Institute for Systems Research
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/4375
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Item Economic Evaluation of Rapid Prototyping Technology for the Development of New Products(1997) Zhang, G.; Richardson, M.; Surana, R.; ISRThis paper presents results obtained from a study of cost structure and cost estimation for applying the rapid prototyping technology in the process of developing new products. The laser- based rapid prototyping technology is creating a unique platform for the production of physical models using the solid free form fabrication technology. However the high initial equipment investment calls for a careful balance between economic gain and losses. In this study a cost hierarchical structure is proposed using a combined industrial and, engineering approach, which decomposes the process of rapid prototyping into four stages: 3D solid modeling, data preparation for free-form fabrication, part building, and quality inspection. A case study utilizing the stereolithography process to build physical prototypes for constructing 3D tactile graphics is presented to demonstrate the cost structure and justify the economical feasibility of using rapid prototyping in the process of developing new products.Item Teaching New Product Development through a Product Engineering Approach(1997) Zhang, G.; Cunniff, P.; Dally, James W.; ISRThis paper describes experiences gained in teaching a new course aimed at providing junior-level undergraduate engineering students with some of the fundamentals needed in developing new products. A six-stage engineering approach to develop a new product is proposed. Through a cooperative education partnership arrangement with Block & Decker, a new product is introduced to the class. Engineers from this corporation present a series of lecture on some their real-life experience with this product. The students work as teams to complete assigned course projects related to the new product development. During the redesign, Pro/ENGINEER and a method of rapid prototyping are introduced. These tools aid the students in inventing new components and in visualizing their ideas in the learning process. An extremely positive response from the participating students reflects upon the innovative approach developed in this course.Item Design for Manufacture by Multi-Enterprise Partnerships(1994) Nau, D.; Ball, Michael O.; Gupta, Sonjai K.; Minis, Ioannis; Zhang, G.; ISRRecent world-wide political and financial events have intensified the need to renew the competitiveness of the US manufacturing industry. The means for enabling competitiveness include fast response to the market needs for new designs and re-designs, and the ability to manufacture products at the right quality and at competitive costs. To pursue market and technology opportunities effectively, US commercial and defense industries will be relying increasingly on multi-enterprise partnerships [12]. Vertical partnering combines the strengths of multiple firms in product design, manufacture, after sales support and customer service, in order to launch superior products in the global market.To support effective partnering, new approaches will be needed for integrating the activities of design, planning, and production. Furthermore, it is important to address both the fundamental modeling of design, process planning, and production planning in ways that account for the capabilities of potential manufacturing partners, and the development of optimization procedures to address the underlying decision problems. This paper elaborates on these issues and discusses approaches for addressing them.
Item An Experimental Study of Surface Roughness Assessment Using Image Processing(1992) DeVoe, Don L.; Knox, L.; Zhang, G.; ISRA surface roughness measurement technique, based on an area measurement method using a computer vision system, was investigated for applicability to in-process inspection of surface quality during a machining process. The vision system uses a monochrome CCD camera to provide a gray-scale image based on the pattern of light scattered from an area of the machined piece. This gray-scale image is sent to image manipulation software for analysis. For this investigation, an optical camera was used to photograph four aluminum samples with different roughnesses, and the resulting photographs were scanned into a computer using an 8-bit flat-bed scanner to produce the digital image used by the image manipulation software. Three parameters were derived from the images based on their gray-scale histograms, and these parameters were plotted against the corresponding average roughness (Ra) values determined using a stylus instrument. The resulting correlation curves were inspected to determine which optical parameter was most suitable for use in the system, based on relative accuracy and sensitivity of the parameters to changes in Ra.Item Dynamic Modeling and Analysis of Intermittent Turning Process(1991) Xu, W.; Zhang, G.; ISRIncreasing attention has been paid to the intermittent cutting process in modern metal machining industry. Research has been done in this thesis to develop a system model which can describe the intermittent turning process more precisely. In the development of the system model, the intermittent turning process is mathematically formulated and analyzed as a system associated with three periods, namely, the impact, cutting, and noncutting periods. The main methodologies used in this investigation are (1) applying modern control theory to perform dynamic cutting analysis in the cutting and noncutting periods, (2) employing wave propagation theory to study the impact force during the impact period, and (3) using numerical simulation and finite element method to examine the impact process and its effect on the machining performance. In this thesis, emphasis is focused on the effect of impact on the tool motion and the effect of the workpiece damping on the machining performance. The research results indicate that the impact between cutting tool and workpiece at the every beginning of each cutting period is the main cause leading to mechanical failures of tool during the intermittent machining. Laboratory experiments have been conducted, and the obtained results show a general, good agreement with the results predicted by the developed system model. An attempt has been made to construct a stability boundary map, which could be useful in practical applications.Item An Expert System Approach for Economic Evaluation of Machining Operation Planning(1991) Zhang, G.; Lu, Stephen C-Y.; ISRA comprehensive understanding of machining operation planning, which covers both the machining domain and the managerial domain, is essential to assure a practical and satisfactory decision- making process. This paper presents an expert system approach to integrating economic and manufacturing systems during the evaluation of machining operation planning. the manufacturing system functions as an alternative generator that provides meaningful and practical plans to ensure product quality. The management system performs cost analysis for the alternatives and makes the decision in selecting the optimal plan based on the defined goal. A simulation-based inductive learning process is adopted to acquire the engineering knowledge for machining operation. The modularity architecture of the reasoning system illustrates the information flow between the manufacturing and management systems, which balances their needs for efficient machining of a quality product.