines Tailoring

Software process definition requires choosing the process elements that appropriately fulfil the tailoring requirements, such as to prevent risks or to satisfy quality goals. The selection of appropriate process elements is usually done manually, making this process complex, time-consuming and error-prone. Our main objective is to define a systematic approach to tailor software process and a support tool to simplify and to support the tailoring process by improving the selection process of reusable process elements. We developed a systematic approach to tailor software process based on software process architectures and lines. This approach selects the process elements that appropriately match the tailoring requirements. A web tool was developed to support the use of the proposed approach. We concluded that the approach aids process engineer to make decisions for selecting a set of process elements suitable to the tailoring requirements and to the project context.

New Profession Development

Adding engineering discipline to defining and managing the operation of business processes has become a truism although results of practical application have been mixed. This chapter argues that an obstacle to business process (re)engineering is the lack of a business process engineer role with an associated professional education, tools, and community. The main argument derives from an analysis of the domain structure for system design and comparison with existing practices in manufacturing engineering. We observe that: (1) At present there does not exist a profession of business process engineers. Their role in a firm is filled, on an ad-hoc basis, by business line personnel, information technology analysts or architects, and/or management consultants; (2) There is an increasingly critical need to master the subject of business process engineering for an individual firm as well as the general U.S. industry; (3) Other professionals, while having their own specialized skills valuable to a firm, do not necessarily have the optimal skill set for business process engineering. We therefore conclude that there is an urgent need for a professional business process engineer. We discuss the skills required of this profession and briefly describe a first course offered at a university on this subject. We propose that academic institutions should seriously consider such a new program today.

The System Design of Graphics Library of Fixture Element Based on .NET

According to the structure characteristic of the fixture design, the architecture of graphics library of fixture element is established. Based on the technologies of network, library, .NET and the developing mechanism of AutoCAD/MDT, the implemented strategy of the system of graphics library of the fixture element is presented. The remote sharing of the fixture resource information is realized. The system provides process engineer of the fixture design with assistant tools.

New Profession Development

Adding engineering discipline to defining and managing the operation of business processes has become a truism although results of practical application have been mixed. This chapter argues that an obstacle to business process (re)engineering is the lack of a business process engineer role with an associated professional education, tools, and community. The main argument derives from an analysis of the domain structure for system design and comparison with existing practices in manufacturing engineering. We observe that: (1) At present there does not exist a profession of business process engineers. Their role in a firm is filled, on an ad-hoc basis, by business line personnel, information technology analysts or architects, and/or management consultants; (2) There is an increasingly critical need to master the subject of business process engineering for an individual firm as well as the general U.S. industry; (3) Other professionals, while having their own specialized skills valuable to a firm, do not necessarily have the optimal skill set for business process engineering. We therefore conclude that there is an urgent need for a professional business process engineer. We discuss the skills required of this profession and briefly describe a first course offered at a university on this subject. We propose that academic institutions should seriously consider such a new program today.

Software Tools to Support Advanced Design Techniques and Processes

Collaboration between engineering and manufacturing can significantly reduce product costs, and increase product quality. The definition, capture and re-use of standard design features, with their associated proven manufacturing processes in the design stage can significantly reduce manufacturing cost and time to market. Today, 3D models are becoming the central repository for more and more of the critical information which is necessary throughout the Product Development Process. Significant process improvements are possible when organizations embrace the idea of a model-centric design approach, where not only geometry and attributes are captured in the 3D CAD model, but also other data relevant downstream data such as GD&T, 3D annotations, and now even manufacturing process information. The strategies for actually machining and producing designs are important assets for companies. Now, existing manufacturing process knowledge can be capture by the manufacturing engineer using XML based template, and through the use of new CAD technology, this knowledge can be attach to design features. The design feature geometry and attributes (along with the embedded process knowledge) can then be made available to the broader organization, through catalogs of company standard design features such as holes, pocket, step, groove, flange, .. etc. During the engineering activities, as the design model evolves, the design engineer is able to re-use these standard features, creating a 3D model that not only includes the geometric definition of the product, but also the validated, proven process by which that geometry can best be produced. Downstream, once the design is handed off to manufacturing, the manufacturing or process engineer has access to tools that will allow him to extract the process information from the 3D model and define rules to automate the creation of the machining process plan for this model. Specific fixtures required for the different steps of the process can be easily developed using the in-process 3D model, which is generated automatically based on stock removal. Multiple scenarios, based on varying machining resources, production quantity and cycle time, can be analyzed, allowing the process engineer to develop and optimized process plan. This model-centric approach, which leverages product and process data re-use, improves product quality and reduces manufacturing process planning and production time. Typical savings are realized in tool design, increased production throughput and savings due to improved process quality from using validated processes prior to production.