Optimization of Laser-Assisted Polypropylene Aluminum Joining

in Applied Sciences (2023), 13

Laser joining of polymers to metals is a rising research subject due to the potential of considerably reducing the weight of structures. This article deals with the laser joining process between ... [more ▼]

Laser joining of polymers to metals is a rising research subject due to the potential of considerably reducing the weight of structures. This article deals with the laser joining process between polypropylene and aluminum. Without pre-treatment, laser joining of these materials is not feasible, and the method applied in this study to circumvent this issue is a surface modification of aluminum with a pulsed laser to create mechanical interlocking for the heat conduction laser joining technique. Different patterns and various laser parameters are analyzed with the design of experiments to best understand the effects of each parameter along with microscopic observations. It is found that engraving weakens the mechanical properties of the aluminum samples. The compromise between the engraving depth and the mechanical properties of the samples is optimized, and the engraving process with a 0.28 mm line width, 27.3% density and 150 mm/s speed provides the highest mechanical performance of the assembly with minimum degradation of aluminum samples. Moreover, by adjusting the laser power and using power modulation below 300W, the decomposition of polypropylene occurring at high temperatures is reduced to a minimum. After the final optimization, the joined samples reliably withstand a maximum force of 1500 N, which is, approximately, a shear strength of 20 MPa. [less ▲]

Digitization of the work environment for sustainable production

Book published by GITO (2022)

Global pandemics, devastating wars and natural disasters with increasing frequency and impact are disrupting previously carefully balanced manufacturing networks. All industrial companies are required to ... [more ▼]

Global pandemics, devastating wars and natural disasters with increasing frequency and impact are disrupting previously carefully balanced manufacturing networks. All industrial companies are required to examine their operations and adjust accordingly. The increasing cost of resources require enterprises to re-design their value creation processes to be more sustainable, to optimize the supplier network to become more resilient and to accelerate digitizing of operations to enhance operational effectiveness. This year's WGAB research seminar is themed around Digitization of the work environment for sustainable production and seeks to contribute solutions to the current challenges. The scientific discourse aims to advance the sustainable and data-based organization of value creation processes. Exemplary efforts for the sustainable production of 3D printed footwear and the circular supply chain of energy production will be discussed. With advances in sensory data collection in cyber-physical production systems (CPPS), there are new opportunities for sensing the status of manufacturing systems, which enable advanced data analytics to contribute to a sustainable production. Intelligent processes enable sustainable value creation and bi-directional knowledge exchange between humans and machines. With people at the centre of the CPPS, production systems shall be both adaptive and personalized for every worker. People need to be involved in the technological and organizational changes. Simulating the migration from a linear economy to a circular economy supports the trend of regionalized production networks. Digital assistance systems are tested to back up resilient manufacturing. We would like to thank all authors for their efforts in preparing the contributions, which are valuable inputs to the discourse to solve the current challenges. [less ▲]

Digital Twin for Human–Robot Interactions by Means of Industry 4.0 Enabling Technologies

in Sensors (2022), 22(13), 1-17

Sustainability and Circular Economy in Learning Factories – Case Studies

in SSRN (2022, April 11)

Since the mitigation of climate change is one of the biggest challenges to face on a global scale, the topic has become more relevant also in industrial context. Learning factories have proven to be ... [more ▼]

Since the mitigation of climate change is one of the biggest challenges to face on a global scale, the topic has become more relevant also in industrial context. Learning factories have proven to be suitable environments to address and convey competencies to tackle industrial challenges in an interactive way. Hence, several learning factories are already dealing with sustainability topics in various use cases. This paper strives to present a state of the art of sustainability and circular economy in learning factories. Therefore, a classification framework is developed based on the state of the art of several learning factories and existing literature regarding the topic. This framework is then used to systematically describe the different activities regarding sustainability and circular economy that are currently ongoing in learning factories worldwide. This can be used to get an idea about the different aspects of the topic and how to address them, but furthermore also offers assistance to identify “blind spots” which could and should be addressed in learning factories in the future. [less ▲]

Retrofitting of legacy machines in the context of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)

in Procedia Computer Science (2022, February 08), 200

In the context of Industry 4.0 (I 4.0), one of the most important aspects is data, followed by the capital required to deploy advanced technologies. However, most Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are ... [more ▼]

In the context of Industry 4.0 (I 4.0), one of the most important aspects is data, followed by the capital required to deploy advanced technologies. However, most Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are neither data ready nor have the capital to upgrade their existing machinery. In SMEs, most of the legacy machines do not have data gathering capabilities. In this scenario, the concept of retrofitting the existing machinery with sensors and building an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is more beneficial than upgrading the equipment to newer machinery. The current research paper proposes a simple architecture on retrofitting a legacy machine with external sensors for data collection and feeding the cloud-based databases for analysis/monitoring purposes. The design and functional aspects of the architecture are then tested in a laboratory environment on a drilling machine with no embedded sensors. Data related to the speed of the drill head and the bore depth are collected using newly retrofitted sensors to validate the proposed architecture. [less ▲]

Simulation technology and application of safe collaborative operations in human-robot interaction

in Simulation Technology and Application of Safe Collaborative Operations in Human-Robot Interaction (2022)

Comparing software frameworks of Augmented Reality solutions for manufacturing

in Procedia Manufacturing (2021, November 03), 55

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that allows overlaying of virtual elements on top of the physical environment. This enhances the perception and conveys additional information to the user. With the ... [more ▼]

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that allows overlaying of virtual elements on top of the physical environment. This enhances the perception and conveys additional information to the user. With the emergence of industry 4.0 concepts in manufacturing landscape, AR found its way to improve existing Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) on the shop-floor. The industrial setting has a wide variety of application opportunities from AR, ranging from training and digital work instructions to quality inspection and remote maintenance. Even though its implementation in the industry is rising in popularity, it is still mainly restricted to large companies due the limited availability of resources in Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SME). However, SMEs can benefit from AR solutions in its production processes. Therefore, this research aims to develop and present the results of comparison of two simple and cost-effective AR software frameworks for Hand Held Device (HHD) and a Head Mounted Device (HMD), which can be applied for developing AR applications for manufacturing. Two AR applications are developed using these software frameworks which are presented in the case study section. Android device is chosen as a HHD and HoloLens is the HMD used in the case study. The development structure can be reproduced by a wider range of enterprises with diverse needs and resource availability. [less ▲]

Robotix-Academy Conference for Industrial Robotics (RACIR) 2021

Book published by Shaker (2021)

The Robotix-Academy Conference for Industrial Robotics (RACIR) is held on September 22, 2021 at Trier University of Applied Sciences, Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, Germany as a hybrid conference. The ... [more ▼]

The Robotix-Academy Conference for Industrial Robotics (RACIR) is held on September 22, 2021 at Trier University of Applied Sciences, Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, Germany as a hybrid conference. The topics concerned by RACIR are: robot design, robot kinematics/dynamics/control, system integration, sensor/ actuator networks, distributed and cloud robotics, bio-inspired systems, service robots, robotics in automation, biomedical applications, autonomous vehicles (land, sea and air), robot perception, manipulation with multifinger hands, micro/nano systems, sensor information, robot vision, multimodal interface and human-robot interaction. [less ▲]

Detection of fluid level in bores for batch size one assembly automation using convolutional neural network

in Advances in Production Management Systems. Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable and Resilient Production Systems. (2021, August 31), 632

Increased customization and shortening product life cycles pose a challenge for automation, especially in assembly. In combination with the nature of assembly tasks, which may require high level of ... [more ▼]

Increased customization and shortening product life cycles pose a challenge for automation, especially in assembly. In combination with the nature of assembly tasks, which may require high level of perception, skill, and logical thinking, these tasks are often conducted manually, especially in certain industries (e.g. furniture, power tools) or small and medium-sized enterprises. One of such tasks is the liquid level monitoring in gluing processes. Existing non-manual solutions are based on conventional and less flexible algorithms to detect the current liquid level. In production environments with highly individualized products, a need for more performant models arises. With artificial intelligence (AI) it is possible to deduct decisions from unknown multidimensional correlations in sensor data, which is a key enabler for assembly automation for products with high degree of customization. In this paper, an AI-based model is proposed to automate a gluing process in a final assembly. Images of a gluing process are taken with a camera and a convolutional neural network is used to extract images features. The features are applied to train a support vector machine classifier to identify the liquid level. The developed model is tested and validated with a Monte-Carlo-simulation and used on a demonstrator to automate a gluing process. The developed model classifies images of liquid levels with over 98% accuracy. Similar results are achieved on the demonstrator. [less ▲]

An Innovative Strategy Allowing a Holisitic System Change towards Circular Economy within Supply-Chains

in Energies (2021), 14(14),

: The concept of the circular economy (CE) is receiving encouraging attention among scholars and practitioners, as a convenient solution to move away from the linear economy concept without neglecting the ... [more ▼]

: The concept of the circular economy (CE) is receiving encouraging attention among scholars and practitioners, as a convenient solution to move away from the linear economy concept without neglecting the goals of sustainable development. The main goals of the CE are the closing of resource loops and the keeping of resources in the system for as long as possible at the highest utility level. However, as a result of the lack of internationally accepted definitions of the CE and several unsolved barriers, an excessive and inconsistent number of different CE applications exist. Most fields are mainly focusing on making a linear system circular instead of applying the CE principles in a holistic way. This paper presents a strategy to close the mentioned inconsistency gap, by contrasting currently discussed CE barriers and goals and thereof deriving two areas with a need for action (1. identifying the needed collection, sorting, and recovery infrastructure, and 2. developing circular product design guidelines). The strategy itself consists of connecting these two areas through an improved information exchange between the end-of-life (EOL) and beginning-of-life (BOL) of products. The result is CE design guidelines which are in accordance with the available or needed collection, sorting, and recovery infrastructure. The proposed strategy presents an innovative solution to apply CE principles in a holistic manner, based on EOL-driven product design. [less ▲]