Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Warehouse Design For Polygait, Colby Spear

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Professor Tali Freed, advisor of POLY GAIT, needs a warehouse built to accommodate the testing of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology with Automatic Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS). This report explores a 5-step warehouse designing technique. The five steps are as follows: Overall Structure, Sizing and Dimensioning, Operation Strategy Selection, Equipment Selection, and Department Layout. Each of these is analyzed in turn to cover everything necessary in designing a warehouse. Furthermore, a cost analysis was conducted in order to give Professor Freed a better understanding on the cost required to build this warehouse. A smaller 25’x22’ foot is optimal because …

Preference-Driven Assignment Decision-Support System For Multiple Sets Of Pairs, Stephen J. Gilmore

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This project focuses on designing a computerized decision support system (DSS) to assist the Cal Poly Alumni Association with scheduling their Mustang Mentoring day. The current scheduling process is time intensive, error prone, and does not consider student preferences. The decision support system optimally generates multiple sets of pairs of students and mentors and schedules them avoiding conflicts and duplicates. The system was developed in Microsoft Excel using its Solver add-in. Excel was selected as the system platform also because of its relative popularity compared to alternative platforms. The DSS utilizes integer linear programming to maximize the total student satisfaction …

The Ergo Knife Manufacturability Project: A Prosthetic Device, Caleb Sarris

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Millions of Americans’ upper extremities have been rendered useless or amputated due to injury or illness. Without strength and dexterity in the hand or wrist, these people are in need of tools to help them in everyday activities. The Ergo Knife offers these individuals a way to cope with this way of life as a device that can assist them, primarily in food consumption and can also be expanded to many other applications. The purpose of this project is to further develop the Ergo Knife so that it can better assist these individuals and improve the necessary processes used to …

Technological Advancement For Vehicles Operable By The Visually Impaired, Heather L. Brown

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This senior project aims to provide blind persons with the ability to effectively experience driving. This report includes the project background, literature review, designs, methodologies, results, and conclusions with project management, human factors engineering, and electronic manufacturing focuses. Other universities and professionals have accepted the Blind Driver Challenge presented by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) or studied systems to improve vehicle feedback. The Virginia Tech vehicle, named "Odin", includes tactile and audio interfaces in order to relay information to a blind driver about vehicle heading and speed. The QFD results reveal that the amount of available information from …

The Analysis Of Electure Creation & Distribution Systems At Cal Poly, Jason Carian

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This report details the analysis of potential eLecture creation and distributions for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Specifically, this project will focus on a system for the College of Engineering. This project was completed using the Systems Engineering process and concentrated more specifically on the Systems Evaluation phase, in which the specifics for potential system solutions are discussed. The first step was to define the problem that must be addressed; Cal Poly currently uses eLectures in the classroom, but with the wide variety of eLecture creator and distribution alternatives available, there is no optimal system at the University. The next …

Parker Aerospace Fluid Systems Division Product Support Facility Redesign, Sean Walker

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

With growing popularity for commercial air travel and aerial military operations comes an increase in demand for innovative, technological solutions of aircraft system components. As OEM sales of these components rise, this creates a burden on the aftermarket side of the business when these parts and systems require service in order to continue functioning properly. Parker Aerospace, Fluid Systems Division, and its Product Support Team are experiencing this growth burden and want to reconfigure necessary means within the layout to succeed in accommodating new program areas on the aftermarket side. During this process, cost reduction opportunities will be explored and …

Human Factor And Ergonomic Considerations And Improvements For A Table-Free Card Game Product, Enrique Daniel Aguirre

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The purpose of this project is to design a table-free Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Game product that will make the transition of said game from table to user more fluid and intuitive, improving on past designs in the process. Despite there currently being many similar products in the market, there has not yet been one that adequately fulfills game requirements and comfortably adapts to the range of players associated with the game. Taking ergonomic and human factor considerations into account during the development of the design, a prototype was created as part of this project that was subsequently tested against a past …

Flexi-Focus Lens: Pdms Variable Focal Length Lens, Patrick Angulo, Alex Doyle, Dylan Mcdaniel, Michael Olivarez

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The design of a variable focal length, or flexi-focus, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) lens incorporating a light emitting diode (LED) source is intended for future use on board commercial aircraft. Specifically, the design is intended for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, serving as a personal reading light for the passengers seated in the cabin. Most current reading lights on board aircraft are rigid, incandescent, and have very limited freedom in terms of adjusting the emitted light. Incandescent lamps are also inefficient with respect to energy consumption and light output as well as a high heat output. In an economy of increasing demand …

Quality Of Life Plus (Ql+) 2011 Rideable Tour, Daniel J. Pelisek

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Quality of Life Plus (QL+) does important work supporting members of the United States armed forces. Without significant funding, it is unlikely they could continue doing that work. Our goal was to hold a charity bike ride, the 2011 QL+ RideABLE Tour, to help them raise the funds they need. We approached the ride from two different perspectives, event planning and project management, with the hope that the two approaches could work in synergy towards a successful event. The project management approach focused on industrial engineering tools like work breakdown structures (WBS), cost analysis, and risk assessment. The goal was …

Continuous Improvement Efforts In J. Carrol's Screen Printing Process, Millan Arellano

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The following report details the analysis and procedure taken not only to determine the issues limiting J. Carroll’s screen printing capacity, but also provides the solutions necessary to address these issues. The report addresses one crucial operation in the screen printing process, changeovers, which contribute to roughly 24% of the screen printing process time and more than any other operation in the screen printing process. Within the changeover operation two specific tasks appear to be plaguing long changeover times: they are test print and design approval. The report elaborates on the Fishbone Diagrams utilized to bring up the potential causes …

Use Of Electroluminescent Wire For Monitoring Fatigue In Manual Materials Handling, Spencer Martinez, Chester Matkey

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

In the field of manual materials handling, millions of dollars are lost each year in accidents caused by physical fatigue. The purpose of this project is to design a device for monitoring fatigue in manual material handling operations. Combining our knowledge of electronics, new product design, ergonomics, and human factors, we were able to design and test a product to meet these specifications in hopes of developing a prototype for marketability. While we have only developed a prototype, the economic justification is performed for mass production of the product. Using statistics gathered on the percentage of injuries caused each year …

Human Resources Recruitment Management Plug-In For Enterprise Resource Planning Systems, Alex Riabov

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Enterprise Resource Planning (or ERP in short) systems today are a backbone of most large United States and international corporations. Around the 1990s these companies transitioned from using different software packages for each business unit to using the modules of Enterprise Resource Planning system for the business unit’s specific needs. Some functionality was lost. Human Resource function of recruitment was one example of large functionality left out of Enterprise Resource Planning systems such as SAP or PeopleSoft. As a result, these large companies turned to 3rd party Applicant Tracking Systems to manage recruitment and subsequently created redundancies in workflow, increased …

Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Passive Item-Level Rfid Tags Utilized In Inventory Counts, Joshua (Josh) Gilbert

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

In an effort to reduce the amount of manual labor associated with physical inventory counts of large warehouse type environments, a study was performed analyzing the effectiveness of item-level RFID to automate counts. Products were selected based off of certain characteristics and tagged with passive RFID tags. A design of experiment was developed specific to each product that best related to actual in store environments. Experiments were conducted in the Poly GAIT lab. Certain levels of analysis were performed and conclusions made specific to each product under question.

Efficient Operations And Procedures Of Children's Museums, Siobhan Sullivan

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Due to the recent economic downturn, the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum’s budget has been reduced by half. The entrepreneurial Museum Director is searching for ways to cut costs and increase revenue. This project aimed to apply Lean methodologies, traditionally used in manufacturing organizations, to the Museum, a non-profit service organization.

The project objectives were to have an organized storage area using principles of 5S; determine excess inventory; consolidate available exhibit information; create guidelines for exhibit production to ensure high quality exhibits with sufficient user documentation are created; perform a sampling of exhibit use in order to have a list …

Emergency Response Manufacturing: Lead Time Minimization And Human Factors For Ozone Water Filter Assembly And Kitting Process, Travis Gary

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

In the unfortunate event of a natural disaster affecting San Luis Obispo, response from national entities cannot be relied upon for a timely or efficient response. Local disaster recovery is superior because it minimizes response time, the need for costly stockpiling and creates a solution that is uniquely suited to the community that empowers local people in their most troubled times. Extensive planning is required for local disaster recovery and this project aims to provide the research and recovery system design required to implement an effective recovery plan.

Potable water is the primary need for people in the disaster situations …

Electroluminescent (El) Wire Soldering Solution, Sean Mitchell

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Electroluminescent (EL) wire is a unique kind of wire because it glows when attached to a power source. EL wire has many applications, both creative and practical. For example: Burning Man enthusiasts like to adorn their clothing with the flexible wire, and emergency responders use it to mark off accidents on the road at night. What makes EL wire glow is the electrical reactions between its copper wires and phosphor coating. The problem with this wire, however, is that it is very difficult to connect it to a battery. This is due to the wire’s structure. Beneath its protective plastic …

The Effectiveness Of Milestone Versus Duration Projects In A University Environment, Nicholas James Mehas

Master's Theses

The Critical Path and Critical Chain project management methodologies have different and unique characteristics; both methods are used by project managers to manage projects. This research develops and implements two methodologies, milestones (critical path) versus duration (modified critical chain), in a university environment. The implementation of the two methods allows for the comparison of the effectiveness of both styles. The intent is to determine if there is a significant difference in the project management methodologies in a university setting. The design of both projects allows for easy implementation and the ability to easily record determined measureable statistics.

Improving Cal Poly Space Systems Infrastructure, Tyler Richier

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The goal of this project was to increase the usable space for the club Cal Poly Space Systems to work on its projects, improve the safety for its members, and reduce the time it takes to manufacture its products. The project demonstrated the effectiveness of 5S in improving a workspace. Club members were measurably more comfortable in the work environment and spent less time looking for tools. Current rooms were made more professional by ridding the workplace of non-valued items and finding sensible locations for high-traffic items. Additional rooms were added and they should indisputably support club projects the upcoming …

5s Implementation Plan For The Shipping Department At Helical Products Co., Eric William Walker

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Helical Products Company is a business that manufactures flexure products, such as couplings and u-joints. As part of a movement towards lean manufacturing, Helical Products Company of Santa Maria, California is in need of a principle that will help them continuously improve their shipping department. A study of 5S, a lean principle focused on waste reduction, will be done to investigate opportunity for implementation. A literature review takes a peek on research of lean manufacturing history, lean workbook/ tutorials and lastly case studies and journal articles. The output of research provides a design plan for Helical using 5S and other …

Ackermann Steering Geometry Applied To A Skateboard Truck, Daniel D. Downs

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Conventional skateboard trucks are currently unable to meet the challenges of the modern enthusiast. They are lacking in key performance metrics such as handling, stability, and traction. Longboard enthusiasts, whom rely heavily on handling performance, are hungry for new and innovative technology to help bring the sport to the next level. The aim of this project was to solve these problems by applying specific aspects of automotive steering geometry and best engineering practices. Three successive prototypes were designed, with the first two prototype sets being manufactured and extensively tested. The first prototype served as a proof of concept, but suffered …

Cardiac Staging Facility Workflow Redesign, Ryan Chang

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This study analyzes and proposes Cardiac Staging nurse workflow improvements along with a new Cardiac Staging facility design at French Hospital. Currently, patients spend an expected 125 minutes in Cardiac Staging. It was found that 60% of the time in Cardiac Staging was spent waiting to be transferred into the Cath Lab. The following Industrial Engineering methods were utilized to eliminate waste in staging and design a new staging area:

 Use of Lean and Six-Sigma tools to recommend new patient arrival time

 Manufacturing product scheduling to reduce patient wait time

 Use of facility redesign techniques to improve …

Rfid Classroom Management System, Andrew W. Wright

Master's Theses

Professors who manage large classes are unrealistically expected to grade each student fairly and accurately.  Even with all of the technological advancements that have occurred in the past thirty years, very little progress has been made in classroom management, and as a result, professors are not equipped with enough tools to successfully manage large class sizes.  Because radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is making its way into student issued identification cards, there is an opportunity to use it as a tool to aid professors in the classroom.  The focus of this paper is to discover the most effective system that …

An Optimization Approach To Employee Scheduling Using Fuzzy Logic, William G. Spence

Master's Theses

An Optimization Approach to Employee Scheduling Using Fuzzy Logic

William G. Spence

Selection of sales employees is critical because the sales employees represent the company’s image, competitive advantage, technology, and values. In many service systems the majority of consumer contact is with the sales department. Since there are different types of customers, scheduling quality salespersons who can adequately help consumers may affect revenue.

This thesis proposes a new methodology for the scheduling of employees in a service system. The methodology uses Fuzzy Logic to calculate possible sales and Linear Programming to create an optimal schedule. This approach enables the rating …

Migration Models - Comparison Of Pvc, Pet And Pla Diffusivity, Combined With A Production Cost Model For Westridge Laboratories, Shelley Cooke, Sarina Surrette

Materials Engineering

This project has two parts: [1] a migration and diffusivity model for candidate plastics used in containers, and [2] a product cost model for Westridge Laboratories (Santa Ana, CA).

Diffusion modeling is a useful tool to predict migration of polymer constituents into exposed liquids.  Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polylactic acid (PLA) were studied to estimate production costs, and component migration into water-based liquids from plastic containers.  Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), antimony trioxide, and stannous octoate, are components of concern in the three candidate polymers, respectively.  Normal detection limits for these constituents are about 1 - 10 ppb, …

Effect Of Gold Content On The Reliability Of Snagcu Solder Joints, Jianbiao Pan, Julie Silk, Mike Powers, Patrick Hyland

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Electroplated Ni/Au over Cu is a popular metallization for PCB finish as well as for component leads, especially wire-bondable high frequency packages, where the gold thickness requirement for wirebonding is high. The general understanding is that less than 3 wt% of Au is acceptable in SnPb solder joints. However, little is known about the effect of Au content on the reliability of SnAgCu solder joints. The purpose of this study is to determine the acceptable level of Au in SAC305 solder joints. Three different package platforms with different Au thicknesses were assembled on boards with two different Au thicknesses using …

Partial Budgeting Analysis Of Conventional Pump Over Versus Pulsair Cap Management System For A Large–Scale California Winery, Zachary Thomas Hicks

Agribusiness

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the financial feasibility of implementing an automated gas injection system from Pulsair as an alternative to the traditional pump over cap mixing technique that is used during the alcoholic fermentation stage of winemaking.

There were various costs involved in this project that were determined and explained through the use of the partial budgeting method. The costs that were thoroughly analyzed included equipment, labor, utility, and initial investment costs for the Pulsair system as well as the related pump over operation costs. After the two methods associated numbers were evaluated, they were then …

Design And Implementation Of An Automated Pick And Place System For Johanson Technology, Inc., Alex M. Felker

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Johanson Technology, a capacitor and microelectronic part manufacturer, located in Camarillo, CA has forecasted a 50% increase in demand for single layer capacitors for the year 2011. Johanson chose to hire an intern to design and implement a robotic pick and place system to meet this demand. A complete automated system composed of a Stäubli RS20 robotic arm, CS8C-M Controller, and Electrosort Bowl Feeder needed to be integrated into an environment where no system currently existed. A bill of materials and parts list indicated that the entire system would be a fixed cost of $50,104. This proved to be the …

Process Improvement Of Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Connie Chou, Brett Witherall

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

This report seeks to improve the operations of the Kaiser Permanente’s Central Refill Pharmacy. In particular, the need for better workstations became evident when witnessing the cluttered appearance of the packing workbenches in the facility. Furthermore, one of Kaiser’s largest problem areas is the physical strain caused by the repetitive motion required of the packing job function. A redesign of the packing workstations has been developed on Microsoft Visio in order to reduce clutter, be more space efficient, and decrease eye and arm movement associated with employee strain. The most significant additions are an automated slide that transfers packages from …

Evaluation Of An Innovative System For Improving Readability Of Passive Uhf Rfid Tags Attached To Reusable Plastic Containers, Jay A. Singh, S. Roy, B. Roesner

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a contactless identification technology that has proven to work well in conjunction with reusable plastic containers (RPCs). The impact of this technology on returnable containers has been explored by several past studies. This study evaluates an innovative system for improving readability of passive UHF RFID tags in conjunction with RPCs. The system involves an energy transfer device (ETD), which when attached to the RPCs, passively transfers radio frequency signals to interior regions of a unitized load thereby improving the readability of all RFID tags attached to the RPCs. This study included an evaluation of the …

Material Weight Station Optimization Senior Project, Douglas Peters, Michael Eng

Industrial Technology and Packaging

The main principle of all industry is that “time is money”. This senior project focuses on reducing operation times for Specialty Silicone Fabricators (SSFab) materials weighing station. Currently SSFab is set up so that multiple operators check the weights of materials. This is done to guarantee the accuracy of the readings and maintain tight quality control. This project will focus on eliminating the need of multiple weight checkers as a way to save time and ultimately save money.

Through detailed research and studies it has been determined that the most appropriate solution to this problem is a weight checking software …