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The tool indexing problem (TIP) is the problem of allocating cutting tools to different slots in a tool magazine of Computer Numerically Controlled machine to reduce the processing time of jobs on the machine. This is one of the mostly encountered optimization problems in manufacturing systems. In TIP, the number of tools used by the machine is at most the number of slots available in the tool magazine. In this article, a customized harmony search (HS) algorithm, which utilizes a harmony refinement strategy for faster convergence, is presented to solve TIP. The harmony refinement method also helps to avoid getting stuck into local optima. The performance of the proposed method is tested on 27 instances taken from the literature and out of these it is found to improve the best known solutions for 16 instances. For the remaining instances, it gives the same results as found in the literature. Moreover, the performance of the proposed algorithm is tested on newly adapted 41 instances and for some of these instances the results obtained using the proposed algorithm are compared with that obtained using CPLEX.

Femtosecond laser material processing (FLMP) was used to make an X-ray mask in a 500 µm thick tungsten sheet without the use of any chemical etch methods. The laser produced an 800 nm wavelength at a 1 kHz repetition rate and a pulse width of 100 fs. The laser beam arrival at the tungsten sheet was synchronized to a computer numerically controlled (CNC) stage that allowed for motion in the XYZθ directions. The X-ray mask design was made using CAD/CAM software (Alphacam 2019 R1) and it consisted of linear, circular, and 45° angle features that covered an area of 10 mm × 10 mm. A total of 70 laser beam passes at a moderate laser energy of 605.94 J/cm2 were used to make through-cut features into the tungsten sheet. The morphology of the top view (laser incident, LS) images showed cleaner and smoother cut edges relative to the bottom view (laser exit, LE) images. It was found that the size dimensions of the through-cut features on the LE surfaces were better aligned with the CAD dimensions than those of the LS surfaces. The focused laser beam produced inclined cut surfaces as the beam made the through cut from the LS to the LE of the tungsten sheet. The circular features at the LS surface deviated toward being oval-like on the LE surface, which could be compensated for in future CAD designs. The dependence of the CNC processing speed on the thickness of the etch depth was determined to have a third-order exponential decay relationship, thereby producing a theoretical model that will be useful for future investigators to predict the required experimental parameters needed to achieve a known etch depth in tungsten. This is the first study that has demonstrated the capability of using a femtosecond laser to machine through-cut an X-ray mask in a 500 µm thick tungsten sheet with no involvement of a wet etch or any other such supporting process.

Machining is one of the eight basic manufacturing processes. This textbook covers the fundamentals and engineering analysis of both conventional and advanced/non-traditional material removal processes along with gear cutting/manufacturing and computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining. The text provides a holistic understanding of machining processes and machines in manufacturing; it enables critical thinking through mathematical modeling and problem solving and offers 200 worked examples/calculations and 70 multiple choice questions on machining operations as well as on CNC machining, with the eBook version offered in color. This unique book is equally useful to both engineering-degree students and production engineers practicing in manufacturing industry.

Abstract Increasing environmental demands from governmental bodies and customers stress the importance of companies improving their environmental performance. The research presented here shows that productivity and cost efficiency improvements can be achieved alongside energy savings in a computer numerically controlled machining environment. This improves the profitability of the companies, but also leads them towards more sustainable and environmentally aware manufacturing; the relationship between machining parameters, machining costs, and energy consumption is evaluated. From this perspective, it is important that production planners etc. understand the methodological possibilities for improvements in cost and energy efficiency. The current research is based on a machining cost model and experiments where energy consumption and tool wear were monitored.

Maxillofacial prostheses are usually fabricated on the basis of conventional impressions and techniques. The extent to which the prosthesis reproduces normal facial morphology depends on the clinical judgment and skill of the individual fabricating the prosthesis. Recently, as a result of advances in technology, various computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques have been successfully introduced for the automated fabrication of maxillofacial prostheses. These systems are able to provide more consistently accurate reproduction of facial morphology.

In this chapter, Tobias Bonwetsch who was a Senior Researcher at ETH Zurich's Laboratory for Architecture and Digital Fabrication chaired by Gramazio & Kohler outlines the potentials of using robotic techniques for architectural design. Industrial robots have gained the interest of architects and designers in the last couple of years. On the one hand, this is due to their universal nature. Like other computer‐numerically controlled (CNC) machines, industrial robots allow for a digital control of the fabrication process. By using them in combination with digital design tools, architects can transfer design information directly to fabrication machines. But what is more, unlike common CNC machines, the physical process itself — the actual material manipulation — can be customised. On the other hand, industrial robots lend themselves especially well to assembly tasks. This puts them close to the actual reality of building.

This study considers the operation assignment and capacity allocation problem in flexible manufacturing systems. A set of operations is selected to be processed and assigned to the machines together with their required tools. The purchase or usage of the required tools incurs a cost. The machines have scarce time and tool magazine capacities. The objective is to maximize the total weight of the assigned operations minus the total tooling costs. We use Lagrangean relaxation approach to obtain upper and lower bounds on the optimal objective function values. The computational experiments show that our approach provides near optimal bounds in reasonable solution times.

Increasing environmental demands from governmental bodies and customers stress the importance of companies improving their environmental performance. The research presented here shows that productivity and cost efficiency improvements can be achieved alongside energy savings in a computer numerically controlled machining environment. This improves the profitability of the companies, but also leads them towards more sustainable and environmentally aware manufacturing; the relationship between machining parameters, machining costs, and energy consumption is evaluated. From this perspective, it is important that production planners etc. understand the methodological possibilities for improvements in cost and energy efficiency. The current research is based on a machining cost model and experiments where energy consumption and tool wear were monitored.

Aims: To explore the precision of task based estimates of upper arm elevation in three occupational groups, compared to direct measurements of job exposure. Methods: Male machinists (n = 26), car mechanics (n = 23), and house painters (n = 23) were studied. Whole day recordings of upper arm elevation were obtained for four consecutive working days, and associated task information was collected in diaries. For each individual, task based estimates of job exposure were calculated by weighting task exposures from a collective database by task proportions according to the diaries. These estimates were validated against directly measured job exposures using linear regression. The performance of the task based approach was expressed through the gain in precision of occupational group mean exposures that could be obtained by adding subjects with task based estimates to a group of subjects with measured job exposures in a “validation” design. Results: In all three occupations, tasks differed in mean exposure, and task proportions varied between individuals. Task based estimation proved inefficient, with squared correlation coefficients only occasionally exceeding 0.2 for the relation between task based and measured job exposures. Consequently, it was not possible to substantially improve the precision of an estimated group mean by including subjects whose job exposures were based on task information. Conclusions: Task based estimates of mechanical job exposure can be very imprecise, and only marginally better than estimates based on occupation. It is recommended that investigators in ergonomic epidemiology consider the prospects of task based exposure assessment carefully before placing resources at obtaining task information. Strategies disregarding tasks may be preferable in many cases.

This paper explores why finance constraints may impact upon the inter firm diffusion of new technology, incorporates these arguments in a hazard rate formulation of a diffusion model and then estimates that model using data relating to the adoption of CNC machine tools in the UK. The results indicate that financial constraints can be a significant factor in the diffusion process.