The automation question

To automate or not to automate is quite often the question. Tony Hollinshead looks at the lack of automation in electronics production, and provides some rules of thumb as the answer.     

Hype or reality? A survey of e-business

E-business tools have been the subject of much hype and misinformation over the years. E-business is generally interpreted as the integration of systems with those of customers and suppliers, and the use of Internet for business transactions. The Internet brings e-business type communications within the reach of large companies as well as the smaller ones that would not otherwise be able to afford them. The article presents the results of the e-business questionnaire on the benefits that the organizations obtained in using e-business. The survey demonstrated that there is some skepticism about the scope and the value of the e-business concept throughout all sizes of organizations. There seems to be more support for the incremental improvement rather than revolution hypothesis. The results indicate that e-business offers some hype and reality so organizations are advised to ignore the hype and choose the most likely areas that will benefit them.     

印刷电路板焊点的智能检测

为了提高在线自动光学检测系统(AOI)的自动化程度,提出了一种基于增量聚类的智能焊点检测方法.首先,设计了在线智能AOI的系统框架.然后,根据焊点外观进行归纳分类,将关键子区域的面积特征应用于焊盘特征的量化与提取,将每类样本聚类为若干子类从而实现对多批次焊点的检测.最后,提出一种增量聚类算法,在线检测过程中系统可根据人...     

Model driven development of distributed control applications

Control systems rely heavily on the software that is used to implement them. However, current trends in software engineering are not fully exploited in the development process of complex control systems. In this paper, an approach for the model driven development of distributed control systems (DCSs) is presented. The proposed approach that greatly simplifies the development process adopts the function block construct introduced by the IEC 61499 standard and supports the automatic generation of implementation models for many different execution environments. It favours the deployment and re-deployment of distributed control applications and provides an infrastructure for the transparent exploitation of current software engineering practices. GME, a meta-modelling tool, was utilized to develop Archimedes, an IEC-compliant prototype engineering support system. Specific model-to-model transformers have been developed to automate the transformation of FB-based design models to CORBA-component-model based implementation models to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.     

A feature-recognition knowledge base for process planning of rotational mechanical components

A computer-aided process-planning (CAPP) system is a key factor in CAD/CAM Integration. In recent years, expert-system techniques have been introduced into this area. An increasing number of AI-based generative process-planning systems have been developed to automate machine process selection and tools selection. Of these, EXCAP, an integrated knowledge-based system developed at UMIST, distinguishes itself by its flexibility and ease of use. This paper gives an overview of EXCAP and focuses on the feature-recognition knowledge base.     

State space approach to qualitative analysis of FMSs

A new approach, based on state space analysis using projections, is proposed for analysing flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), and used for their qualitative analysis (QA). The concept of the ‘first generation reachability graph’ is introduced, and a methodology for QA developed. The use of this methodology for evaluating specifications in terms of correctness and desirability is shown, the PROjection-based State Space ANalyser, (PRO-SPAN), a software package designed to automate the analysis methods developed in this paper, is presented. A modified Petri net model, consisting of up to 3000 places and 3100 transitions, is used by PRO-SPAN for constructing the state space for an FMS.     

Automatic generation of measuring instrument specifications

Equipment specifications are tools used in the engineering industry to ensure equipment designed and/or supplied matches the requirements of the customer. A computer-aided engineering software package, named Specriter, is being developed to automate the specification compilation process. The progress and future direction of this research is discussed. The rationale behind the decision to transfer to a knowledge-based approach is outlined.     

AUTONOMOUS STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING—PART I: MODAL PARAMETER ESTIMATION AND TRACKING

A growing interest for techniques and systems allowing the early detection and monitoring of damage based on vibration analysis is clearly present in different research and application areas, such as civil constructions, mechanical systems, and aircraft and aerospace industry. However, an important element for the applicability of modal-based damage assessment techniques in practice is the automation of the identification and tracking procedure.In this contribution it is shown that, by using a frequency-domain maximum likelihood estimator, features such as high accuracy and confidence bounds for the estimated parameters and robustness for high measurement noise levels create the possibility to automate the modal identification process. For the validation of the model, criteria based on a statistical approach were developed in addition to the well-known criteria such as modal phase colinearity and mode complexity, while the final mode selection is done by means of a fuzzy clustering algorithm. At the same time, an accurate mode-tracking algorithm is presented. It is shown that the problem of coinciding poles, due to shifting or crossing modes under changing structural dynamics, can hamper the mode tracking and a robust solution is proposed. The possibilities and limitations of the automated approach are investigated and tested for a slat track of an Airbus A320 commercial airplane, providing a preliminary study for future monitoring practices during life cycle tests on slat tracks.     

A Web-based Kanban system for job dispatching, tracking, and performance monitoring

A Kanban system facilitates lean principles in a simple and effective way. While reportedly successful in many manufacturing firms, the conventional Kanban systems using physical cards suffer from human errors, limited tracking capability, and so on. To make the information flow leaner, software providers add new features to their existing programs for manufacturing systems to computerize Kanban activities. As Web-based technologies advance rapidly, developing an entirely Web-based Kanban system appears to be feasible and promising. This paper presents the advantages, limitations, and challenges of Web-based Kanban systems. An experimental program has been developed based on PHP+MySQL, a popular Web programming platform. The server-executed program features cross-platform compatibility, real-time tracking and performance monitoring, and greatly enhanced information contents compared to physical Kanbans. Human errors are minimized by the automated transactions; nevertheless, the interfacing and data maintenance require further research efforts.     

高速智能型液压拉伸机计算机控制系统设计

液压拉伸机因其结构紧凑, 系统简单而被广泛用于不锈钢制品、铝制品的拉伸成型生产过程中。本文针对拉伸机的控制系统, 提出了拉伸机智能化控制系统的设计, 能有效地实现拉伸机操作的简单化、自动化     

Assembly process planning and its future in collaborative manufacturing: a review

A good assembly process plan can increase the efficiency and quality, and decrease the cost and time of the whole product manufacturing process, which is important as product and production demand changes rapidly in today’s market. Several approaches using different techniques and methodologies have been developed and reported in the literature for assembly process planning. Automated assembly process planning (AAPP) has been the main focus of the research efforts over the years, with most work concentrated on attempting to automate or to semi-automate the key sequencing process. However, some of these efforts have not been successful in general, and many assembly process plans are still based on traditional methods. The purpose of this paper is to review and outline the methodologies and tools in assembly process planning developed during the past ten years, such as the application of meta-heuristics methods to find the optimal/near optimal assembly plans and assembly line balancing, the evaluation methods for design for assembly (DFA), and collaborative assembly process planning systems. Based on this review the future trends in this area are also identified and discussed.     

嵌套事务模型下实时数据库故障处理策略

针对嵌套事务的特性,提出了一种新的、支持嵌套实时事务模型的故障恢复模式.该故障恢复模式改进了传统的日志记录类型与结构,能更好地适应嵌套事务的特性与时态数据的时限需求.在日志缓冲区分配策略上,并发的嵌套实时事务被分配在独立的活动日志区,解决了顺序日志模式中当前日志缓冲页因为严重的访问竞争而影响系统性能的问题.在故障发生后的恢复处理算法中,对重做起始点选择与执行顺序进行了优化处理,在确保提交事务持久性的前提下,尽可能地提高恢复性能.性能测试显示,该恢复模式具有比传统恢复模式更好的性能.     

Real-time computer controlled backscatter measurement of optical fibres

The software implementation of a real-time computer-controlled backscatter measurement system for a high standard conformance testing procedure for optical fibres is discussed. Optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) techniques are employed to test fibre reels along or at the end of a production line. A high speed computer is integrated with such a device to automate a chain of practical test procedures. Significant enhancements have been achieved with the use of fast computer integration, notably up to an eight-fold reduction in test time with no loss of measurement accuracy, when compared to a current commercial system.     

Laser inspection: An automotive industry application

The inspection of parts is a difficult task to automate within the working environment of a factory. Such inspection may be used both for quality control and for purposes of identification. However some parts present special problems, such as those made from transparent or translucent materials. In this case, interpretation of the signal emitted by a low-power laser source facilitates the task of 100% parts inspection and detection of defects. This method has advantages both in cost, reliability and long life, in comparison with other possible solutions.     

数据采集和管理的网络系统设计

本文针对检测作业的特殊性以及行业要求,结合多年的研究实践,提出了检测数据采集与管理网络系统的设计思想与实现技术。     

汽车发动机型号激光打标机的研制

介绍一种工业实现汽车发动机型号激光打标机方案，该方案可以实现汽车发动机型号标志工作彻底摆脱手工劳动，实现自动化。     

型钢标牌激光打标机的工业实现

提供了一类工业实现型钢标牌激光打标机方案,该方案可以实现型钢标牌标志工作彻底摆脱手工劳动,实现自动化。     

A decision support system for rapid one-of-a-kind product development

A decision support system (DSS) is a specific class of computerized information systems that support decision-making activities. Such a system has become paramount in supporting manufacturing activities with the development of World Wide Web (WWW) technology in recent years. The research and development of a knowledge-based DSS dedicated to rapid one-of-a-kind products (OKPs), however, has, to the author’s knowledge, rarely been directly studied. This work presents a knowledge-based DSS for supporting decision-making activities in developing OKPs using broad knowledge base content. The underlying architecture of the proposed system is a system that manages and optimizes the data, information and knowledge in the product development process. A knowledge structure model is proposed in this paper, and a comprehensive set of expert knowledge and analytical/numerical methods are integrated into the system to automate intelligent decision-making. Case studies have shown that the knowledge-based DSS is able to help OKP companies develop new products more quickly by sharing optimization tools, information and knowledge to reduce possible errors and rework.     

Product Agent Concept Based on Feature Modelling and JavaCard Implementation

This paper describes research currently being carried out in the area of holonic systems. The work presented deals with the idea that process management (manufacturing, repairing, etc.) may be achieved by human operators or automated systems, but also by the product carrying and managing its own information. Each product can act as an autonomous entity embedding its own information and decision-making algorithms throughout its life cycle in the different environments encountered. The concept developed is applied to a simple product which is specified using a feature-based design paradigm and implemented using JavaCard TM technology.     

Energy Conservation at High-Tech Enterprises by Means of Automated Energy Management

Russian Engineering Research - Practical approaches are described for introducing an energy management system at a high-tech enterprise so as to centralize and automate the regulation of energy...