Optimization of friction welding of tube-to-tube plate using an external tool by Taguchi method and genetic algorithm

Numerous advancements have been occurring in the field of materials processing. Friction welding is an important solid-state joining technique. In this research project, friction welding of tube-to-tube plate using an external tool (FWTPET) has been performed, and the process parameters have been prioritized using Taguchi??s L₂₇ orthogonal array. Genetic algorithm (GA) is used to optimize the welding process parameters. The practical significance of applying GA to FWTPET process has been validated by means of computing the deviation between predicted and experimentally obtained welding process parameters.     

Fuzzy logic based leanness assessment and its decision support system

Manufacturing organisations have been witnessing a transition from mass manufacturing to lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing is focused on the elimination of obvious wastes occurring in the manufacturing process, thereby enabling cost reduction. The quantification of leanness is one of the contemporary research agendas of lean manufacturing. This paper reports a study which is carried out to assess the leanness level of a manufacturing organisation. During this research study, a leanness measurement model has been designed. Then the leanness index has been computed. Since the manual computation is time consuming and error-prone, a computerised decision support system has been developed. This decision support system has been designated as FLBLA-DSS (decision support system for fuzzy logic based leanness assessment). FLBLA-DSS computes the fuzzy leanness index, Euclidean distance and identifies the weaker areas which need improvement. The developed DSS has been test implemented in an Indian modular switches manufacturing organisation.     

Estimation of reliability and validity of agility constructs using structural equation modelling

The main objective of this study was to create an agile manufacturing (AM) model and to validate the model using structural equation modelling (SEM). AM concentrates on turbulent market changes and the responsive actions of the manufacturing firm, in terms of process, tooling, material and trained experts. The AM model consists of five major drivers of agility, namely the workforce, manufacturing management, manufacturing strategy, manufacturing technology and organisational structure. After development of the AM model, a questionnaire was prepared and data collected from 30 automotive organisations located in Tamil Nadu, India. After data collection, the SEM approach was used to conduct a statistical validation. The results indicate the validity and reliability of AM constructs.     

Evaluation of leagility in supply chains using fuzzy logic approach

In the changing business environment, manufacturing firms can survive by catering to the dynamic demands of the modern customers. Lean principles imply zero inventory and agile principles necessitate safety inventory to tackle volatile market conditions. The leagile paradigm is gaining importance in the contemporary scenario which includes both lean and agile principles. This article presents the conceptual model of leagility imbibed with lean and agile principles. A fuzzy logic approach has been used for the evaluation of leagility in supply chains. This article is used to compute the performance of supply chains using both lean and agile concepts as leagility supply chains using a fuzzy logic approach.     

Leanness assessment using multi-grade fuzzy approach

The manufacturing organisations have been witnessing a transition from mass manufacturing to lean manufacturing. Lean operations are characterised by the elimination of obvious wastes occurring in the manufacturing process, thereby facilitating cost reduction. This paper reports a research carried out to assess the leanness of an organisation using multi-grade fuzzy approach. During this research, a leanness measurement model incorporated with multi-grade fuzzy approach was designed. This is followed by the substitution of the data gathered from a manufacturing organisation. After the computation of leanness index, the areas for leanness improvement have been identified. The approach contributed in this project could be used as a test kit for periodically evaluating an organisation's leanness.     

Amalgamation of mass customisation and agile manufacturing concepts: the theory and implementation study in an electronics switches manufacturing company

This paper reports a research which was pursued with the purpose of indicating the need of amalgamating mass customisation and agile manufacturing principles for achieving competitiveness in organisations. The research findings and observations on these principles were used to design a model named as agile customisation programme. The implementation study of this programme was conducted in an electronics switches manufacturing company situated in India. The practical implications of this programme were studied by gathering feedback from the executives of this company. The details of these works are briefly presented in this paper. Further, the practical implications were used to propose a roadmap. Future researchers may adopt this roadmap and implement this programme in various types and sizes of companies. The performance of this programme in those companies shall be measured using agile manufacturing metrics such as responsiveness, time compression, quality improvement and profitability.     

Measuring organisational agility before and after implementation of TADS

The ever increasing competition compels the modern organisations to react quickly in accordance with this kind of dynamic demands of the customers, which is referred to as agility, and currently researchers are addressing these capabilities under the field agile manufacturing. The success of achieving agility lies in designing agile-friendly products. In this direction, very little researches have been pursued. In order to fill this gap, a model called total agile design system (TADS) is proposed. The implementation study conducted to examine this model in a traditional manufacturing company is briefly appraised. A scoring model has been used for measuring agility before and after implementation of TADS. The implementation study revealed the improvement of agility by 10%. This improvement is appreciable in traditional manufacturing organisation where only the mass production-based practices are only currently practiced.     

Influence of non‐uniform fine lines in silicon solar cell front metal grid design

While it is well known that the typical printed silver fingers on a silicon solar cell have profile striations, bottle‐necks, and line breaks, the impact of these imperfections have not been assessed in calculations of front grid related power losses. This study uses detailed finite element modeling to show that when the realistic effects of non‐uniform line conductance is accounted for; the simulated cell efficiency can be significantly lower than under the assumption of uniform lines, becoming closer to measured trends. The study also explores the incorporation of additional interconnecting fingers to the parallel grid finger in the H pattern, concluding that they are typically of no benefit to improving the cell efficiency. As an auxiliary observation, it was found that the efficiency calculated by simple ohmic power loss formulae is typically underestimated by 0.1–0.2% absolute, a margin that should be accounted for in cell optimization and analysis. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Carbon supported silver (Ag/C) electrocatalysts for alkaline membrane fuel cells

This study reports on the performance of activated carbon supported silver catalyst (Ag/C) as electrocatalyst in an alkaline membrane fuel cell (AMFC), using alkalized poly (styrene ethylene butylene poly styrene) [APSEBS] as the electrolyte membrane. Carbon supported silver catalyst (Ag/C) with different metal loading was synthesized by means of wet impregnation method. The prepared electrocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV–Visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS-UV) and Raman spectroscopy. Surface morphology analysis of the prepared electrocatalyst using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the heterogeneous distribution of Ag on carbon support. The performance of the prepared electrocatalyst was evaluated with a home made AMFC using a novel anion exchange membrane (APSEBS). A maximum cell voltage and power density of 0.69 V and 109 mW/cm², respectively, was achieved at 60 °C for the home made 10 wt% (Ag/C) cathode catalyst and anion exchange membrane. Further, the prepared electrocatalyst was subjected to cyclic voltammetry studies to evaluate the methanol oxidation for Direct methanol alkaline fuel cell (DMAFC) applications.     

Disassembly modeling, planning, and leveling for a cam-operated rotary switch assembly: a case study

The manufacturing organizations have been witnessing a paradigm shift on designing products and services from manufacturing to sustainability. Product disassembly is a vital strategy for industrial recycling and remanufacturing which generates the desired parts and/or subassemblies by means of separation of a product into its elements. This article presents the appropriate methods for modeling planning and leveling the disassembly process of a cam-operated rotary switch assembly. The methodology involves disassembly modeling using a graphical approach. Disassembly process planning has been done using reverse assembly approach. Disassembly leveling has been done to maintain profitability and environmental features at a desired level. An optimal disassembly sequence has been derived using disassembly leveling. The resultant cost of disassembly for reusable components has been computed. The article presents a unique contribution to the field of designing for disassembly from the perspective of rotary switches.