Manufacturing Commons^™

Expert System Development For Hard Disk Drive Failure Analysis, Fernando Rodriguez Rosas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Computer's Hard Disk Drive is a complex high technology device, diagnosis of a failure is difficult even using sophisticated test equipments. These Drives are expensive and returning a new one when it fails within the warranty period is not an option. The failed drive must be tested and repaired. In the repair process the analysis and diagnosis of the failures is a key point in the process where decisions regarding the repair process that the failed Drive will follow. Therefore, there is a requirement to perform an effective analysis and provide an accurate diagnosis. The standard system utilized for …

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. …

The Design And Evaluation Of A Plc-Based Model Predictive Controller For Application In Industrial Food Processes, Bryan T. Griffen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a viable control strategy for industrial processes that display relatively large variations in the process variable, have complex process variable interactions, or display a large amount of process deadtime. The objective of using MPC in manufacturing is to reduce overall process variability, the result being an increase in process accuracy, precision and efficiency. This study focused on the implementation of model predictive control techniques on an industrial sugar cooking process. The goal was to implement a successful MPC solution directly on a programmable logic controller (PLC) rather than on a personal computer (PC). Although there …

A Study On Effects Of Process Parameters In Rapid Freeze Prototyping, Frances D. Bryant, Guanghua Sui, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rapid Freeze Prototyping (RFP) is a relatively new solid freeform fabrication process, which builds a three-dimensional part according to a CAD model by depositing and freezing water droplets layer by layer. A study on the effects of RFP process parameters including the nozzle scanning speed, droplet size, and droplet frequency in building ice parts with a single-nozzle work head is made. Presented in this paper are the results of this study which indicate that these process parameters determine the ice layer thickness and ice line width, which in turn determine the surface roughness and the waiting time required after depositing …

Investigation Of Part Accuracy And Surface Roughness In Rapid Freeze Prototyping Based Investment Casting, Qingbin Liu, Ming-Chuan Leu, Stephen M. Schmitt

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The study as described in this paper is aimed at investigating the dimensional accuracy and surface finish of metal parts made by investment casting with ice patterns generated by rapid freeze prototyping. The process of investment casting with ice patterns is described and contrast with conventional investment casting with wax patterns is made. The selection of binder material for ceramic slurries and the need for an interface agent to separate the ice pattern from the ceramic slurry in the mold making process are discussed. The accuracy and surface finish of ice patterns and of the metal castings are presented and …

Object-Oriented Modeling And Fauly Detection Of A Powder Feeder For A Laser Metal Deposition System, Robert G. Landers, Michael Gene Hilgers, Frank W. Liou, Bruce M. Mcmillin

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

One of the most critical components of a laser metal deposition system is the powder feeder unit. Techniques are required to efficiently design and analyze these systems and to ensure fault tolerance during the operation. In this paper, a model of the powder feeder unit, based on object- oriented abstractions of it components, is developed. This model is modular in that specific components can be efficiently updated or replaced with components that perform a similar function. In addition, the model can be used for simulation allowing for efficient design and analysis. Assurance of the correctness of the powder feeder system …

Laser Aided Part Repair -- A Review, Jinglei Wang, Sashikanth Prakash, Yashodhan Joshi, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laser aided part-repair is an emerging trend that has great potential for future industrial applications. Part-repair technologies are currently used in repairing military and civilian equipment. The focus of this paper is to review the current repair processes, which use the laser-aided metal deposition technology. Many metal parts, which are worn by continual use, can be restored to working condition by the deposition of metal with a laser and machining. This not only extends the life of the part, but also, saves on cost. A comparison between various processes, their parameters, efficiency, cost, and etc. are also presented. The process …

System Integration And Real-Time Control Architecture Of A Laser Aided Manufacturing Process, Mallikharjuna R. Boddu, Robert G. Landers, Srinivas Musti, Sanjeev Agarwal, Jianzhong Ruan, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper discusses a hybrid deposition–removal manufacturing system being developed at the University of Missouri--Rolla. The system consists of a laser system, five-axis CNC machining center, and powder feeder system. A description of the control software, real-time control architecture, and integration of various subsystems to build the hybrid system is given. The interaction of the real-time controller with various sensors and subsystems to monitor and regulate the process is presented. The communication between integrated process planning for the system and real–time control is also discussed in this paper.

Object-Oriented Modeling And Fault Detection Of A Powder Feeder For A Laser Metal Deposition System, Robert G. Landers, Michael Gene Hilgers, Frank W. Liou, Bruce M. Mcmillin

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

One of the most critical components of a laser metal deposition system is the powder feeder unit. Techniques are required to efficiently design and analyze these systems and to ensure fault tolerance during the operation. In this paper, a model of the powder feeder unit, based on object-oriented abstractions of it components, is developed. This model is modular in that specific components can be efficiently updated or replaced with components that perform a similar function. In addition, the model can be used for simulation allowing for efficient design and analysis. Assurance of the correctness of the powder feeder system is …

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 …

The Rheological Behavior Of Carbon Nanofiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites, Qiang Zeng

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

A rheological study of the thermoplastic HDPE filled with vapor grow carbon nanofiber (VGCNF) has been performed with a RheoStress 150 Tester. VGCNF having average 50 nm diameter were used. These nanofibers were purified to provide for an open network of high purity nanofibers. A rheomixer was used to disperse the nanofibers uniformly in the polyethylene matrix because of shear working conditions. The influence of fiber loading, frequency and temperature on the rheology was investigated. Studies were carried out in the temperature range of 160 to 210°C and frequency range of 0.062 to 628.3 rad/s. The rheological measurements show that …

A Taxonomy Of Scheduling Problems In Semiconductor Device Test Operations, Tali Freed, Robert C. Leachman, Kenneth H. Doerr

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Semiconductor device test facilities differ not only by production volume and tester brands. The complexity of the devices and the characteristics of the testers affect the scheduling methodologies as well. Goals and strategies vary from one firm to another, leading to a variety of objectives and performance measures. Due to random yield lot size is variable and lot priorities are common. Changeover times are oftentimes sequence-dependent. Since semiconductor device testing systems are very costly, scheduling methods that increase the throughput of the facility are financially significant. In this paper we describe a variety of semiconductor device testing environments, develop mathematical …

A Comparison Of The Level Of Maturity Of Manufacturers In The Lake Land College School District In Lean Manufacturing Techniques As Compared To Goodson's Survey Data, Mark W. Henderson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if manufacturers in the Lake Land College School District have implemented Lean Manufacturing techniques and score as high as the manufacturers in Goodson's Michigan study. Lean Manufacturing techniques have revolutionized the auto industry, with the Toyota Production system the benchmark in Lean Manufacturing techniques. A survey using Goodson's Rapid Plant Assessment compares the level of maturity in the utilization of the Lean Manufacturing techniques with the manufacturers in the Lake Land College School District and Goodson's survey of manufacturers in Michigan. The mean score of 57.67 for the manufacturers in the Lake …

Automated Robotic Inspection System For Electronic Manufacturing, Roberto Alejandro Balderas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

An automated robotic inspection system for electronic manufacturing has been developed to identify pin defects of IC packages mounted on printed circuit boards using surface mount technology. The automated robotic inspection system consists of two robots, a computer, a CCD camera with frame gabber for image acquisition, and a customized windows program using neural network for on-line defect identification. Gray scale images of the pins on IC packages are acquired using ambient light. The images are filtered and formatted to appropriate size, so that Matlab neural network tool could be used. The images are used to train neural networks using …

The Effects Of An Interactive Computerized Multimedia Tutorial On Knowledge Gain In Modular Fixturing Design Concepts, Veekit O'Charoen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to compare student knowledge gain from learning modular fixturing design concepts by computer tutorial versus traditional lecture. The use of computer tutorial to support engineering and technology classroom instructions has been a major issue for many studies. The undergraduate curricula in engineering and technology are becoming increasingly complex due to the today's modern wide variety of manufacturing processes. The concept of modular fixturing in tool design course is one of the technical competencies which most industries would like graduates to be able to apply their knowledge to real-world problems and situations.

An interactive computerized multimedia tutorial …

Effect Of Residual Thermal Stresses On Fracture Behavior And Mechanical Properties Of Al Sub 2 O Sub 3/Ni Cermets, Guo Jin Li, Da Ming Chen, Xiao Xian Huang, Jing Kun Guo

Faculty Publications

Effect of residual thermal stresses on fracture behavior and mechanical properties of Al₂O₃/Ni cermets was qualitatively explained by using theory on residual thermal stresses. When Ni particles are located within Al₂O₃ grains or Ni content is relatively low, tensile stresses are exerted at Al₂O₃-Al₂O₃ grain boundary. While fracturing, intergranular fracture is easily produced. When Ni particles are dispersed at Al₂O₃ grain boundary or Ni content is relatively high, compressive stresses are exerted at Al₂O₃-Al₂O₃grain boundary. …

Control Of Laser Cladding For Rapid Prototyping -- A Review, Mallikharjuna R. Boddu, Robert G. Landers, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lasers have wide-ranging applications in the manufacturing field (e.g., cladding, welding, cutting, machining, drilling). Extensive work is being conducted to apply laser cladding as a Rapid Prototyping (RP) process. In this paper the authors illustrate various principles of laser cladding in rapid prototyping. Important process parameters for the control of the laser cladding process are discussed as well as the experimental methods adopted, and results obtained by, various authors.

Research And Development Of A Hybrid Rapid Manufacturing Process, Frank W. Liou, J. Choi, Robert G. Landers, Vijayakumar Janardhan, S. N. Balakrishnan, Sanjeev Agarwal

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the research and development of a hybrid rapid manufacturing process being developed at the University of Missouri--Rolla. This process includes a laser deposition and a 5- axis CNC milling system. By combining laser deposition and machining processes, the resulting hybrid process can provide greater build capability and better accuracy and surface finish. The hybrid process can build some features that are difficult to build in using a purely deposition processes. The issues and related approaches in the research and development of the hybrid deposition-machining process, including laser deposition process, system design and integration, process planning, and sensor …

Skeleton-Based Geometric Reasoning For Adaptive Slicing In A Five-Axis Laser Aided Manufacturing Process System, Kunnayut Eiamsa-Ard, Jun Zhang, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multi-axis Laser Aided Manufacturing Process (LAMP) is an additive manufacturing process similar to laser cladding. This process can produce full functional parts [1]. Traditional Layered Manufacturing processes produce parts with limited surface quality; and also the build time is often long due to the deposition of sacrificial support structure. The multiple degrees of freedom endow the LAMP system a capability to build parts without support structure. An algorithm for adaptive slicing based on skeleton is presented in this paper. The skeleton is useful for many applications such as feature recognition, robot path planning, shape analysis, and etc [2]. The near …

Empirical Modeling And Vision Based Control For Laser Aided Metal Deposition Process, Mallikharjuna R. Boddu, Srinivas Musti, Robert G. Landers, Sanjeev Agarwal, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper gives a brief description of the laser aided manufacturing process. Empirical models describing the process dynamics of the laser aided metal deposition process is developed based on some of the models found in the literature. These models provide the basis for process planning and real time control. An embedded vision system, a two color temperature sensor, and a laser displacement sensor are incorporated for real time monitoring and control of the deposition process. The temperature profile of the surface and geometric characteristics of the melt pool are studied to ensure consistent operation of the process.

Computer-Aided Engineering For Tool Design In Manufacturing Engineering Curriculum, Daniel J. Waldorf

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

At Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo, a variety of tool design issues are covered in a junior-level manufacturing engineering course called Tool Engineering. In the course, designing fixtures – for any process – is a major component of the content. The process of designing a fixture is similar to the method a mechanical engineer would use to design a new product. The course is therefore an excellent opportunity to teach design principles to manufacturing engineers. This project involves an attempt to introduce computer-aided methods, including the finite element method (FEM), for analysis of tool design into the Tool Engineering …

Teaching Factory, Sema E. Alptekin, Reza Pouraghabagher, Patricia Mcquaid, Daniel Waldorf

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Academia must develop a new approach to teaching in order to better prepare engineering students to function efficiently and adjust readily within the framework of the factories in the real world. Some engineering programs emphasize theory, while others emphasize application as isolated blocks. The "Teaching Factory" being developed at Cal Poly combines both theory and applications. It makes use of state-of-the-art industrial grade production equipment, computer hardware and software in the form of the following two systems: 1) a functioning "real" factory hardware environment, and 2) a Production Planning and Control Center.

A Neural Network-Based Vision System For Automated Separation Of Onion From Clod Using Mechanical Harvester, Demian Morquin

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

A neural network classifier for separating clods from onions during harvesting has been developed. The separator consists of a multi-layer feedforward network that maps textural features computed from gray-scale images of onions and clods into the correct object. Texture features were computed from co-occurrence matrices that specify the spatial relationship of pixel values in an image. The textural features selected for this application consist of homogeneity, contrast, variance, and energy. The network was trained using the back-propagation algorithm. Based on the textural features classification, the effect of changing the network configuration on separation effectiveness was investigated. Factors including network topology …

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 …

Modeling Of A Meat Cooking Process For On-Line Monitoring And Control, Oralia Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

A heat transfer model is developed to predict cooking time of meat patties given the initial temperature of meat, oven temperature, and meat properties to monitor and control a cooking process on-line. Experiments were performed to find the cause of variability in cooked weight and raw temperature effects in forming and final cooked temperature. Advanced charting techniques concluded that only common causes of variability were present in the process. Thermal conductivity experiments were performed to determine the thermal conductivity of meat (k), which was compared with the properties of meat published in literature to validate the experiment. Oven design analysis …

Plastic Solder Paste Stencil For Surface Mount Technology, Christopher K. Wong, Daniel Waldorf

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Solder paste masks or stencils are an integral part of the manufacturing process for surface mount PCBs. This study examines the feasibility of a process for rapid creation of a solder paste stencil using thermoplastic material. CNC laser cutting of the stencil geometry is replacing traditional use of chemical etching on metal sheets to produce stencils. Laser cutting has been used to improve process speed, accuracy, and cost. This research attempts to continue to simplify and reduce costs in the stencil making process by proposing as the stencil material a common thermoplastic that can be cut easily and quickly using …

Determination And Improvement Of Building Speed In Rapid Freeze Prototyping, Wei Zhang, Guanghua Sui, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rapid freeze prototyping (RFP) is a solid freeform fabrication process that builds an ice part by rapidly freezing water in a layer by layer manner. One advantage of this process is the ability to build ice parts faster than other SFF processes. The factors that affect the speed of contour building and interior filling in RFP are identified. The influence of these factors is analyzed through heat transfer and material flow analyses. A model based on heat transfer analysis is proposed to determine the maximum achievable speed of contour building under stable conditions. Experiments are conducted to validate the performance …

Investment Casting With Ice Patterns Made By Rapid Freeze Prototyping, Wei Zhang, Ming-Chuan Leu, Chao Feng, Rong Ren, Renjie Zhang, Qingping Lu, Jubu Jiang, Yongnian Yan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

One of the most promising applications of rapid freeze prototyping (RFP) is making metal parts by investment casting with the built ice parts. The integration of RFP and investment casting allows fast creation of complex net-shape metal parts directly from their CAD models. The advantages of doing so include no part geometric complexity limitation, no experience of parting line design and assembling needed, clean and low-cost of process operation, and good performance. In this paper, we will present our recent study on binder selection, slurry making, ceramic shell making, and the casting results of the metal parts.

Study On Water Deposit In Rapid Freeze Prototyping Process, Guanghua Sui, Weihan Zhang, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rapid Freeze Prototyping (RFP) builds a three-dimensional ice part according to its CAD model by depositing and rapidly freezing water in a layer-by-layer manner. To study the water deposit in RFP, assumptions are made based on the deformation of water droplet impinging on a flat substrate, the thermal analysis of a new layer of water deposit, and the characteristics of solidification of a water drop. The equations governing the cross-sectional profile of the water deposit are then established. A model of water deposit is proposed by simplifying the equations under our experimental conditions in RFP. By using this model, equations …

Laser Additive Manufacturing Process Planning And Automation, Jun Zhang, Jianzhong Ruan, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a Laser Additive Manufacturing Process Planning (LAMPP) being developed at the University of Missouri-Rolla. The off-line planning recognizes difficult-to-build features from an STL file, selects optimal part orientation and building directions based on the skeleton information of the object geometry, and optimizes the sub-process sequences for deposition and machining. During the optimization of the subpart building processes, collaboration between the deposition process planner and the machining process planner is needed to check the deposition availability and machinability. As a result, tool paths for both the laser head and the machining head are automatically generated.