Implementing lean practices in manufacturing SMEs: testing ‘critical success factors’ using Necessary Condition Analysis

Lean practices are known to increase operational performance. Previous research has identified critical success factors for implementing lean practices. This research aims to examine the extent to which success factors are critical for various degrees of lean practice implementation. Using multiple-respondent self-assessments from 33 Dutch manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we conducted a Necessary Condition Analysis. Our findings indicated that the criticality of success factors is progression dependent. In the initial stages of the lean journey, SMEs could improve their lean practices in a bottom-up manner through local factors such as a learning focus, improvement training and support congruence. When lean practices are more advanced, some company-wide factors must be present: top management support, a shared improvement vision and a supplier link. Our findings question the universality of success factors such as strategic involvement and indicate the need for a more dynamic model of lean implementation.     

增材制造技术在超高膨胀封隔器中的应用

石油和天然气行业不断关注增材制造技术在航空航天和汽车行业的应用发展。研发了利用增材制造技术的超高膨胀封隔器,该封隔器的支承环系统由增材制造。增材制造设计大幅减少了支承系统的构件数量,同时显著提高了膨胀能力和额定压力。密封元件系统与增材制造支承环安装在一起,提供了极端膨胀比、零挤压间隙和对不规则孔的良好适应性。分析和测试结果表明:直径膨胀比高达111%,与常规封隔器相比,提高50%以上; 至少涵盖5种线重的套管(外径相同); 在148.89 ℃的温度下,密封元件能够保持压力68.95 MPa。介绍了增材制造技术、增材制造支承环概念、增材制造材料力学性能、密封元件系统优化和测试情况,以期给我国的完井作业提供借鉴。     

Void region restriction for additive manufacturing via a diffusion physics approach

A longstanding challenge in additive manufacturing (AM), the presence of void regions in additively manufactured components, causes two main issues: the enclosing of build material powder in powder bed fusion techniques and limiting tool access in critical post-processing operations to remove sacrificial support structures. As topology optimization has embraced and overcome many of the obstacles of incorporating AM constraints into the underlying numerical optimization statement, there exist few solutions that directly address this fundamental void region issue. By developing computationally efficient and effective solutions to this problem, the integration of these two advanced technologies can be fully realized. Drawing on inspiration from the principles of diffusion physics, a particle diffusion void restriction (PDVR) method is presented in this work that is capable of encouraging the optimization scheme to generate final designs that are fully accessible. Additionally, this method empowers the user to choose the type of post-processing method to clear support material (eg, three-axis or five-axis milling operations, number and orientation of part set-ups) and, therefore, quantify the level of costs associated with the post-processing operation. The PDVR optimization framework is demonstrated on multiple two- and three-dimensional test problems, with physically manufactured examples depicting the real-world benefits this method admits.     

Processing of AlSi9Cu3 alloy by selective laser melting

ABSTRACT

Additive manufacturing of Al-alloys allows the production of components with a complicated structured shape, geometry composed by lattice structures, internal cooling, etc. The portfolio of Al-alloys for metal additive manufacturing is still under development and is strongly limited, compared to the conventional technology. The alloy AlSi9Cu3 is used in many applications, but its processing details are still missing. The main aim of this paper is to describe the laser process parameters for AlSi9Cu3, processed by SLM technology and manufactured from two powders of different shapes and particle sizes. The tested process parameters were laser power, laser speed, and hatch distance in the range of 100–400?W, 200–1500?mm?·?s^?1 and 90–150?µm. These were tested using a single-track and cube test. Microstructure, mechanical properties and the fatigue of SLM samples were analysed and compared with as-casted material.     

Design of delayed reconfigurable manufacturing system based on part family grouping and machine selection

To improve the convertibility of reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS), the concept of delayed reconfigurable manufacturing system (D-RMS) was proposed. RMS and D-RMS are both constructed around part family. However, D-RMS may suffer from ultra-long system problem with unacceptable idle machines using generic RMS part families. Besides, considering the complex basic system structure of D-RMS, machine selection of D-RMS should be addressed, including dedicated machine, flexible machine, and reconfigurable machine. Therefore, a system design method for D-RMS based on part family grouping and machine selection is proposed. Firstly, a part family grouping method is proposed for D-RMS that groups the parts with more former common operations into the same part family. The concept of longest relative position common operation subsequence (LPCS) is proposed. The similarity coefficient among the parts is calculated based on LPCS. The reciprocal value of the operation position of LPCS is adopted as the characteristic value. The average linkage clustering (ALC) algorithm is used to cluster the parts. Secondly, a machine selection method is proposed to complete the system design of D-RMS, including machine selection rules and the dividing point decision model. Finally, a case study is given to implement and verify the proposed system design method for D-RMS. The results show that the proposed system design method is effective, which can group parts with more former common operations into the same part family and select appropriate machine types.     

Binder jetting additive manufacturing of aluminum nitride components

In this work, we report on the novel fabrication of aluminum nitride (AlN) components using Binder Jetting (BJT) additive manufacturing (AM). The AlN constructs were subjected to post-fabrication thermal treatment by hot isostatic pressing (HIPing) for 8 hours at a pressure of 206 MPa and temperature of 1900 °C. This treatment resulted in a 60.1% relative density maximum densification for AlN. The BJT printed AlN specimens were analyzed using various characterization techniques. The purity, microstructure, and polycrystallinity of the AlN phase formed were confirmed by techniques that included x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy showed polarization dependence and second harmonic signal at 470 nm, indicating the potential to produce thermal and optical-mechanical devices. Mechanical properties obtained by nanoindentation resulted in an elastic modulus of ~251 GPa when measured in fully dense, contiguous crystalline regions, corresponding to an apparent, porous bulk stiffness of ~90 GPa for the final, 60.1 % dense products. Finally, the laser flash method (LFM) was used to measure the thermal conductivity of the material as a function of temperature resulting in values from 4.82 W/mK to 3.17 W/mK for the temperature range from 23 °C to 500 °C, respectively.     

Interlayer bonding between thermoplastic composites and metals by in-situ polymerization technique

Fiber-metal laminates (FMLs) offer the superior characteristics of polymer composites (i.e., light weight, high strength and stiffness) with the ductility and fracture strength of metals. The bond strength between the two dissimilar materials, composite and metal, dictates the properties and performance of the FMLs. The bonding becomes more critical when the polymer matrix is thermoplastic and hydrophobic in nature. This work employed a novel bonding technique between thermoplastic composites and a metal layer using six different combinations of organic coatings. The flexural, and interlaminar shear strength of the thermoplastic fiber metal laminates (TP-FMLs) were examined to investigate the bond strengths in the different cases along with fracture characteristics revealed from the tested samples using scanning electron microscopy. The viscoelastic performance of the fabricated TP-FMLs were also investigated using the dynamic mechanical thermal analysis method.