The work was carried out to establish a production technology laboratory focusing on digitalization in Trollhättan, where a significant shortage of such production technology laboratories had been identified. This shortage prevented local companies and educational institutions from utilizing advanced technology and digital twins, which, in turn, affected competitiveness and innovation capabilities. The goal was to develop a modern and dynamic environment that could be used for both education and research in production technology.

The work was conducted through a combination of information gathering, observations, interviews, and literature searches. Customer needs were identified through interviews with stakeholders such as PTC, students, and teachers, and these needs were then translated into technical specifications and component characteristics using Quality Function Deployment (QFD). Through brainstorming and concept development, several sub-concepts were created for different stations within the production technology laboratory, leading to the selection of a final concept.

The result was a flexible and modular production technology laboratory that integrates digital twins and practical elements, enabling the simulation and optimization of production flows. The production technology laboratory is designed to be adaptable and scalable, making it suitable for various educational and research needs. The total cost estimate for implementing the laboratory amounts to 359,133 SEK.

The project has fulfilled its objectives, and it is recommended that the production technology laboratory be kept technologically advanced and relevant through ongoing collaboration with industry partners, such as Simumatik. Regular evaluation and updates of both the design and equipment are essential for the production technology laboratory to meet future needs and technological advancements.

This thesis presents the approach of determining the machining  errors on a five axis CNC machine using sensors already fitted in the machine to extract valuable data up on process called CITE(CNC Integrity Tracing Equipment) system and measuring the machined workpiece geometry using CMM(Coordinate measurement machine). CITE measurement system is the data acquisition hardware and software system developed by University West for collecting position information from encoders of a machine tool. The collected information could then be used to assess the quality and adjustment of a machine tool, CNC programs and the CNC control parameters. The aim of this study is to examine the roundness and concentricity detection capacity of the CITE system by conducting different milling methods and a turning process. In an example cutting of a workpiece, the CITE measurement system was used for recording the machining process. After that, radial error, centre point deviation and circle roundness errors, analysed using MATLAB based on collected CNC tool movement data. CMM measurement used to verify the results obtained from the CITE measurement system. The investigation conducted on the small circles shows that the CITE measurement system have capability of identifying radial errors in different method of millings (slot, up and down). Centre point deviation and roundness errors measured by the CITE system doesn`t show significant differences between milling methods as seen on CMM measurement.

This bachelor´s thesis has been carried out at Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Sweden AB in Trollhattan. The thesis presents concept development for a workspace in a manufacturing group that processes details with a maximum weight of 13 kg. The details are moved between trolleys and the milling machine center Heckert 4, all work is performed on a height-adjustable floor to give the operator the right conditions for working with the machine. The affected workspace is currently not ergonomically adapted for the operators when ergonomic risks in the form of manual lifting, rotations and bent working positions occur in the daily work. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to improve the workspace of the milling machine center Heckert 4 in such a way that it becomes more ergonomic and risk-free for the operators. The goal of this thesis was to generate a concept for a more ergonomic workspace and to prevent the risk of injuries forthe operators.

The work began with information being collected in the form of observations and interviews. Through this, a description of the current situation could be established, and a list of needs and requirements was put together. A risk analysis was carried out on the current situation and contributed to additional requirements in the list. Subsequently, ideas were generated for solutions to the problems that were highlighted in the current situation description. These were then combined into concepts that contained solutions for the ergonomic risks that were earlier identified. With a concept screening matrix, the concepts were screened down and assessed against the current situation. The highest ranked concepts were further evaluated in a concept scoring matrix that ultimately resulted in a winning concept. The winning concept was further modeled and improved.

The resulting concept that is presented to Parker for continued work is concept I+. Concept I+ consists of two movable surfaces located on the height-adjustable floor at each side of Heckert 4. Two counters are located on either side of the floor to ease the work for the operators. One counter is equipped with a tool stand with space for the tool kittingtrays to be used to kit the necessary tools.

The concept I+ reduces ergonomic risks by allowing the parts to be pushed instead of manual lifting in combination with turning of the torso. As the details can be placed on the benches when the floor is raised, the bending act that the operators previously performed is eliminated. If Parker decides to continue developing this concept, they will have a more risk-free workspace with improved ergonomics and reduced risk of injuries.

Autoliv Sverige AB är ett företag som ligger i Vårgårda och tillverkar airbagar, gasgeneratorer samt elektronik till radarsystem. I framtiden finns planer för att expandera produktionen men i dagsläget vet företaget inte hur mycket resurser som går åt för materialflödet till de olika produktionslinorna. För att ta reda på hur mycket personella resurser som behövs både i befintligt materialflöde och i framtida produktionslinor vill företaget undersöka systemet som matar fram material till produktionen. För att ta fram ett verktyg som gör detta används aktionsforskning som huvudmetodik. Aktionsforskning utgör en iterativ process som består av observationer, framtagning av lösningsförslag och utvärdering av lösningsförslag. Observationerna genomfördes i samband med datainsamlingen där Kanbanrundan undersöktes, definierades och mätetal togs fram. Detta för att få en grundförståelse för vad innehållet i verktyget skulle vara.Nästa steg i processen var framtagning av lösningförslag, vilka skapades med hjälp av benchmarking av interna dokument och informationen som samlats från observationerna. En konceptmodell per person skapades och ett koncept valdes sedan ut som utgångspunkt för fortsatt utveckling av verktyget. Modellen blev sedan granskad respektive förbättrad av medlemmarna och handledaren på företaget i en iterativ process.När modellen ansågs klar verifierades det mot verkligheten och den insamlade datan. Verktyget validerades sedan genom att en anställd på Logistikavdelningen fick testa det. Utöver utvecklandet av verktyget och insamlingen av datan utfördes en benchmarking både internt på företaget och externt på ett annat företag för att studera olika materialhanteringsprocesser.I analysen diskuterades för- och nackdelar med olika val och iakttagelser som gjorts, både i arbetssättet för detta examensarbete och dess olika delar men också för materialhanterarens arbetssätt och instruktioner. Resultatet av arbetet blev ett verktyg som uppfyller de krav som formulerades i början av arbetet. Utöver verktyget upptäcktes även ett flertal förbättringsmöjligheter kring materialflödet och produktionen.

In the intermittent turning and milling processes, during the entry phase the cutting edges are subjected to high impact loads that can give rise to dynamical and strength issues which in general cause tool life reduction. In this study the effect of geometrical features of the cutting tool on the force generation during the entry phase is investigated. Cutting forces are measured by a stiff dynamometer at a high sampling frequency. In addition, the chip load area is analyzed and related to the measured cutting force. The results show that micro-geometrical features, in particular the protection chamfer, significantly affect the force generation during the entry phase.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the welding heat input on the heat affected zone (HAZ)in AA6005-T6 aluminium alloy for a butt-welded joint using gas metal arc welding by evaluating the thermal cycles, metallography and the resulting mechanical properties in the zone. This study involved using a welding experiment, numerical simulation, physical simulation and mechanical tests. The welding was carried out using the pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW) transfer and type J thermocouples were used to get the thermal cycles in the HAZ. Simufact® Welding was utilised for the numerical simulation. Optical microscope was used to evaluate the microstructures and Vickers microhardness test was done along the weld cross-section. The thermal cycles of thealuminium alloy and a thermal model for the experimental setup was developed. The HAZ was located on the weld cross-section with a mean hardness of 63.7HV0.1, which is considerably lower when compared with the base metal which has a hardness of 100HV0.1. This indicates thermal softening occurred due to the heat input to the material. There is a match in the hardness values of the Gleeble samples and the locations on the weld cross section suggested by the model showing validity of the simulation. This thesis work isused to assess the implications of heat input in aluminium weld joints, identify the HAZ and its mechanical properties in the design of welding process parameters for automobile parts. The Welding parameters can be optimized to reduce the amount of heat input into the weld as this will directly affect the mechanical properties int he HAZ.

Sansera Sweden AB produces connecting rods for diesel engines and other industrial applications. It is a part of the engine, turbine and power transmission equipment manufacturing industry. The company utilizes the IT system MaintMaster and was looking into digitize the methods used for information handling within their branch in Trollhättan. Moreover, they wanted to identify the measures that can prevent unexpected stops within their production line. The current study was conducted with the aim of further developing Sansera's maintenance system MaintMaster by digitizing instructions and checklists. The aim was to introduce digital work instructions that could be presented with smart technologies. This development would simplify the work of the operators and maintenance staff and expand the practice of the system to support preventive maintenance. To identify the cause of unexpected stops, the data were collected through interviews and observations. The interviews identified four cases that formed the basis for the results. Based on the data collection, it could be noticed that the preventive maintenance measures that were carried out did not include an efficient follow-up task.

Daily supervision controls were not documented anywhere, and weekly supervision was documented by paper. Deviations could therefore not be controlled or tracked in an appropriate way, which eliminated an advantageous follow-up measure. Within the current degree project, the company's supervisory controls were digitized and based on the digital checklists, an overview portal was developed for the responsible operator to check and track deviations that are identified. To further support the preventive maintenance, instructions were digitized by developing an interface that is easily accessible. This was done due to instructions were only available via paper lists in binders. To streamline the work of operators, a digital 5S inspection was developed where each shift is to be granted that the workplace is left in a way that facilitates the work of upcoming work shifts. Furthermore, the availability of the component sheet used for tool changes was also streamlined. Tool changes is a recurring process that the operators perform every shift, when performing tool changes there is a need for a document with article number for all spare parts that the operator needs. The observations showed a low availability of documents, which led to non-value-creating time in the form of time waste. The documents for the tool changes were digitized and linked to QR-codes, which meant that operators only needed to go to the spare parts collection cabinet and scan a QR-code to gain access to the item numbers. 

Rapporten som redovisas här är ett examensarbete med uppdrag att genomföra förebyggande underhåll i kross- och separationsavdelningen på en batteriåtervinning fabrik. Fabriken återvinner litiumjonbatterier som används i elbilar. I kross- och separationsavdelningen är det mycket buller och damm som en följd av skakande och krossande processerna i den mekaniska separationen. Det är tunga maskiner som genom olika operationer sliter isär metallkomponenterna i batteriet till mindre delar för att slutligen mala dem och separera beståndsdelarna i materialet åt med avseende på deras magnetiska egenskaper. Förutsättningar i kross och separationsavdelningen medför ohälsosam miljö för människor, vilket leder till att avdelningen måste styras automatiskt utan att medarbetare behöver befinna sig i avdelningen. Det föreslagna förebyggande underhållssystemet som behandlas i rapporten stöds av teknik från Industri 4.0. Industri 4.0 är benämningen på en rad moderna teknologier och koncept som används inom automation. Maskin-till-Maskin kommunikation och Internet of things(IoT) är integrerade för högre grad av automation. Förebyggande underhållsarbetet som presenteras baseras på en förstudie analys som nischar sig inom förebyggande underhåll och industri 4.0. Förebyggande Underhållsarbetet som redovisas i denna rapport kommer inkludera ett signalflödesschema som ska visualisera kommunikationen mellan enheterna i avdelningen,en schematisk design för övervakningssystem, ventilationen och ett underhållsschema för maskinerna i avdelningen

Additive manufacturing has played an important role in revolutionizing the manufacturing industry by providing expedited processes to manufacture the products with low cost, high production efficiency, and building complex part using fewer resources. Laser powder bedfusion (LPBF) is one of the additive manufacturing processes applicable for widespread materials and holds variable parameters to be set depending on the material required for the best possible product properties outcome. Haynes 282, a recent discovery, exhibited its extraordinary thermo-mechanical properties and was readily developed for high-temperature structures on an industrial scale. The development of Haynes 282 products with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process, needed to be investigated for the desired product properties withvarying process parameter combinations. With this process and unique parametric combination for each sample, a total of 24 samples for Haynes 282 were produced. These variable combinations of parameters for the process allowed us to find the optimized parameters leading to desired product properties. These samples were investigated under a microscope and characterized for their defects and melt pool study studies. Each sample exhibited aunique defect pattern and melt pool build, upon which the parameters were assessed and optimized. A comparison was built between the samples exhibiting extreme characterization values to evaluate the behaviour of the parameters affecting these values and extract the optimized parameters for an effective desired sample build with minimal defects while establishing a consolidated correlation between the parameters and the observed output.

This thesis work investigates the possibilities and limitations of using digital twin technology to create virtual automation lines which can be used in education and research to conduct automation labs virtually. The PTC automation line at University West has been used as a case study in this thesis. The digital twin created in this work consists of three key parts: a virtual model of the automation line created in Visual Components Premium 4.2, system control (PLC-control program) created in TwinCat 3, and a Beckhoff ADS communication protocol that connects the virtual model with the PLC program.

Using a virtual model of industrial-like lab equipment in place of a real system can bring several benefits. It can increase visibility and safety in the system. It can also increase the accessibility of the system. Conducting virtual labs and experiments can also help in reducing the total cost of the system. The virtual twin of the automation line built in this work can be used to help the users to conduct automation labs and experiments virtually and to test their PLC programs offline.

Sustainability in consumer generated textile waste and disposal practices is a concern due to the raw materials requirements and its impact to the environment. With the Swedish government set to implement the 'Extended Producer Responsibility' legislation for textiles due to these concerns, textile sorting / recycling facilities are critical to achieve improved end-of-life consumer textile recycling. For profitability, the textile sorting / recycling operations have to be done at a scale that optimizes the opportunities. This thesis work investigates the current state and challenges of textile sorting in Sweden and researches solutions towards the scaling-up or capacity expansion of the existing textile sorting facility at Wargön Innovation from 500 tons/year to 1000 tons/year as well as application of lean manufacturing methodologies in optimisation while creating value within the supply chain. To fully grasp the situationat Wargön Innovation, detailed interviews, observations, process and equipment trails were conducted. Based on the current state, a layout was developed and sorting process flow created as well as a spaghetti diagram. Also, 3D modelling and process simulation of the sorting was carried out using Visual Components software to develop simple and yet visually powerful designs that validated the proffered solutions. To scale-up, it was established that air-throwers will need to be installed for sorted textile diversion to allow for higher sorting rates. Solutions towards improving the sorting process and value chain at Wargön Innovation was also proffered and recommendations included post-consumer textiles segregation at source, customer/suppliers diversification etc. For recommended further works, the area of automation of the manual pre-sorting process to eliminate manual handling will be another area of interest for which continued work is suggested.

Process planning as a function for competitiveness is often neglected. However, as an intermediary between product development and manufacturing, it holds a key function in transforming product specifications and requirements into a producible process plan. Demands and requirements should be met concurrently as manufacturing costs and lead times are minimised. The focus of this thesis is the act of process planning, where the use of better methodologies, computer-aids and performance measurements are essential parts. Since process planning has the function of transforming demands and requirements, changing customer and regulative requirements are vital to regard. Since environmentally benign products and production increases in importance, the research presented in this thesis includes a CNC machining cost model, which relates machining costs to energy consumption.  The presented results in this thesis are based on quantitative and qualitative studies in the metal working industry.

This thesis has contributed to an enhanced understanding of process planning to achieve better performance and important areas for improvements. Despite a 50 year history of computerised process planning aids, few of these are used in the industry, where manual process planning activities are more common. Process planning aids should be developed around the process planner so that non-value adding activities, such as information management and documentation are minimised in order to allow more resources for value adding activities, such as decision making. This thesis presents a study of systematic process planning in relation to perceived efficiency. This correlation could however not be verified, which opens up for further studies of other possible explanations for process planning efficiency. Process planning improvements in the industry are difficult to make, since there is little focus on process planning activities and limited knowledge about actual performance hereof. This means that measures taken regarding process planning development are difficult to verify.

Process planning as an enabler of competiveness is often overlooked, but being one of the principal function in the product realisation flow it holds a key role by combining both product and production requirements into a production concept with respect to the current manufacturing system. As such the capability of process planning to a large extent dictates production cost, lead times, product quality etc. With the introduction of new demands on production, such as environmental impact and process capability, process planning must be able to manage these demands effectively. Accordingly, it is vital to study the effects that up-coming demands have on the act of process planning. The research methods employed in this work include surveys (questionnaires and interviews), industrial case studies and experiments to provide data for models developed. The main finding of this research is that there is a lack of quantified process planning performance knowledge in the industry, which leads to verification problems as to whether changes that are made render anticipated effects. Results of surveys also indicated a low level of digitalisation of product data and limited use of computer aids (CAM, feature-based CAM and PLM) in Swedish industry based on 144 companies' response. A concept to improve process planning performance through operation classification based on process capability indices (Cp/Cpk) was suggested. The role of process planning in designing cost efficient and energy efficient machining operations has been maintained throughout the thesis by showing how tool selection and machining parameters selection influences the possibilities to achieve these objectives. This work has also showed that no inherent contradictions appear to exist between achieving cost efficient and energy efficient machining operations. This thesis has contributed to an enhanced understanding of how process planning improvements can be achieved through a holistic perspective of the process planning function, where both technical and methodological aids are included. It is however essential to understand the current situation of the process planning organisation, its internal/external relations, level of digitalisation, competency level etc. before major changes of the process planning function are undertaken in order to be successful.

Process planning is the link between design and manufacturing and consequently an important function, since it influences many of the company objectives. However, many companies have little knowledge about their process planning function and the efficiency is thus not optimal. The paper focuses on the automation level of process planning as a mean to improve process planning efficiency. Six CNC machining companies was interviewed and accordingly analysed through a five dimensional automation level model to understand their process planning work. The main findings are that the automation level is low and concurrent engineering is lacking in many of the investigated companies.

Process planning of CNC machining is critical to ensure cost, time and quality parameters of manufacturing operations. At the heart of process planning is, typically the process planner, who must make a multitude of decisions regarding machines, cutting strategies, tools and process parameters etc. Today there are a number of different tools and methods available to aid the process planner. This paper explores today’s industrial use of some of these aids and outlinespotential underlying reasons for the current state. The empirical data is based on a questionnaire survey of Swedish CNC machining sub-contractors. The main conclusion is that despite a long history of development of various aids (CAD/CAM, PLM standards etc.) there is still a large proportion of the industry, which has not yet adopted these aids. By the responding companies 32% do not use any CAM system and only 2% use a PLM system. On the other side of the spectrum is a group of 25% that uses CAM in 75% or more of their planned products. The learning from this survey can be used to better understand the industrial needs and focus research and development efforts.

This article presents a brief state of the art in the Swedish metal working industry regarding the production preparation process for the machine centre. The article is based on a relationship model from which a questionnaire was developed. The model incorporates the perceived preparation process efficiency, the amount of systematic preparation work, in relation to the companies’ premises as possible causes. The investigation is based on a general hypothesis that a more systematic approach in the preparation process leads to higher preparation process efficiency. This hypothesis was supplemented by two more hypotheses and additional analyses to create an understanding of the situation. The main finding in this investigation is that there appear to be no relationship between increased  ystematic preparation work and perception of higher preparation efficiency. The investigation also indicates that many metal working companies have little knowledge about the performance of their preparation process and that there is an efficiency improvement potential of nearly 30%.

General cost for CNC machining and the associated energy cost are set in the context of making economic and environmental improvements. This creates an incentive for manufacturing companies to investigate the energy efficiency of manufacturing processes. The paper presents a costing model, based on machining experiments. The model is accompanied with an industry based case to estimate the cost savings. The results show that substantial cost savings with respect to energy efficiency is unlikely, since energy costs in CNC machining comprises a small cost component. However significant cost savings can be achieved if the production output is increased as a consequence from higher material removal rates due to optimised machining parameters.

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.

Volvo Aero develops, designs, manufactures and performs maintenance of engine and related components for civil and military aircrafts. The vision is to deliver world-leading transport solutions through continuous improvement and long term business deployment, which for the daily work means systematic problem solving through the methodology practical problem solving, whose origin is Toyota.

The purpose of this thesis was to examine whether Volvo Aero’s approach of practical problem solving was simple, systematic and guided, which from Toyota’s point of view creates sound conditions for effective problem solving.

Initially, Toyota’s attitude and behaviour towards problem solving was described from the point of view of The Toyota Way. Thereafter, a literature study on practical problem solving was completed. Furthermore, a pilot study was carried out where Volvo Aero’s approach to practical problem solving was applied to an organisational problem. The pilot study was evaluated and areas for improvements were identified where the methodology was difficult, indistinct and inadequate guided. Finally, improvements were proposed regarding Volvo Aero’s approach to practical problem solving, which was scientifically anchored to Toyota.

• Defining and analysing the symptoms brings understanding for the causes of the problem
• Quantifying the present condition and the expected illustrates the magnitude of the problem
• Appears the root cause to be clear is probably the countermeasure obvious
• A considerable approach using Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) provides an effective and strong tool for continuous improvement

The improvements were proposed with purpose to simplify Volvo Aero’s methodology and to support and guide the user, which creates sound conditions for effective problem solving and provides opportunities for daily use that foster continuous improvement.

The development of digital product platforms is a prevailing trend in many industries. As firms incorporate digital technologies into established product categories, they need to manage tensions on multiple organizational layers including strategy, technology and structure. Recent findings suggest that tensions are most likely to be managed by creating resource and coordination flexibility. This paper reports a longitudinal case study of developing a digital product platform. By drawing on organizational ambidexterity theory, we identify four mechanisms—re-scripting, centralizing-re-directing and decoupling—through which the firm creates resource and coordination flexibility. The resulting resource and coordination flexibility in turn lead to the transformation of the firm’s strategy, technology and internal structure. The contribution of this study is in adopting an internal perspective and a bottom-up approach which help to theorize the evolution of digitized products into digital product platforms in an emergent way.

In the recent times many hybrid renewable energy sources are developed. In that, hybrid PV/Thermal gains the more attention than other hybrid sources. In the present work, made a performance analysis of different PV/Thermal configurations. The flat plate configurations have the more feasibility for the domestic applications than the concentrated type. In this paper, liquid, air, nano fluid, phase change material and Thermoelectric generator type configurations are presented. The performance analysis of all configurations done with energy output generation and efficiency of the system. 

The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of plasma-sprayed Ni5%Al particles on polished and grit-blasted Ti6Al4V samples under oxidized and nonoxidized conditions. For this purpose, measurements of thermal radiation and velocity of individual plasma-sprayed particles were carried out. From the thermal radiation at impact, splat diameter during flattening and temperature evolution during cooling were evaluated. Characteristic parameters related to the quality of contact between the splat and the substrate were retrieved. The flattening speed was introduced to characterize wetting, while the cooling rate was used to characterize solidification. The idea was to get a signature of particle impact for a given surface roughness and oxidation state by identifying parameters which strongly affect the splat behavior. Sieved Ni5%Al powder in a narrow range (+65 −75 μm) was sprayed on four sets of titanium alloy surfaces, consisting of polished and grit-blasted samples, one set had a nonoxidized surface and the other one was oxidized in an oven at 600 °C for two hours. Resulting splats after impact were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, the splats on oxidized surface showed pores in their core and detached fingers at the periphery. The cooling rate and flattening degree significantly increased on the oxidized smooth surface compared to the nonoxidized one. This trend was not found in grit-blasted surfaces, which implies that impact phenomena are different on grit-blasted surfaces than on smooth surfaces thus further work is needed.

To achieve sufficient adhesion strength within thermal spraying, the surface to be coated has to be modified. Grit blasting is the most common way to generate a clean and roughened surface. The bonding mechanism between the grit-blasted substrate and the coating is assumed to be due to mechanical anchoring, why an optimal surface roughness is essential. The surface roughness is usually evaluated using Ra which cannot fully characterize the complex nature of the chaotic substrate topography. This study was performed in order to evaluate if Ra can be replaced by other surface characteristic parameters such us R.q, Rpk, Rpv, Rk…with higher correlation to adhesion strength. Average roughness was measured by a perthometer and with white light interferometry to get 3D images of the surface topography. Disc shaped substrate samples of Ti6Al4V (AMS 4928) were grit blasted with aluminium oxide grit and plasma sprayed with a Ni5%Al coating. Adhesion strength was determined according to the ASTM C633 standard. The correlation between a number of different surface-parameters and adhesion strength were evaluated and compared with Ra.

The Protal process combines surface preparation using a laser and thermal spraying in one production step. The laser preparation is based on a photomechanical reaction induced by the interaction between a laser of high instantaneous power and a polluted surface. The mechanism of bonding and the coating-substrate interface are then changed in comparison with grit blasting resulting in a significantly reduced substrate roughness. This study is aimed at finding the optimal Protal process parameters for the coating adhesion of a Ni5%Al sprayed on Ti6Al4V and IN718 alloys. The parameters investigated are laser beam intensity, the time delay between the laser impact and the spray impact, powder feed rate, substrate roughness and temperature. A test plan including these parameters is analysed by means of a fractional factorial design of experiment method. The adhesions of the coatings are measured using the ASTM C633 standard test. Data are analysed by a multiple linear regression model using a least squares fit. In addition, the coating/substrate interface is examined by optical and electron scanning microscopy (SEM) techniques as well as by Auger electron spectroscopy. Substrate roughness, substrate temperature and laser intensity are all shown to have a negative correlation with adhesion strength within the investigated range. Areas of diffusion are noticed at the coating/substrate interface.

This thesis investigates using friction stir welding to repair common surface defects found in aluminum-silicon sand castings. Wherein, the effect of welding parameters: weld RPM, weld speed, and number of weld passes, were evaluated using hardness, porosity density, welding temperature, microstructure refinement as metrics. Therefrom, the results strongly suggest friction stir welding: reduces porosity size, reduces porosity density in a specific area, increases average hardness, improves hardness uniformity, increases surface roughness, redistributes microstructure features in a manner that theoretically improves strength, and maintains a welding temperature less than 660 degrees Celsius.

As the greenhouse effect becomes increasingly evident, economic, social, and ecological sustainability has become a larger part of international and national security policies. This puts pressure on both government institutions and private actors within the defence industry to evaluate and improve their activities in line with global sustainability goals and an increased focus on climate. GKN Aerospace has identified the need to enhance its sustainability footprint in both products and processes within its operations. In this context, this study aims to explore the possibilities of integrating sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in GKN's engine testing operations and examine sustainability aspects related to the RM12 engine, resulting in a dual case study with two different approaches. In line with this, the study has utilized the PESTLE analysis methodology to evaluate opportunities, obstacles, and potential benefits of implementing renewable aircraft fuel in the engine testing operations. It has also employed hotspot analysis to highlight sustainability risks associated with key components of the RM12 engine. The study has reviewed relevant literature and life cycle analyses in the field, conducted observations in the engine testing operations, and carried out a series of interviews with domain experts from GKN and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration. The results of the study show that GKN has several opportunities to improve its sustainability profile. Multiple options for potential SAF implementation have been identified, and market trends indicate a positive development for SAF. By implementing SAF, the operations can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, but currently, challenges are linked to international availability and cost. Several sustainability aspects related to components in the RM12 engine have been identified, primarily concerning the materials in the studied components and their global supply chain. Taking these results into account, GKN can take actions to enhance its sustainability performance in the engine testing operations and address sustainability aspects related to the RM12 engine. This is crucial for reducing its climate impact and promoting a sustainable future within the defence industry. 

This thesis presents methods for simplifying the use of multi-agent systems in Plug & Produce. The demand for customized products and low volume production is constantly increasing. The industry has for many years used dedicated manufacturing systems where it is difficult and expensive to adapt to new product designs. Instead, factories are forced to use human workers for certain tasks that demand high flexibility and rapid adaption for new product designs. Several solutions have been proposed over the years to create highly flexible automation systems that automatically handles rapid adaption for new products. A concept called Plug & Produce aims at creating a system where resources and parts can be added in minutes rather than days in dedicated systems. One promising solution for implementing Plug & Produce is the distributed approach called multi-agent systems, where each resource and part get its own controller that communicates with each other to reach manufacturing goals. The idea is that the system automatically handles the adaption for new products. However, still today the use of such systems is extremely limited in the industry. One reason is the lack of mature multi-agent systems that are easy to use and that hides the complexity of the underlying agent system from the users. This is a huge problem since these systems tend to be more complex than traditional approaches. Thus, this thesis focuses on simplifying the use of multi-agent systems by proposing various methods for bringing the multi-agent technology for Plug & Produce closer to the industry.

Multi-agent technology, used for implementing Plug & Produce systems have many proposed benefits for fast adaption of manufacturing systems. However, still today multi-agent technology is not ready for the industry, due to the lack of mature supporting tools and guidelines. The result is that today, multi-agent systems are more complicated and time-consuming to use than traditional approaches. This hides their true benefits. In this paper, a new method for configuring agents is presented that includes automated deployment to manufacturing systems and by its flexible design opens the possibility to connect many other supporting tools when needed. A configuration tool is also designed that works with the proposed method by connecting to an agent configuration database. The overall aim of the method is to simplify the steps taken for adapting a manufacturing system for new parts and resources.  

This article presents a framework for Plug & Produce that makes it possible to use configurations rather than programming to adapt a manufacturing system for new resources and parts. This is solved by defining skills on resources, and goals for parts. To reach these goals, process plans are defined with a sequence of skills to be utilized without specifying specific resources. This makes it possible to separate the physical world from the process plans. When a process plan requires a skill, e.g., grip with a gripper resource, then that skill may require further skills, e.g., move with a robot resource. This creates a tree of connected resources that are not defined in the process plan. Physical and logical compatibility between resources in this tree is checked by comparing several parameters defined on the resources and the part. This article presents an algorithm together with a multiagent system framework that handles the search and matching required for selecting the correct resources.

The aim of this paper is to present how Green machining can be established in the metal working industry for taking immediate actions towards a more environmental friendly manufacturing, but also to address areas for research in order to advance towards a more sustainable manufacturing industry. An often overlooked approach is to use the knowledge about the specific cutting energy and its dependency upon machining parameters in order to establish a machining strategy that leads towards a more energy efficient production, but also contributes to increased productivity and thereby improving the bottom line as well. The paper has a production preparation perspective and thus presents the areas where a green machining strategy is applicable.

Tool wear in machining changes the geometry of the cutting edges, which affects the direction and amplitudes of the cutting force components and the dynamics in the machining process. These changes in the forces and dynamics are picked up by the internal encoders and thus can be used for monitoring of changes in process conditions. This paper presents an approach for the monitoring of a multi-tooth milling process. The method is based on the direct measurement of the output from the position encoders available in the machine tool and the application of advanced signal analysis methods.

The paper investigates repeatability of the developed method and discusses how to implement this in a process monitoring and control system. The results of this work show that various signal features which are correlated with tool wear can be extracted from the first few oscillating components, representing the low-frequency components, of the machine axes velocity signatures. The responses from the position encoders exhibit good repeatability, especially short term repeatability while the long-term repeatability is more unreliable.

A seemingly increasing trend in the automotive industry is the prevalence of hybrid and electric vehicles. For Lear Corporation, a global automotive supplier of seating and electronic systems, this has caused a decrease in quantity of their products as these types of vehicles are manufactured at lower rates of volumes. An essential element of the electronic system provided by Lear is the wire harness. The wire harness is fastened and protected through plastic components called channels or brackets. These channels are fabricated through injection molding, one of the most common plastic manufacturing processes which offer many benefits. However, injection molding entails high upfront costs which are not suitable for the lower scales of production Lear expect. This prompted the company to seek other alternative processes and thus the idea of this thesis arose.The purpose of the thesis was to identify, evaluate and present alternative manufacturing processes that could potentially replace the current process. Furthermore, the possibility of decreasing the costs of the current process and making it viable for low volume production was explored.The study presented a total of nine common plastic manufacturing processes and subsequently performed a screening where processes deemed incompatible, in terms of aspects such as part complexity, size, volume and cost, were dismissed and processes deemed compatible in relation to the desired application were evaluated further. The processes kept for further examination were injection molding and additive manufacturing.Injection molding and additive manufacturing were evaluated further and ultimately cost estimates for each process were requested to manufacturers in order to make a cost analysis and further study the feasibility of respective process.The cost estimates and subsequent cost analysis indicated that the ideal and most cost-effective option for Lear would be changing the injection molding tool to MUD, aluminum or steel grade 738. This allows Lear to utilize the benefits of injection molding while decreasing the mold cost and upfront costs for the injection molding process substantially. Another proposal presented was to merge injection molding and additive manufacturing in a method called bridge production. This would allow Lear to increase flexibility and reduce lead time.

This report presents work carried out at GKN Aerospace, a supplier of both civil and military aircraft engine components as well as space propulsion. Their facility in Trollhättan manufactures complex products of high quality. The company has identified a problem with robustness and time efficiency in one of their operational steps of a manufacturing process for a part. This means that the part has difficulty coping with its intended rate, which is due to the part being processed in the wrong machine in terms of material, preparation, tool changes and tool magazines. This is ensured with the help of the results and discussion chapter. The purpose of this work was to investigate and improve a turning operation, along with the goal of making the operation more robust and preparation more manageable for new and existing CAM preparers.

To improve the process, a deeper understanding of what the limiting factors were was needed, thus basic understanding and information about the process needed to be collected. This was done with the help of observation of the machine in processing, analysis of data via software programs and numerous meetings and discussions with experienced personnel. Production engineers and operators agree on the two biggest problems to be eliminated. The first problem is about chips, including chip formation, chip breaking and machine stops. The second problem concerns tools, including tool changes, tool magazines and machine stops.

The work resulted in the existing machine in which the part is processed, the carousel lathe Carnaghi, not being efficient enough for the operation to cope with the weekly schedule. The result is divided into two parts; one involving improvement suggestions for the existing machine, as well as one to improve the process in general.

However, more work and future measures remain, for which this report can usefully form the basis. A new preparation with a new concept, execution of the new lathe specifications on sharp part and concept development of chip removal tools is some of the improvement proposals addressed in the report.

We are describing a fully automatic in-line shape inspection system for controlling the shape of moving objects on a conveyor belt. The shapes of the objects are measured using a full-field optical shape measurement method based on photogrammetry. The photogrammetry system consists of four cameras, a flash, and a triggering device. When an object to be measured arrives at a given position relative to the system, the flash and cameras are synchronously triggered to capture images of the moving object.From the captured images a point-cloud representing the measured shape is created. The point-cloud is then aligned to a CAD-model, which defines the nominal shape of the measured object, using a best-fit method and a feature-based alignment method. Deviations between the point-cloud and the CAD-model are computed giving the output of the inspection process. The computational time to create a point-cloud from the captured images is about 30 seconds and the computational time for the comparison with the CAD-model is about ten milliseconds. We report on recent progress with the shape inspection system.

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) thermally insulate the substrate from high temperature exposure. This work attempted to simulate real engine thermal cyclic conditions by designing a test method to evaluate the thermal cyclic fatigue (TCF) performance of different coatings applied inside exhaust manifold of a diesel engine. The coatings investigated in this work comprised of two plasmas-sprayed TBCs (conventional 8YSZ and nanostructured 8YSZ) and one bond coat (NiCoCrAlY). Additionally, these coatings were exposed to isothermal testing and their oxidation behavior was evaluated.   All the coatings along with only substrate were exposed to temperature around 525°C for 150 cycles in thermal cyclic testing carried out on Scania’s heavy-duty diesel engine. For isothermal testing, all coatings along with only substrate material were exposed to 650°C and 750°C for 168 hours respectively. Microstructural analysis by SEM/EDS was carried out to compare the microstructural evolution of the tested coatings with the as sprayed TBCs. In the case of thermal cyclic test, all coatings showed no failure and no TGO growth up to 150 cycles. In the EDS analysis for isothermally tested coatings, oxidation of the substrate at bond coat- substrate interface instead of TGO growth was observed. Bond coat showed lowest oxide layer thickness at 650°C and 750°C followed by conventional YSZ and then nanostructured YSZ. But, conventional YSZ showed microcracks in top coat near top coat- bond coat interface after isothermal testing. Thermal cyclic and isothermal exposure test results showed that bond coated substrate and nanostructured YSZ have the potential to be implemented inside the real manifold.   

Making use of robot automation for customized products put high demand not only on the robot but on the efficiency, simplicity and flexibility to actually deploy and use robots in manufacturing stations and production lines in short batches and low volume production. Hence, market oriented product development and production requires more products to be developed and offered in less time than before, and produced for the market with more customizable options. The role of the operator is in this context an important factor and tools are needed to support the operator for highly efficient and flexible production. In this paper, the development and study of supporting tools for operators is presented. A demonstrator has been built for robotic nailing, screwing and manipulation operation in producing scaled down gable wall elements in wood for a family house. Issues raised to support the operator included automatic programming and generating relevant information for the operator for the deployment procedure to prepare for production. During production, different concepts of safety system to support collaboration mode between the operator and the robot was developed and studied. Wearable devices was used for the operator to access the information generated and different safety configurations were developed and evaluated. The baseline for this work has been to identify industrial use cases which has a clear need for automation as well as collaboration between operator(s) and robot(s). Work scenarios were discussed and analyzed with industrial partners and it was concluded that, in addition to the deployment tools, a smart safety system which is able to detect and react on humans entering the robot system work area is needed. This should support for efficient production and less downtime for both automatic mode and collaboration mode. The benefit of operator – robot collaboration is clearly shown as well as the need for supporting tools.

The ongoing trend towards manufacturing of customized products generates an increased demand on highly efficient work methods to manage product variants through flexible automation. Adopting robots for automation is not always feasible in low batch production. However, the combination of humans together with robots performing tasks in collaboration provides a complementary mix of skill and creativity of humans, and precision and strength of robots which support flexible production in small series down to one-off production. Through this, collaboration can be used with implications on reconfiguration and production. In this paper, the focus and study is on designing safety for efficient collaboration operator—robot in selected work task scenarios. The recently published ISO/TS 15066:2016 describing collaboration between operator and robot is in this context an important document for development and implementation of robotic systems designed for collaboration between operator and robot.

The search for increased productivity and cost reduction in machining can be interpreted as the desire to increase the material removal rate, MRR, and maximize the cutting tool utilization. The CNC process is complex and involves numerous limitations and parameters, ranging from tolerances to machinability. A well-managed preparation process creates the foundations for achieving a reduction in manufacturing errors and machining time. Along the preparation process of the NC-program, two different studies have been conducted and are presented in this thesis. One study examined the CAM programming preparation process from the Lean perspective. The other study includes an evaluation of how the cutting tools are used in terms of MRR and tool utilization.

The material removal rate is defined as the product of three variables, namely the cutting speed, the feed and the depth of cut, which all constitute the cutting data. Tool life is the amount of time that a cutting tool can be used and is mainly dependent on the same variables. Two different combinations of cutting data might provide the same MRR, however the tool life will be different. Thereby the difficulty is to select the cutting data to maximize both MRR and cutting tool utilization. A model for the analysis and efficient selection of cutting data for maximal MRR and maximal tool utilization has been developed and is presented. The presented model shortens the time dedicated to the optimized cutting data selection and the needed iterations along the program development.

Sustainability in manufacturing can be evaluated at product, process and system levels. The 6R methodology for sustainability enhancement in manufacturing processes includes: reduced use of materials, energy, water and other resources; reusing of products/components; recovery and recycling of materials/components; remanufacturing of products; and redesigning of products to utilize recovered materials/resources. Although manufacturing processes can be evaluated by their productivity, quality and cost, process sustainability assessment makes it a complete evaluation. This paper presents a 6R-based evaluation method for sustainable manufacturing in terms of specific metrics within six major metrics clusters: environmental impact, energy consumption, waste management, cost, resource utilization and society/personnel health/operational safety. Manufacturing processes such as casting, welding, turning, milling, drilling, grinding, etc., can be evaluated using this methodology. A case study for machining processes is presented as an example based on the proposed metrics. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

All welding processes can give rise to defects, which weakens the joint and can eventually lead to the failure of the welded structure. In order to inspect welds for detects, without affecting the usability of the product, non-destructive testing (NDT) is needed. NDT includes a wide range of different techniques, based on different physical principles, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The testing is often performed manually by a skilled operator and in many cases only as spot-checks. Today the trend in industry is to move towards thinner material, in order to save weight for cost and for environmental reasons. The need for inspection of a larger portion of welds therefore increases and there is an increasing demand for fully automated inspection, including both the mechanised testing and the automatic analysis of the result. Compared to manual inspection, an automated solution has advantages when it comes to speed, cost and reliability. A comparison of several NDT methods was therefore first performed in order to determine which methods have most potential for automated weld inspection. Automated analysis of NDT data poses several difficulties compared to manual data evaluation. It is often possible for an operator to detect defects even in noisy data, through experience and knowledge about the part being tested. Automatic analysis algorithms on the other hand suffer greatly from both random noise as well as indications that originate from geometrical variations. The solution to this problem is not always obvious. Some NDT techniques might not be suitable for automated inspection and will have to be replaced by other, better adapted methods. One such method that has been developed during this work is thermography for the detection of surface cracks. This technique offers several advantages, in terms of automation, compared to existing methods. Some techniques on the other hand cannot be easily replaced. Here the focus is instead to prepare the data for automated analysis, using various pre-processing algorithms, in order to reduce noise and remove indications from sources other than defects. One such method is ultrasonic testing, which has a good ability for detecting internal defects but suffers from noisy signals with low spatial resolution. Work was here done in order to separate indications from corners from other indications. This can also help to improve positioning of the data and thereby classification of defects. The problem of low resolution was handled by using a deconvolution algorithm in order to reduce the effect of the spread of the beam.The next step in an automated analysis system is to go beyond just detection and start characterising defects. Using knowledge of the physical principles behind the NDT method in question and how the properties of a defect affect the measurement, it is sometimes possible to develop methods for determining properties such as the size and shape of a defect. This kind of characterisation of a defect is often difficult to do in the raw data, and is therefore an area where automated analysis can go beyond what is possible for an operator during manual inspection. This was shown for flash thermography, where an analysis method was developed that could determine the size, shape and depth of a defect. Similarly for laser ultrasound, a method was developed for determining the size of a defect.

Thermography is today used within non-destructive testing for detecting several different types of defects. The possibility for using thermography for detecting surface cracks in welded metal plates has here been investigated. During testing the weld is illuminated using a high power infrared light source. Due to surface cracks acting like black bodies, they will absorb more energy than the surrounding metal and can be identified as a warmer area when imaged using an infrared camera. Notches as well as real longitudinal cold cracks in a weld are investigated using the presented method. The results show that thermography is promising as a method for detection cracks open to the surface.

Surface crack defects can be detected by IR thermograpgy due to the high absorption of energy within the crack cavity. It is often difficult to detect the defect in the raw data, since the signal easily drowns in the background. It is therefore important to have good analysis algorithms that can reduce the background and enhance the defect. Here an analysis algorithm is presented which significantly increases the signal to noise ratio of the defects and reduces the image sequence from the camera to one image.