Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Material Handling System For An Advanced Flexible Manufacturing Environment, Con Cronin

Theses

A Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) is a method of production that is designed to easily adapt to changes in the type and quantity of the product being manufactured. Machines and computerised systems can be configured to manufacture a variety of parts and to handle the changing levels of production that is required. The aim of this project was to investigate the current manufacturing processes of Kostal Ireland GmbH with the aim of developing a bespoke prototype material handling system to achieve flexible manufacturing. Kostal Ireland GmbH currently do not have the ability to change their manufacturing operations easily when a …

The Future Of The Irish Manufacturing Industry In Relation To Global Competitiveness, Joceley Martins Wilson

Theses

This study is an examination of the challenges faced by the manufacturing sector in Ireland. As the speed of globalization intensifies, new demands are constantly being levied on the manufacturing sector. In order to maintain this very important sector in Ireland, the manufacturing industry must promote constant innovation, automation and specialization, specifically in niche areas where there is a requirement for specific specialized skills, and where the labor cost is not a prohibitive or fundamental issue.

Innovation has been a key success factor for the manufactures to date, and will continue to be an ai'ea of focus as competitive forces …

Treatment Of Aqueous Waste Streams At Eli Lilly - Alternatives To Incineration, Barry Hennessy

Theses

The aim of this project was to investigate the potential to treat liquid waste (secondary) from production processes at Eli Lilly with the emphasis on minimising the volume of waste sent for thermal oxidation. In addition, the project aimed to investigate if the chosen technology was diverse and potentially capable of handling waste streams from different processes. Membrane technology was identified as one of the most suitable technologies and trials were carried out on secondary waste from three production processes. The literature review and practical thrials aswell as assessment of trial results ran from October 2003 to June 2005.

All …

Precision Coil Inspection, Karol Murphy

Theses

Boston Scientific produces the Guglielmi Detachable Coil in their Cork based facility. These are used in a surgical procedure to eliminate aneurysms. The first step in the process is to form a coil by wrapping a platinum wire around a mandrel. These coils have outer diameters ranging from 190 pm to 520pm. This is called the primary wind and is inspected to find any defects introduced into the coil from the winding process. These defects may be the result of wire defects in the raw material or possibly poor handling by the operators. These primary winds are processed further to …

The Evidence For A Nascent Biotechnology Cluster In Cork, John W. Hobbs

Theses

Over the past 30 years, encouraged by Ireland’s low rate of corporation tax (currently 12.5 %), and active promotion of FDI by the IDA, foreign owned pharmaceutical plants have set up and multiplied in the Cork area. To Ireland’s advantages of a low tax rate, an English speaking population, a pro-business environment and membership of EU, Cork offered the added attractions of a deepwater port and large natural harbour, good freight connections, an international airport, an educated workforce and excellent sporting and leisure facilities for sailing, golf, etc. (Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Schering Plough have …

Analytical And Fea Analysis Of Silicon Micro-Machined Capacitive Pressure Sensor, Eoghan O'Donoghue

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the electro-mechanical characterisation of MEMS capacitive pressure sensors and the determination of models to describe their behaviour.

The finite element software package ANSYS is validated as a tool for the examination of the electro-mechanical behaviour of capacitive pressure sensors. It is then used to incorporate the effects of applied load, voltage and residual stress into a model of the sensor structure. The capacitive pressure sensor is modelled both in 3D and also in 2D axis-symmetric modes. The error between the 2D and 3D models is quantified.

The behaviour of structures under electrostatic actuation is investigated. …

Flexible Manufacturing System Utilizing Computer Integrated Control And Modeling, Yahia Mohammed Al-Smadi

Theses

In today's fast-automated production, Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) play a very important role by processing a variety of different types of workpieces simultaneously. This study provides valuable information about existing FMS workcells and brings to light a unique concept called Programmable Automation.

Another integrated concept of programmable automation that is discussed is the use of two feasibility approaches towards modeling and controlling FMS operations; the most commonly used is programmable logic controllers (PLC), and the other one, which has not yet implemented in many industrial applications is Petri Net controllers (PN). This latter method is a unique powerful technique to …

To Research, Analyse And Install An Optimised Maintenance Management System For A Medium Sized Manufacturing Company: A Textile Company Case Study, Christopher O'Donoghue

Theses

Modern manufacturing is continually striving to ensure that products are made to higher levels of quality with faster lead times and at the lowest possible costs. Manufacturing production has never been more reliant on machines and automated processes than it is today. This thesis investigates the management philosophies that are in existence, which cater specifically for maintenance and maintenance related issues. Management philosophies such as Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Profit Centred Maintenance (PCM), asset management (AM), Predictive Maintenance (PdM), Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and World Class Maintenance (WCM) have increased company profits by drastically reducing maintenance …

Interventions Of Water Jet Technology On Skin Surgery, Kittipat Vichyavichien

Theses

The perfect and precise surgical cut, similar to today's laser one, is very important in many surgeries, especially in dissection and to recanaize arterial occlusive lessions. Causing no coagulation is one of the advantages of water jet because it generates no heat. It also provides omni-directional cutting capabilities at very high speeds, resulting edge quality that is usually superior to other existing conventional cutting processes. Debris is always carried away from incisions by jet stream and less damaged tissue, than mechanical incisions. In addition, water jet exerts minimal contact pressure on the tissue being cut due to the small diameter …

Tools For The Design Of Flexible Manufacturind Systems, Prashant A. Patel

Theses

Flexibility in manufacturing systems can broaden the horizons for a company. But the means for achieving it are far more critical. This trend is created by the increase in competitiveness, growth of technology along with demand variations, more customization, and short product life cycles. But "Flexible Manufacturing Systems" to most of the manufacturers sounds like a synonym for automation.

A real Flexible Manufacturing System is designed when every unit of the company is synchronized in such a way to respond in a harmony to any changes that come against it. Fine-tuning of each and every part of the company is …

Design Of An Effective And Timely Product Development Process For Medical Devices, Jean Benoit Almonor

Theses

Effective product development process is one of the most critical issues facing medical devices manufacturing today. There is a need to search for ways to improve or solve the cross organization and company boundaries to enhance the faster release of new medical products to the market. This thesis presents an integrated set of perspectives on the process of new product development of medical devices with dual goals of achieving marketing speed and meet customer satisfaction.

The Attribute Driven Specifications approach described in this thesis, is one of the most valuable tools in the approach to effective product development in medical …

Demanufacturing Metrics For Industrial Fasteners And Disassembly Process, Narendra P. Raj

Theses

As the society progresses towards ecological maturity, the issue of reducing the environmental burden imposed by used products becomes increasingly important Environmental issues are becoming increasingly relevant for product designers and manufacturers. Public awareness of the value and fragility of an intact ecology is constantly growing, and the traditional assumption that the cost of ecological burdens to be shared by a society, as a whole is no longer accepted. Environmental protection legislation requiring manufacturers to "take back" and recycle used products will be a commonplace throughout Europe and the U.S. in the near future.

Demanufacturing involves separating and disassembling a …

Multi-Lifecycle Assessment Of Cathode Ray Tubes, Devendra Jayant Badwe

Theses

Over the past few years environmental issues and concerns have become more and more important, as they become a common part of most people's personal experience. In these regards, the electronics industry is facing substantial problems in terms of end-of-life management of its products, televisions and monitors in particular. The building blocks of this industry are usually viewed as relatively "clean". However, manufacturing by-products of the electronics industry and the disposition of electronics are becoming increasingly important technical, financial, and environmental issues.

Within the context of the above issues, environmentally responsible disposal of Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT's), which is still …

Finite Element Analysis Of Skin Injuries By Water Jet Cutting, Syed Muhammad Arif

Theses

High pressure water jets are used in industry for cleaning and cutting purposes. These devices can generate pressure up to 400 MPa. As high pressure water jets become more widespread in industry, injuries will be seen with great frequency. Penetrating injuries by these devices can produce minimal external evidence of extensive soft tissue injury. To know the extent of injury, it is important to study the relationship between operating parameters of water jet and the skin layers. A computational analysis is carried out using finite element method to find the effects of water jet pressure on the skin layer. Finite …

Parameters' Analysis Of 3d Random Stacking Palletization, Najeeb Syed

Theses

Palletization is a very important element of production, distribution and warehousing activities. The 3D random stacking palletization method is based on volume utilization instead of surface area optimization. Random stacking provides interlocking among the boxes and hence it improves the stability of the pallet load. Volumetric Pallet Utilization is normally the prime concern of any palletization process, with Work in Process and Palletization time being also important. This research uses data generated from a previous heuristic to establish mathematical relationships between the three mentioned performance indices and also three additional indirect variables, namely: Total Number of Sub Volumes, Partitioned Remaining …

Relay Ladder Logic And Petri Nets For Discrete Event Control Design : A Comparative Study, Edward Twiss

Theses

In the 1960's and earlier discrete event systems (DES) were controlled by hardwired electromechanical relay systems. In 1969 an electronic programmable logic controller (PLC) was introduced. PLC's have been programmed utilizing relay ladder logic (RLL). RLL is a graphical programming language with software "devices" used to emulate electromechanical devices. RLL programs, however, often become large and difficult to understand because its graphical representation of physical switching devices obscures the discrete event dynamics inherent in the process to be controlled. Petri nets are a methodology for modeling discrete event systems (DES). Using a Petri net based controller, a control strategy could …

Design For Quality Manufacturability Analysis Of Total Nonconformity Damaged Parts, Samir R. Gami

Theses

The competitive nature of modern manufacturing, demands that innovative approaches be applied in order to have a competitive edge. Shortening the product development cycle, the period from initial design to full production, is a priority for most manufacturers today. The DFQM methodology addresses the issue of quality manufacturability (QM) - the likelihood that defects will occur during manufacture of a product in a standard plant. As a consequence, DFQM helps to shorten the design cycle time. The DFQM architecture identifies a variety of design factors and variables that influence specific defects. This process of influencing defects can be described by …

Design And Analysis Of Environmentally Safe Cooling Systems For Machine Tools, Haiping Xu

Theses

Many cooling systems of metal cutting and both their advantages and disadvantages have been reviewed. The cutting forces' relationships, stress distribution, energy consumption and heat generation of orthogonal processes are discussed. A two-dimensional finite element model has been developed to design and analyze a new proposed cooling device, which comes from the idea of "A Novel Cooling Device" proposed by Billatos et al. First, a thermal calculation is completed to compare the temperature difference between two different shapes of coiled pipe. Then, three different cutting conditions, which were considered in the experiments by Childs et al, are conducted under three …

Auditing & Measuring The Need For Flexibility In A Manufacturing Facility, Kartika-Sari Stroman

Theses

Flexible manufacturing was created out of the need for facilities to be able to efficiently respond to changes in their environment so as to build a competitive advantage. Flexible manufacturing (FM) is currently viewed as a way for facilities to be able to introduce and produce multiple products quickly and more efficiently. In this research we will present some new tools to help managers address the changes that are affecting the facility.

An audit was developed to help system designers identify the changes that are impacting the facilities. The audit provides the opportunity to understand the changes that are occurring …

Analysis Of Cim Performance Using Different Lan Structures A Simulation Approach, Kirk Rawle

Theses

This research illustrates a systematic procedure for modeling and performance analysis of the integration effect of communication network to the physical system. The concept is to model different layouts of Computer Integration Manufacturing (CIM) using different Local Area Network(LAN) structures. The steps to accomplish this concepts are, a) To determine the performance measures for physical layouts and the communication network, in order to obtain a performance analysis. b) Modeling the physical layout using Promodel simulation package. c) Extracting results from the outcome of the simulation of the physical layout and using this as input to the communication network simulation. d) …

Statistical And Finite Element Analysis Of The Effects Of Random Input Parameters On The Mechanical Characteristics Of Sheetmetal Forming Processes Using Quadrature Method, Yu Quan

Theses

In this thesis, the computer aided finite element analysis is implemented in the analysis of sheetmetal forming process. To rationalize the experimentation and analysis, the statistical method is introduced to study the variability of sheetmetal deformation process and final shape with respect to the variation of different parameters.

In Chapter 2, the basic characteristics and considerations of deep drawing operation is described with emphasis on the study of geometrical and physical variables of the forming process.

Chapter 3 discussed the three phases which are encountered in the computer aided finite element analysis. As a typical representative of professional finite element …

Design For Quality Manufacturability Analysis For Common Assembly Process, Suriyanarayanan Ramachandra

Theses

The globalization of market economy has precipitated a dramatic increase in competition necessitating the need for higher quality products at lower cost in shorter time periods. Shorter life cycles and proliferation of products has made companies integrate all the phases of manufacturing to bring about a superior design. Design for Quality Manufacturability (DFQM) provides a technique to invoke manufacturing and assembly considerations while designing a product. The DFQM architecture identifies factors consisting of several variables that are influenced by certain error catalysts to cause one or more specific defects. A methodology is suggested to identify and quantify these error catalysts …

Case Study Of Assembly Defects In Manufactured Products, Michael J. Withka

Theses

Design for Quality Manufacturability (DFQM) is a design tool that empowers engineers to create designs that are easily and effectively transformed into manufactured products. The goal of this methodology is to make designers aware of design characteristics that may lead to product defects during the assembly process. Acknowledging the possibility of these defects will enable the designer to institute design modifications early in the design phase. The benefits realized in this approach are a reduction in the number of defects in the finished product, reduced product cycle times, a reduction in monitoring costs and a reduction in time-to-market.

This thesis …

Use Of Multiple Transmitters For 3-D Non-Intrusive Particle Tracking, Jitesh H. Agrawal

Theses

A method for non-intrusive tracking of a particle in 3-dimensional space, based on processing of signals emitted from a transmitter embedded in the particle, is being developed. This method uses a mathematical model, which predicts the induced signal in receivers present in the vicinity of flowing particle, and supporting numerical techniques. Specific application aspects related to improving the accuracy of this method are presented.

The focus here is the development of flexible software capable of processing information coming from multiple transmitters with known distinct spatial orientation. Implementation aspects of modified existing empirical corrections for improving model-reality agreement, and new techniques …

Design For Quality Manufacturability Analysis Of Missing/Misplaced Parts And Part Interference, Altaf Yusuf Tamboo

Theses

Design for Quality Manufacturability (DFQM) is an approach that addresses the issue of quality manufacturability (QM) - the likelihood that defects will occur during manufacture of a product in a standard plant. The DFQM methodology is based on the premise that defects found in assembled products are often influenced by some features of the design and/or assembly process (influencing factors). These influencing factors cause defects in the presence of certain error catalysts.

One of the influencing factors is geometrical features such as shape and symmetry. A classification scheme for part shape and symmetry is developed. This scheme is summarized in …

A Systematic Approach To Defense Diversification, Sathappan Venkatachalam

Theses

The decline in defense spending has resulted in defense dependent companies seeking new markets through re-designing existing products, developing new products and restructuring their businesses. Defense diversification is defined as the process of transitioning a defense company's core capabilities (technologies, products, services) into commercial and non-Department of Defense government markets. A combination of site visits and review of the literature on defense diversification demonstrates the need for diversifying companies to adopt a systematic approach.

A concurrent new product development/product redevelopment model is proposed, based on the principles of concurrent engineering. The model consists of an eight phase development cycle and …

Development Of An Expert System To Facilitate A Pump Manufacturing/Warehouse Facility, Muhammad Mutahir Ghauri

Theses

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of utilizing an expert system technology as it relates to manufacturing. It appears that our industries are still uncertain about this technology. In the first phase of this study, procedure for deployment of this technology is discussed. Secondly a knowledge-based expert system is developed, using a VP-Expert microcomputer shell. The system is made of three modules, inventory module, cost analysis module, and decision making module (for the selection of pumps).

A warehouse was selected for the analysis, which carries the finished product in the form of pumps. The quantities and …

An Investigation Into Artificial Intelligence Based Generative Computer Process Planning, William Tereshkovich

Theses

The process planning function can be further optimized with the introduction of an intelligent software package such as an Artificial Intelligence based Generative Computer Process Planning System. An AI based CAPP system, also categorized as an expert system, provides the vital link between design and manufacture, a "bridge" of knowledge in the information chain of manufacturing engineering. With the increasing role of computers in the process planning function, planning has become easier, faster, and more efficient.

This thesis provides an explanation of the process planning function and how artificial intelligence will improve it. Topics in AI techniques and procedures, knowledge …

An Interactive Computer Graphics Based Off-Line Avail Programming Environment For Coordinate Measuring Machines, Nayanesh B. Bhandutia

Theses

Productivity can be increased by providing computer aided off-line program development environment to operate direct computer controlled Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM). Such an environment not only results in reduced operational downtime of the CMM but also eliminates the need for the operators to learn and debug the complicated CMM programming language.

An application software was developed to provide a computer based graphical environment for on-the-screen CMM inspection simulation and AVAIL part program development. A comprehensive, menu driven front-end was developed as a foundation for this software. Algorithms were designed and coded to read and interpret CAD software part design information …

Automatic Feature Extraction From Conventional Cad Model To Support Feature-Based Design Approach For The Sheet Metal Stamping Industries, Dipak P. Thakar

Theses

Despite the continuing improvement in computer aided design (CAD) systems and improvements in computer aided manufacturing (CAM), the process planning activity has still not been completely integrated into the CAD/CAM cycle. Particularly in sheet metal stamping industries human interpretation of CAD data is required to extract the geometry and technological information of a component. As a result most CAD systems are used as advanced drafting and drawing management tools by designers. Thus the responsibility for interpreting the design data required for extracting the manufacturing part features still resides with the process planner. Which has increase possibilities of entering errors with …