This thesis describes how a cost reduction project was done on the Packsize ondemand packing machine EM7. The cost reduction was achieved by making minorredesigns of the EM7.The project began by studying the EM7´s structure and function by working on itsassembly line. A short literature study on the subject Design for Manufacturing wasalso done.By working on the assembly line and by speaking with staff from production anddevelopment departments, a number of ideas for reducing manufacturing costs arose.Estimations of the potential cost reduction size for each proposal were done incollaboration with vendors and the purchasing department. Based on the size of the cost reduction, technical risk, impact on the assembly lineand the development time the various proposals were ranked. The two highestranked proposals were selected for further development towards finished solutions.One of the ideas that were selected to develop in to a finished solution meant thatsome of the pneumatic valves were replaced with others. Most of the mechanicalfeatures on the EM7 are operated by pneumatic cylinders, and they are controlled bythe valves. The valves in use today have very fast switching times which makes themrelatively expensive. By replacing the valves with valves that have higher airflow butlonger switch times, costs are reduced through a lower purchase price of the valves.Thanks to the higher airflow this can be done without affecting the EM7´sperformance.The second proposal was selected because it reduces assembly time. By using rivetsfor the assembly of the EM7’s z-fold infeed system, assembly time can be reducedsignificantly.The total cost savings per machine is between 960SEK to 2620SEK depending on theequipment choices.

No description available.

The motivation of this research is the need for reducing time and cost associated with maintaining information and communication technology infrastructure for design and manufacturing in digitally networked environments, enhancing design communication and collaboration in distributed and collaborative design processes, and adapting to rapidly changing market demands. The objective of this dissertation is to propose a new design and manufacturing paradigm, namely, Cloud-Based Design and Manufacturing (CBDM), for enhancing collaborative product development in distributed settings. In this dissertation, the following challenges pertaining to CBDM are addressed: the systematic development of a conceptual framework and a holistic vision for CBDM systems; the development of a new approach for visualizing distributed and collaborative design processes, measuring tie strengths in a complex and large design collaboration network, and detecting design communities with common design activities in cloud-based design (CBD) settings from a social network perspective; and the development of a new approach that helps identify potential manufacturing bottlenecks and scale manufacturing capacity in cloud-based manufacturing (CBM) settings from a manufacturing network perspective. The contributions of this dissertation are categorized in three research domains: (1) proposing the first definition, a holistic vision, and an example of application scenario for CBDM, (2) modeling and analyzing information flow in cloud-based design for improving design collaboration, and (3) modeling and analyzing material flow in cloud-based manufacturing for planning manufacturing scalability.

Numerous works have been produced on the topic of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) to better educate the designers of products as to various methods of manufacturing and their specific requirements. It is the common aim of these works to eliminate so called "over the wall" product development in which procedurally ignorant designers pass largely un-producible design concepts to manufacturers, who are then required to make necessary refinements and changes. When applied correctly, DFM results in the efficient and economical production of well-designed products, whose forms have been attuned to the particular requirements of their final method of production at an early stage of development. However, one aspect of using such approaches is that design intent is frequently compromised for the sake of manufacturability and innovative design concepts are often dismissed as being unfeasible. Recent advances in additive manufacturing technologies and their use in the direct manufacture of end-use products from digital data sources has brought about a new method of production that is known as Rapid Manufacturing (RM). Unlike conventional subtractive machining processes, such as milling and turning which generate forms by removing material from a stock billet, RM parts are grown from an empty part bed using the controlled addition of specialised build materials. Additive manufacturing requires no forming tools, is unrestricted by many conventional process considerations and is capable of producing practically any geometry. The freedoms that are associated with this technology facilitate the design and realisation of product concepts that would be unachievable with any other method of production. This promotes an almost boundless design philosophy in which innovative product solutions can be designed to best meet the needs of specification criteria, rather than the production process with which they are to be made. However, unlike other forms of manufacturing, the newness of this technology means that there is no proven aid or tool to assist industrial designers in exploiting the freedoms that it offers. Using information that was collated in the literature review and case study projects, a systematic design approach was proposed and then tested in a series of user trials with groups of industrial design students and practicing industrial design professionals. The results of these trials are discussed, showing a common acknowledgement from both groups that the proposed DFRM tool was of assistance and that it had an influence upon their design work. However, whilst the student group were generally receptive toward tool uptake, the experienced designers showed more of a reluctance to abandon their own "tried and tested" methods in favour of the unknown and unproven approach. It is concluded that this attitude would be fairly representative of wider opinion and that the future uptake of any such tool would be reliant upon sufficient evidence of its successful application. Hence, suggestions are made for future work to continue tool development and for more validation trials to be conducted with its intended user group.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. School of Technology, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-68).

No description available.

Decreasing the cycle time of panels in the printed circuit card manufacturing process has been a significant research topic over the past decade. The research objective in such literature has been to reduce the placement machine cycle times by finding the optimal placement sequences and component-feeder allocation for a given, fixed, panel component layout for a given machine type. Until now, no research has been found which allows the alteration of the panel configuration itself, when panelization is a part of that electronic panel design. This research will be the first effort to incorporate panelization into the cycle time reduction field. The PCB circuit design is not to be altered; rather, the panel design (i.e., the arrangement of the PCB in the panel) is altered to reduce the panel assembly time. Component placement problem models are developed for three types of machines: The automated insertion machine (AIM), the pick-and-place (PAPM) machine, and the rotary turret head machine (RTHM). Two solution procedures are developed which are based upon a genetic algorithm (GA) approach. One procedure simultaneously produces solutions for the best panel design and component placement sequence. The other procedure first selects a best panel design based upon an estimation of its worth to the minimization problem. Then that procedure uses a more traditional GA to solve for the component placement and component type allocation problem for that panel design. Experiments were conducted to discover situations where the consideration of panelization can make a significant difierence in panel assembly times. It was shown that the PAPM scenario benefits most from panelization and the RTHM the least, though all three machine types show improvements under certain conditions established in the experiments. NOTE: An updated copy of this ETD was added on 09/17/2010. / Ph. D.

Developing process plans and part programs rapidly and correctly for CNC machine tools plays a vital role in manufacturing. This study is concerned with the development of a web-enabled virtual design and manufacturing application system for rotational parts. The object oriented methodology is used in the application development. Windows Distributed interNet Application (DNA) architecture which describes a framework of building software technologies in an integrated web and client-server model of computing, is employed in the system. The entire system was modeled with Unified Modeling Language (UML), which is an industry-standard visual modeling notation to express software development architectures. Feature-based design approach, being a practical way of linking the design with manufacturing, is implemented in the rotational part design. Users have to be registered in order to use the system. With the supplied web site, users can easily register to system. After registration, the user obtains a password and a unique username. Upon the user authentication, the user session starts. A typical user session involves new or past project selection, material selection, part sketching, blank size definition and cutting parameters determination. After all the steps are completed, process plan and part-program, which are required to manufacture the part on Denford Mirac CNC Turning Machine are generated and displayed on the web site and then saved to the database. The application enables the users to see past projects and to generate new process plan and part programs for different cutting parameters. The process plan, part program and the 2D wire frame drawing of the corresponding part are demonstrated on the web site for the chosen projects.

Kolfiberkompositer är ett av de materialsom utvecklas snabbast just nu. Analogt med att materialet blir billigare och börjar användas i större utsträckning av flygindustrin utvecklas också tillverkningsmetoder för att följa framstegen. Hur material och tillverkningsmetoder sätter krav och påverkar en produkts utformning och prestanda kan vara svårt att definiera. I detta examensarbete har en Design for Manufacturing och Assembly (DFM/A)-metod utvecklats för att under hela produktutvecklingsprocessen kunna ta hänsyn till produktionsaspekter. DFM/Ametoden är framtagen åt Saab Aerostructures med hänsyn till de material som används, deras existerande produktionsprocesser och den produktutvecklingsprocess som finns på företaget. Utifrån litteratur- och fallstudier har en DFM/A-metod som kallas Metod 2015 (M2015) utvecklats. Metoden innehåller en arbetsprocess, konstruktionsriktlinjer samt stödjande DFM/Averktyg. Genom att i hela utvecklingsprocessen ta hänsyn till produktionsaspekter är detta arbetssätt anpassat för att underlätta utveckling av kolfiberkompositkomponenter på Saab. Utöver själva metoden i sig finns allt material som behövs för användning av M2015 sammanställt i en manual som i första hand riktar sig till konstruktören. Genom att skapa en bättre förståelse för produktionsaspekterna hos en konstruktion och tillhandahålla rätt verktyg kan DFM/A-metoden bidra till flera positiva effekter. Användandet av M2015 bör leda till produkter av kolfiberkomposit som är lättare att tillverka vilket i sin tur också bör minska onödiga kostnader, ge högre kvalitet och kortare ledtider. Införandet ställer dock också krav på Saab för att dessa målsättningar ska kunna uppnås. / Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is one of the fastest developing materials right now. Analogously to the material becoming cheaper and being used more widely in the aerospace industry the manufacturing methods have developed to follow the progress. How material and manufacturing method change the requirements and affect a product's design and performance can be hard to determine. This degree project has developed a Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFM/A) method to easier take into consideration the production process throughout the product development. The DFM/A method is developed for Saab Aerostructures and is based on their materials, production process and product development process. By studying literature and performing case studies a DFM/A method called Method 2015 (M2015) was developed. The method includes a work procedure, design guidelines and supporting DFM/A tools. By considering the production aspects throughout the development process this method of operation facilitate the development of CFRP products at Saab. In addition to the method itself the materials needed to use M2015 is compiled in a manual for the designer. By creating a better understanding of the production aspects of a design and providing the right tools the DFM/A method can contribute to several positive effects. The use of M2015 should lead to CFRP products that are easier to produce which in turn should minimize unnecessary costs, raise the quality and shorten lead times. However, the implementation of M2015 at Saab also creates demands to reach these targets

Målet med examensarbetet var att skapa ett verktyg för insamling av erfarenhetsdata för produktutvecklingsprocessen. Den skall vara användbar för att bidra till ett systematiskt arbetssätt för produktionsanpassad konstruktion på Volvo Aero Corporation. Det skapade verktyget för insamlande av erfarenhetsdata skall bidra till att produktivitet och producerbarhet kan förbättras på kommande koncept och konstruktioner. En förstudie har genomförts på företaget under hösten 2010 vilket ligger till grund för det beskrivna problemet i examensarbetet. Arbetet avgränsades till att utveckla en struktur för hur metod och erfarenhet skall struktureras och en testversion av verktyget togs fram för utvärdering. Efter samråd med den handledande Verksamhetsutvecklingsgruppen, VU-gruppen, från avdelning 9931 Projekt-, Koncept- och Tillverkningsledning, beslutades att examensarbetet skulle avgränsas ytterligare till insamling av diametermått på komponenten Diffuser Case på Volvo Aero. Under arbetets gång har återkommande möten veckovis infunnit sig med den utvalda VU-gruppen där också chefen från avdelningen och handledaren från företaget medverkat. Utgångspunkten för verktygets skapande var nuvarande produktion och dess information som finns att tillhandahålla. Det Design for Manufacturing-verktyg som skapats i Microsoft Excel samlar information från flera olika system och källor på Volvo Aero och presenterar denna information på ett pedagogiskt vis. Verktygets struktur har genom samråd med utvald VU-grupp tagits fram och de 35 kolumner som finns att fylla på med information är indelade i tre olika grupper för att erhålla ett systematiskt och pedagogiskt upplägg: basfakta, duglighet och kostnad samt bearbetningstid. Genom denna indelning erhålls en stigande detaljeringsgrad från vänster till höger i verktyget som ett medel för användaren att skapa ett tydligt och strukturerat arbetsätt. Kunskap, information och data som insamlas representerar uppgifter om kravnummer företaget serieproducerar idag. Verktyget skall med tiden fyllas på med fler uppgifter från strategiskt utvalda komponenter vilka stämmer överens med den inriktning företaget valt att gå i utvecklingen av nya komponenter. / The purpose of the Bachelor’s Thesis was to create a tool for the gathering of experience data for the product development process. It should contribute to a systematic operation approach at Volvo Aero Corporation. It should also contribute to improve productivity and producibility on future concepts. The problem described in the Bachelor’s Thesis is based on a pre-study performed at the company during the autumn 2010. The general task was defined as develop a structure for re-use of manufacturing experience and to create a test version of the tool for evaluation. After consultation with the selected Business Development-group from department 9931 Project-, Concept- and Manufacturing-leaders, the task was limited to gathering information of diameter dimensions from the Diffuser Case component at Volvo Aero. The creation of the tool had its starting-point in current production and the information available there. The Design for Manufacturing-tool has been created in Microsoft Excel and it’s developed in a way making it possible to gather and present information from different systems and sources. The tool presents the information in a pedagogical way that makes it user-friendly. The structure of the tool has been developed in consultation with the Business Development-group and the 35 columns of information is classified in three different groups: basic facts, capability and cost, operation time. By this classification the information level of detail increases from left to right which enables a more structured and systematic way of working. The knowledge, experience and data gathered represent information about the requirements the company currently produces. Over time, the Design for Manufacturing-tool is to be filled with more information from strategically chosen components which coincide with the direction the company has chosen for the development of new components.