Research

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23 pages, 8105 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Application of Structural Topology Optimisation in the High-Precision Design of a Press Machine Frame

by Zeqi Tong, Cheng Shen, Jie Fang, Mingming Ding and Huimin Tao

Processes 2024, 12(1), 226; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr12010226 - 20 Jan 2024

Viewed by 674

This article aims to optimise the structure of a press machine to enhance its stability and accuracy, as well as reduce the frame deformation during processing. The outer supporting frame of the JH31-250 press machine (Zhejiang Weili Forging Machinery Co., Ltd, Shaoxing, China) [...] Read more.

This article aims to optimise the structure of a press machine to enhance its stability and accuracy, as well as reduce the frame deformation during processing. The outer supporting frame of the JH31-250 press machine (Zhejiang Weili Forging Machinery Co., Ltd, Shaoxing, China) is used as a typical sample for exploring optimisation. Commercial software is utilised to conduct a finite element analysis on the three-dimensional model of the press machine frame. A topological optimisation algorithm using the solid isotropic microstructures with penalisation (SIMP) method is then applied to improve the structure of the press frame. The size of the topological structure is further refined with the response surface method and particle swarm optimisation method to ensure it is more relevant to engineering application. The analysis results indicate that the initial frame’s deformation under the static conditions is 0.4229 mm, and after optimisation, the deformed structural displacement is 0.2548 mm, a decrease of 39.75%. Additionally, a simplified experimental method is designed to effectively validate the simulation and the proposed design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Manufacturing and Optimization)

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31 pages, 5133 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Low-Carbon Scheduling Optimization of Integrated Multispeed Flexible Manufacturing and Multi-AGV Transportation

by Zhengchao Liu, Qiang Luo, Lei Wang, Hongtao Tang and Yibing Li

Processes 2022, 10(10), 1944; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr10101944 - 27 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1452

Abstract

As low-carbon and sustainable manufacturing becomes the mainstream development direction of the current manufacturing industry, the traditional heavy industry manufacturing enterprises in China urgently need to transform. For the heavy cement equipment manufacturing enterprise investigated here, there is a large amount of energy [...] Read more.

As low-carbon and sustainable manufacturing becomes the mainstream development direction of the current manufacturing industry, the traditional heavy industry manufacturing enterprises in China urgently need to transform. For the heavy cement equipment manufacturing enterprise investigated here, there is a large amount of energy waste during the manufacturing operation due to scheduling confusion. In particular, the multispeed, multi-function machining and the transportation of multiple automated guided vehicles (multi-AGV) are the main influencing factors. Therefore, this paper addresses a novel low-carbon scheduling optimization problem that integrated multispeed flexible manufacturing and multi-AGV transportation (LCSP-MSFM & MAGVT). First, a mixed-integer programming (MIP) model is established to minimize the comprehensive energy consumption and makespan in this problem. In the MIP model, a time-node model is built to describe the completion time per workpiece, and a comprehensive energy consumption model based on the operation process of the machine and the AGV is established. Then, a distribution algorithm with a low-carbon scheduling heuristic strategy (EDA-LSHS) is estimated to solve the proposed MIP model. In EDA-LSHS, the EDA with a novel probability model is used as the main algorithm, and the LSHS is presented to guide the search direction of the EDA. Finally, the optimization effect and actual performance of the proposed method are verified in a case study. The experimental results show that the application of the proposed method in actual production can save an average of 43.52% comprehensive energy consumption and 64.43% makespan, which effectively expands the low-carbon manufacturing capacity of the investigated enterprise. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Manufacturing and Optimization)

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25 pages, 1982 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing Decision-Making Factors of Green Design for Kid’s Toys Based on the Concept of Product Lifecycle

by Jui-Che Tu, Ku-Hsi Chu, Ding-Ze Gao and Chun Yang

Processes 2022, 10(8), 1523; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr10081523 - 03 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4171

Abstract

In promoting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), increasing attention has been given to environmental pollution and abnormal climate issues. In particular, a large number of products made of plastic materials have caused harm to the environment. Secondly, with the improvement of average spending [...] Read more.

In promoting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), increasing attention has been given to environmental pollution and abnormal climate issues. In particular, a large number of products made of plastic materials have caused harm to the environment. Secondly, with the improvement of average spending power, many parents are more willing to buy toys for their children. However, the lifespan of kid’s toys is often short, and most materials are made of plastic, which also causes issues as they are not easy to break down and are difficult to recycle. This study investigates the concept of the product life cycle in kid’s toys and explores the decision-making factors of green design. First, analysis and induction were conducted through literature collection. Through semi-structured interviews with experts, the design dimensions related to the green design of kid’s toys and the elements that affect the willingness of consumption by consumption values and behavior were obtained. After the questionnaire survey and data analysis, the design factors and purchasing decision factors of green design for the product life cycle and consumption values and behavior of kid’s toys were obtained. Finally, combined with kid’s toy design, green design, product life cycle and consumers’ consumption values and behavior, the decision-making factors for the green design of kid’s toys were extracted, which included (1) using non-toxic materials; (2) designing for maintainability and disassembly of the toy; (3) refining the toys to be artistic and collectable; (4) upgrading the educational functions of toys; (5) improving the recycling of toys; (6) emphasizing green packing; (7) creating a green brand and increasing product visibility; and (8) advocating the value of green design for toys. In addition to supplying green design considerations for kid’s toys to designers and companies, the results can also be used as an important reference with regard to the research topics of product life cycle, toy design and development for the sustainable designs of products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Manufacturing and Optimization)

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16 pages, 1905 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Machining: Tool Life Criterion Based on Work Surface Quality

by Asif Iqbal, Guolong Zhao, Quentin Cheok, Ning He and Malik M. Nauman

Processes 2022, 10(6), 1087; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr10061087 - 30 May 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1786

Abstract

Extending the use of a component without compromising its intended functionality is the neatest approach to enhance sustainability. From this perspective, limiting the working life of a cutting tool based merely on the blunting of its cutting edge to a specific value is [...] Read more.

Extending the use of a component without compromising its intended functionality is the neatest approach to enhance sustainability. From this perspective, limiting the working life of a cutting tool based merely on the blunting of its cutting edge to a specific value is highly questionable. The very question that serves as the motivation for this work is, “why should tool life criterion be based on the shape of the tool when all that matters for business is the quality of the part being machined?”. This work puts forward a tool life criterion based on the surface quality of the machined part. The proof of the concept is provided by a series of face-turning experiments performed on a commonly used alloy steel using the following cutting inserts in dry conditions: (1) uncoated carbide; (2) coated carbide; and (3) cubic boron nitride (CBN). It is found that different combinations of tooling and cutting parameters lead to entirely different values of surface roughness at the same level of flank wear, thus raising the possibility of extending the working life of the tools. Overall, the CBN inserts yielded the longest tool life values, especially at high levels of cutting speed. Being more economical in respect of acquisition cost than the CBN inserts and more effective than the uncoated carbide inserts regarding tool life, the coated carbide inserts came out as the most sustainable tooling option. Finally, it is concluded that a tool life criterion based on work surface roughness can yield longer tool life values and make the machining process more sustainable. For the experimental work reported herein, the surface-quality based tool life criterion yielded on average 23% longer tool life. The presented work is novel as it presents a new approach to extend the working life of cutting tools without compromising the other sustainability measures. The outcomes are expected to find applicability in all sectors of the metal cutting industry, which are striving for elongations in tool life and improvements in work surface quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Manufacturing and Optimization)

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18 pages, 2785 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Channel Structure Choice for Remanufacturing under Green Consumerism

by Hong Tan, Guohua Cao, Yu He and Yujia Lu

Processes 2021, 9(11), 1985; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9111985 - 07 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1800

Abstract

In recent decades, more and more consumers—referred to as “green consumers”—are willing to incorporate environmentally responsible decisions into their purchasing behaviors. This tendency is particularly notable in the European Union, the USA, and China. From a research perspective, while recent studies on remanufacturing [...] Read more.

In recent decades, more and more consumers—referred to as “green consumers”—are willing to incorporate environmentally responsible decisions into their purchasing behaviors. This tendency is particularly notable in the European Union, the USA, and China. From a research perspective, while recent studies on remanufacturing have investigated optimal practices in regard to green consumerism, they have failed to address the flexibility manufacturers are afforded to outsource remanufacturing operations to third parties. In practice, some brand-name manufacturers—such as IBM, Land Rover, and Sun—do indeed outsource their remanufacturing operations. To further our understanding of the implications of differentiated structures for remanufacturing operations under green consumerism, we developed two models: one for a manufacturer undertaking remanufacturing themselves (Model M), and one for a manufacturer outsourcing it to a third-party remanufacturer (Model O). Our results indicate that, for markets with significant green consumerism, Model M tends to result in more remanufactured units and creates higher profitability for the manufacturer. However, under certain conditions, this model may also result in greater harm to the environment due to the comparative excess of manufacturers in the remanufacturing process. This implies that environmental groups and agencies should not only aim to encourage green consumerism, but should also focus their attention on the channel structures for remanufacturing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Manufacturing and Optimization)

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17 pages, 512 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimizing Painting Sequence Scheduling Based on Adaptive Partheno-Genetic Algorithm

by Jun Yang, Tong Sun, Xiuxiang Huang, Ke Peng, Zhongxiang Chen, Guoguang Qian and Zekai Qian

Processes 2021, 9(10), 1714; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9101714 - 24 Sep 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1670

Abstract

In this paper, we formulate and solve a novel real-life large-scale automotive parts paint shop scheduling problem, which contains color arrangement restrictions, part arrangement restrictions, bracket restrictions, and multi-objectives. Based on these restrictions, we construct exact constraints and two objective functions to form [...] Read more.

In this paper, we formulate and solve a novel real-life large-scale automotive parts paint shop scheduling problem, which contains color arrangement restrictions, part arrangement restrictions, bracket restrictions, and multi-objectives. Based on these restrictions, we construct exact constraints and two objective functions to form a large-scale multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming problem. To reduce this scheduling problem’s complexity, we converted the multi-objective model into a multi-level objective programming problem by combining the rule-based scheduling algorithm and the adaptive Partheno-Genetic algorithm. The rule-based scheduling algorithm is adopted to optimize color changes horizontally and bracket replacements vertically. The adaptive Partheno-Genetic algorithm is designed to optimize production based on the rule-based scheduling algorithm. Finally, we apply the model to the actual optimization problem that contained 829,684 variables and 137,319 constraints, and solved this problem by Python. The proposed method solves the optimal solution, consuming 575 s. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Manufacturing and Optimization)

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Review

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30 pages, 2977 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Remanufacturing Research

by Bashir Salah, Aiman Ziout, Mohammed Alkahtani, Moath Alatefi, Abdelatty Abdelgawad, Ahmed Badwelan and Umar Syarif

Processes 2021, 9(10), 1766; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9101766 - 01 Oct 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3746

Abstract

The advancements in human lifestyle result in growth in daily demands of products, and accordingly, an increased rate of manufacturing. However, the resources on the planet Earth are limited, thus depleting day-by-day. More goods also contribute to more end-of-life (EOL) dumping or even [...] Read more.

The advancements in human lifestyle result in growth in daily demands of products, and accordingly, an increased rate of manufacturing. However, the resources on the planet Earth are limited, thus depleting day-by-day. More goods also contribute to more end-of-life (EOL) dumping or even before EOL in some cases. Therefore, an interest in remanufacturing has appeared, and it offers a solution that can solve or perhaps mitigate the risks of consuming more resources and increasing waste. Remanufacturing is a procedure of bringing used products to “like-new” functional status with a matching warranty. However, due to its relative novelty in terms of research field and industry, remanufacturing is poorly understood. People often mix it with other terms such as recycling, reconditioning, or repair. Therefore, in this research, the focus is on the remanufacturing systems’ definition, relevance, main phases, case studies, and solution methods proposed by various researchers. The word ‘remanufacturing’ is clearly described in this paper by differentiating it from alternative green manufacturing initiatives. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis of literature are performed. The quantitative analysis is conducted using a bibliometric method. For quantitative analysis, a systematic approach is utilized for research papers’ selection. The qualitative analysis has been carried out by discussing different aspects of remanufacturing and how the researchers are working on its different domains and phases. The review showed that researchers focused on some phases more as compared with others. Moreover, it is also revealed from the literature that the common solutions methods applied in this domain are optimization techniques. Future research directions are also identified and presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Manufacturing and Optimization)

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31 pages, 3611 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment in the Construction Sector: A Systematic Literature Review

by Jana Gerta Backes and Marzia Traverso

Processes 2021, 9(7), 1248; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9071248 - 19 Jul 2021

Cited by 46 | Viewed by 5768

Abstract

This paper reviews actual sustainability assessments in the construction sector to define whether and how a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) is applied and interpreted in this sector today. This industry has large shares in global energy (33%), raw material consumption (40%) and [...] Read more.

This paper reviews actual sustainability assessments in the construction sector to define whether and how a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) is applied and interpreted in this sector today. This industry has large shares in global energy (33%), raw material consumption (40%) and solid waste generation (40%). Simultaneously, it drives the economy and provides jobs. The LCSA is a method to identify environmental, social and economic impacts of products/services along their life cycles. The results of this study showed a mismatch between sectoral emissions and the number of LCSA-based impact evaluations. It was found that only 11% of papers reviewed assessed all three sustainability pillars. The economic and especially the social pillars were partly neglected. In Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), 100% made use of Global Warming Potential (GWP) but only 30% assessed more than five indicators in total. In Life Cycle Costing (LCC), there were a variety of costs assessed. Depreciation and lifetime were mainly neglected. We found that 42% made use of Net Present Value (NPV), while over 50% assessed individual indicators. For the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), the focus was on the production stage; even the system boundaries were defined as cradle-to-use and -grave. Future approaches are relevant but there is no need to innovate: a proposal for a LCSA approach is made. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Green Manufacturing and Optimization)

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