Virtual and Rapid Manufacturing


Book Description

Collection of 120 peer-reviewed papers that were presented at the 3rd International Conference on Advanced Research in Virtual and Rapid Prototyping, held in Leiria, Portugal in September 2007. Essential reading for all those working on V&RP, focused on inducing increased collaboration between industry and academia. In addition to key




Design of Advanced Manufacturing Systems


Book Description

This book presents a framework and specific methods and tools for the selection and configuration of the capacity of Advanced Manufacturing Systems (AMS). AMS include Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Dedicated Manufacturing Systems, and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems. Starting from the characteristic of the competitive environment, the directions given by the company strategy, data regarding the products, and information regarding the different system architectures, the decision support system described here aids the decision maker by means of a formalized methodology that follows the various steps required to define the type and timing of 'capacity' acquisition and to define the detailed configuration of AMS along its life cycle. The decision making framework and tools illustrated in this volume combine decision-making theory, optimization theory, discrete event simulation and queuing networks. It will be of interest to graduate students and researchers involved in manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering and operations research.




Advanced Manufacturing


Book Description

How to rethink innovation and revitalize America's declining manufacturing sector by encouraging advanced manufacturing, bringing innovative technologies into the production process. The United States lost almost one-third of its manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2010. As higher-paying manufacturing jobs are replaced by lower-paying service jobs, income inequality has been approaching third world levels. In particular, between 1990 and 2013, the median income of men without high school diplomas fell by an astonishing 20% between 1990 and 2013, and that of men with high school diplomas or some college fell by a painful 13%. Innovation has been left largely to software and IT startups, and increasingly U.S. firms operate on a system of “innovate here/produce there,” leaving the manufacturing sector behind. In this book, William Bonvillian and Peter Singer explore how to rethink innovation and revitalize America's declining manufacturing sector. They argue that advanced manufacturing, which employs such innovative technologies as 3-D printing, advanced material, photonics, and robotics in the production process, is the key. Bonvillian and Singer discuss transformative new production paradigms that could drive up efficiency and drive down costs, describe the new processes and business models that must accompany them, and explore alternative funding methods for startups that must manufacture. They examine the varied attitudes of mainstream economics toward manufacturing, the post-Great Recession policy focus on advanced manufacturing, and lessons from the new advanced manufacturing institutes. They consider the problem of “startup scaleup,” possible new models for training workers, and the role of manufacturing in addressing “secular stagnation” in innovation, growth, the middle classes, productivity rates, and related investment. As recent political turmoil shows, the stakes could not be higher.




Handbook on Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technologies for Biomedical Devices


Book Description

​The last decades have seen remarkable advances in computer‐aided design, engineering and manufacturing technologies, multi‐variable simulation tools, medical imaging, biomimetic design, rapid prototyping, micro and nanomanufacturing methods and information management resources, all of which provide new horizons for the Biomedical Engineering fields and the Medical Device Industry. Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technologies for Biomedical Devices covers such topics in depth, with an applied perspective and providing several case studies that help to analyze and understand the key factors of the different stages linked to the development of a novel biomedical device, from the conceptual and design steps, to the prototyping and industrialization phases. Main research challenges and future potentials are also discussed, taking into account relevant social demands and a growing market already exceeding billions of dollars. In time, advanced biomedical devices will decisively change methods and results in the medical world, dramatically improving diagnoses and therapies for all kinds of pathologies. But if these biodevices are to fulfill present expectations, today’s engineers need a thorough grounding in related simulation, design and manufacturing technologies, and collaboration between experts of different areas has to be promoted, as is also analyzed within this handbook.




Advanced Design and Manufacture to Gain a Competitive Edge


Book Description

Manufacturing industry has been one of the key drivers for recent rapid global economic development. Globalisation of manufacturing industries due to distributed design and labour advantage leads to a drive and thirst for technological advancements and expertise in the fields of advanced design and manufacturing. This development results in many economical benefits to and improvement of quality of life for many people all over the world. This rapid development also creates many opportunities and challenges for both industrialists and academics, as the design requirements and constraints have completely changed in this global design and manufacture environment. Consequently the way to design, manufacture and realise products have changed as well. More and more design and manufacture tasks can now be undertaken within computer environment using simulation and virtual reality technologies. These technological advancements hence support more advanced product development and manufacturing operations in such a global design and manufacturing environment. In this global context and scenario, both industry and the academia have an urgent need to equip themselves with the latest knowledge, technology and methods developed for engineering design and manufacture.




Design for Advanced Manufacturing: Technologies and Processes


Book Description

Cutting-edge coverage of the new processes, materials, and technologies that are revolutionizing the manufacturing industry Expertly edited by a past president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, this state-of-the-art resource picks up where the bestselling Design for Manufacturability Handbook left off. Within its pages, readers will find detailed, clearly written coverage of the materials, technologies, and processes that have been developed and adopted in the manufacturing industry over the past sixteen years. More than this, the book also includes hard-to-find technical guidance and application information that can be used on the job to actually apply these cutting-edge processes and technologies in a real-world setting. Essential for manufacturing engineers and designers, Design for Advanced Manufacturing is enhanced by a host of international contributors, making the book a true global resource. • Information on the latest technologies and processes such as 3-D printing, nanotechnology, laser cutting, prototyping, additive manufacturing, and CAD/CAM software tools • Coverage of new materials including nano, smart, and shape-memory alloys, in steels, glass, plastics, and composites







Advanced Design and Manufacturing Based on STEP


Book Description

Design and manufacturing is the essential element in any product development lifecycle. Industry vendors and users have been seeking a common language to be used for the entire product development lifecycle that can describe design, manufacturing and other data pertaining to the product. Many solutions were proposed, the most successful being the Stadndard for Exchange of Product model (STEP). STEP provides a mechanism that is capable of describing product data, independent from any particular system. The nature of this description makes it suitable not only for neutral file exchange, but also as a basis for implementing, sharing and archiving product databases. ISO 10303-AP203 is the first and perhaps the most successful AP developed to exchange design data between different CAD systems. Going from geometric data (as in AP203) to features (as in AP224) represents an important step towards having the right type of data in a STEP-based CAD/CAM system. Of particular significance is the publication of STEP-NC, as an extension of STEP to NC, utilising feature-based concepts for CNC machining purposes. The aim of this book is to provide a snapshot of the recent research outcomes and implementation cases in the field of design and manufacturing where STEP is used as the primary data representation protocol. The 20 chapters are contributed by authors from most of the top research teams in the world. These research teams are based in national research institutes, industries as well as universities.




Advanced Design Cultures


Book Description

This book describes new thinking and practice in Advanced Design (ADD) – design that is not merely highly developed but anticipates the future by envisioning novel products and processes. The focus is especially on the front end of innovation and the search for solutions in complex pioneering processes using design-related tools and practices. The book opens by describing these tools, the approaches that characterize ADD and its historical dimension. Specific fields in which ADD has flourished are then examined, exploring the dynamics between research and design. The coverage ranges from transportation, lighting and electrical appliances through to business networks, technology parks and the development of ground-breaking materials. Advance Design is the name of the research group at the Politecnico di Milano (Italy’s largest technical university) of which the authors are members. It was chosen to reflect both the “advanced”, tangible dimension of design in terms of modern product development, materials and technologies and an orientation toward radical innovation through user involvement and imagination.




Advanced Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants: Emerging Research and Opportunities


Book Description

With the advancement of new technologies, existing wastewater treatment units need to be reexamined to make them more efficient and to release the load currently placed on them. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop and adopt the latest design methodology to determine and remove harmful impurities from water sources. Advanced Design of Wastewater Treatment Plants: Emerging Research and Opportunities is a critical scholarly resource that explores the design of various units of wastewater treatment plants and treatment technologies that can produce reusable quality water from wastewater. The book covers topics that include the basic philosophy of wastewater treatment, designing principles of various wastewater treatment units, conventional treatment systems, and advanced treatment processes. It is an integral reference source for engineers, environmentalists, waste authorities, solid waste management companies, landfill operators, legislators, researchers, and academicians.