"Recent Advances in Intelligent Control Systems" gathers contributions from workers around the world and presents them in four categories according to the style of control employed: fuzzy control; neural control; fuzzy neural control; and intelligent control. The contributions illustrate the interdisciplinary antecedents of intelligent control and contrast its results with those of more traditional control methods. A variety of design examples, drawn primarily from robotics and mechatronics but also representing process and production engineering, large civil structures, network flows, and others, provide instances of the application of computational intelligence for control. Presenting state-of-the-art research, this collection will be of benefit to researchers in automatic control, automation, computer science (especially artificial intelligence) and mechatronics while graduate students and practicing control engineers working with intelligent systems will find it a good source of study material.

The relay feedback test (RFT) has become a popular and efficient in process identification and automatic controller tuning. Non-parametric Tuning of PID Controllers couples new modifications of classical RFT with application-specific optimal tuning rules to form a non-parametric method of test-and-tuning. Test and tuning are coordinated through a set of common parameters so that a PID controller can obtain the desired gain or phase margins in a system exactly, even with unknown process dynamics. The concept of process-specific optimal tuning rules in the nonparametric setup, with corresponding tuning rules for flow, level pressure, and temperature control loops is presented in the text. Common problems of tuning accuracy based on parametric and non-parametric approaches are addressed. In addition, the text treats the parametric approach to tuning based on the modified RFT approach and the exact model of oscillations in the system under test using the locus of a perturbedrelay system (LPRS) method. Industrial loop tuning for distributed control systems using modified RFT is also described. Many of the problems of tuning rules optimization and identification with modified RFT are accompanied by MATLAB (R) code, downloadable from http://extras.springer.com/978-1-4471-4464-9 to allow the reader to duplicate the results. Non-parametric Tuning of PID Controllers is written for readers with previous knowledge of linear control and will be of interest to academic control researchers and graduate students and to practitioners working in a variety of chemical- mechanical- and process-engineering-related industries.

Enterprise Networks and Logistics for Agile Manufacturing presents a focused collection of quality chapters on state-of-the-art research efforts in the areas of enterprise networks and logistics, as well as their practical applications towards agile manufacturing. With the increasing decentralisation of manufacturing systems and outsourcing of processes, more robust and practical approaches and systems are needed to support agile manufacturing operations. Enterprise Networks and Logistics for Agile Manufacturing consists of two major sections: the first presents a broad-based review of the key areas of research in enterprise networks and logistics; the second focuses on an in-depth treatment of a particular methodology or system relevant to the book title. Examples include: * sustainable green supply chain; * value creation and supplier selection; * extended enterprise network management; * reverse logistics; and * innovative supply chain systems. The authors take into account the need to pose intellectual challenges while retaining a balanced approach in terms of scope versus depth and theory versus applications. Enterprise Networks and Logistics for Agile Manufacturing can be beneficial to academic researchers, practicing engineers and managers, and graduate students with an interest in any manufacturing sectors. It can enable them to better understand the present state and future trends of research in this important area, in order to position themselves strategically for future challenges as we enter the era of agile and distributed manufacturing.

To meet and adapt to the current and future trends and issues in technology and society, the science committee of The German Academic Society for Production Engineering (WGP) continues to define future topics for production technology. These themes represent not only the key focus for the scientific work of the WGP, but also the central themes of the first annual conference in June 2011, whose paper is publically available in this volume. Such themes, including electric mobility, medical technology, lightweight construction, and resource efficiency, as well as mass production ability have all been identified as future, large-scale, and long-term drivers of change. Future trends influence changes sustainably and fundamentally; they permeate society, technology, economics, and value systems and have an effect in virtually all areas of life. The WGP has, as part of its research, established for itself the goal of not only observing these emerging changes, but also of supervising and influencing their development in order to ensure steady progress, secure sustainability, and shape the future.

The central purpose of this book is to impart knowledge, skills and practical - plementation methods for the planning and operation of adaptable production - cilities and factories. It addresses planning methods and procedures for various types of production facility up to and including entire factories, and is aimed at practicing factory planners and students alike. The book provides facts and demonstrates practical processes using case studies for the purposes of illustration, so that ultimately skills can be acquired that make independent practical implementation and app- cation possible. It is based on up-to-the-minute practical experience and univ- sally applicable knowledge of the planning and technological design of adaptable production facilities (manufacturing and assembly) and factories. In comparison to existing, thematically-similar reference books, what is in- vative about this manual is that it provides the impulse for a more flexible pl- ning approach for the efficient design of adaptable production facilities using - sponsive, unconventional planning and organizational solutions. The book aims to provide a way of integrating systematic and situation-driven planning methods in a meaningful way. Situation-driven planning is becoming increasingly important to production facilities in these fast-moving times of change, in particular in terms of resource and energy efficiency. Existing technical and organizational course of action in terms of resources (both human and technical) need to be selected for the specific case at hand, and changes (to workshops, products, processes and equ- ment) need to be managed.

Managing Cooperation in Supply Network Structures and Small- or Medium-sized Enterprises outlines different approaches to the analysis of the organisation of small- or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Owing to the increased competition in the worldwide market, several SMEs operating in the same industrial sectors have agreed collaborative market strategies, both for raw material procurement and for final product delivery. The resulting networks, however, have a tendency to suffer from a lack of organization, which minimizes their impact on the product and labour markets, and causes a weak negotiation capacity within their supply chain. Managing Cooperation in Supply Network Structures and Small- or Medium-sized Enterprises aims to give managers of SMEs a simple methodology that helps them to understand when and why becoming a partner in an SME network can be profitable for their enterprise. It discusses the most critical organizational problems and identifies which procedures must be known to become a collaborative member of the network. Policy-makers, as well as managers and executives, will be able to appreciate the key issues in creating and managing healthy networks that serve global market requirements in the major industrial sectors. Managing Cooperation in Supply Network Structures and Small- or Medium-sized Enterprises enables them to evaluate the efficiency of their organization, and to estimate both the network performance and the opportunity for further development.

Value stream design is increasingly asserting itself as the key approach for production optimization, but there has never been a detailed and systematic presentation of the value stream method before - a gap that has now been filled by this book. The author provides an easily comprehensible code of practice for the effective analysis of production processes, product family-oriented factory structuring and the target-oriented development of an ideal future state of production. The book plausibly conveys ten design guidelines for production optimization with corresponding equations, descriptive illustrations and industrial examples well-proven in numerous industrial projects. It addresses the professional public, practitioners wishing to avoid waste and systematically improve their factories' value streams, and students - tomorrow's practitioners. In contrast to other publications, this book complements the value stream analysis and its unique compact visualization of the entire production process by a detailed illustration of the information flow and a comprehensive discussion of the operator balance chart. The "traditional" concept of value stream design is significantly expanded with a view to its applicability in complex productions by way of methodological innovation and further development concerning campaign formation, value stream management and technological process integration. The method is embedded in a comprehensive procedural approach for factory planning, starting with the definition of the desired lean production goals.

With the increasing complexity and dynamism in today's product design and manufacturing, more optimal, robust and practical approaches and systems are needed to support product design and manufacturing activities. Multi-objective Evolutionary Optimisation for Product Design and Manufacturing presents a focused collection of quality chapters on state-of-the-art research efforts in multi-objective evolutionary optimisation, as well as their practical applications to integrated product design and manufacturing. Multi-objective Evolutionary Optimisation for Product Design and Manufacturing consists of two major sections. The first presents a broad-based review of the key areas of research in multi-objective evolutionary optimisation. The second gives in-depth treatments of selected methodologies and systems in intelligent design and integrated manufacturing. Recent developments and innovations in multi-objective evolutionary optimisation make Multi-objective Evolutionary Optimisation for Product Design and Manufacturing a useful text for a broad readership, from academic researchers to practicing engineers.

The well documented increase in the use of high performance composites as structural materials in aerospace components is continuously raising the demands in terms of dynamic performance, structural integrity, reliable life monitoring systems and adaptive actuating abilities. Current technologies address the above issues separately; material property tailoring and custom design practices aim to the enhancement of dynamic and damage tolerance characteristics, whereas life monitoring and actuation is performed with embedded sensors that may be detrimental to the structural integrity of the component. This publication explores the unique properties of carbon nanotubes (CNT) as an additive in the matrix of Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRP), for producing structural composites with improved mechanical performance as well as sensing/actuating capabilities. The successful combination of the CNT properties and existing sensing actuating technologies leads to the realization of a multifunctional FRP structure. The current volume presents the state of the art research in this field. The contributions cover all the aspects of the novel composite systems, i.e. modeling from nano to macro scale, enhancement of structural efficiency, dispersion and manufacturing, integral health monitoring abilities, Raman monitoring, as well as the capabilities that ordered carbon nanotube arrays offer in terms of sensing and/or actuating in aerospace composites.

Characterisation: this volume presents the latest contribution to the theory and practice of modern robotics given by the world recognised scientists from Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan and USA.

The only book to provide detailed analytical tools for manufacturing process design. No other book takes a data perspective to design, although this becoming a hot topic in research and industry.

Microsystems applications (MST) in automobiles have become commonplace: they enable the introduction of a series of new functions and at the same time the replacement of existing technologies offering improved performance and better value for money. Microsystems are indispensable for fulfilling a complete transition from the mechanically driven automobile system to a mechanically based but ICT-driven system as part of a likewise complex environment. With the introduction of micro-systems a series of challenges arise regarding complexity, systems design, reliability, serviceability, etc. These challenges have to be addressed in order to meet high customer expectations concerning performance and price.

Microsystems are an important factor that contribute to an automobile model's success. To meet the customer's desire for safety, convenience and vehicle economy, and to satisfy environmental standards, microsystems play a critical factor. Microsystems applications (MST) have already resulted in improved performance and better value for money. But the advances implemented reveal only the beginning of a revolution in the vehicle sector, which aims at a complete transition from the mechanically driven automobile system to a mechanically based but ICT-driven system. The selected contributions from AMAA 2003 treat safety (both preventive and protective), powertrain (online measurement and control of engine and transmission subsystems), comfort and HMI (systems to enhance the comfort of passengers and human machine interface issues), and networked Vehicle (all aspects of intra car systems and ambient communication networks).

The field of large-scale dimensional metrology (LSM) deals with objects that have linear dimensions ranging from tens to hundreds of meters. It has recently attracted a great deal of interest in many areas of production, including the automotive, railway, and shipbuilding sectors. Distributed Large-Scale Dimensional Metrology introduces a new paradigm in this field that reverses the classical metrological approach: measuring systems that are portable and can be easily moved around the location of the measured object, which is preferable to moving the object itself. Distributed Large-Scale Dimensional Metrology combines the concepts of distributed systems and large scale metrology at the application level. It focuses on the latest insights and challenges of this new generation of systems from the perspective of the designers and developers. The main topics are: coverage of measuring area, sensors calibration, on-line diagnostics, probe management, and analysis of metrological performance. The general descriptions of each topic are further enriched by specific examples concerning the use of commercially available systems or the development of new prototypes. This will be particularly useful for professional practitioners such as quality engineers, manufacturing and development engineers, and procurement specialists, but Distributed Large-Scale Dimensional Metrology also has a wealth of information for interested academics.

"Machining dynamics: Frequency response to improved productivity" will train engineers and students in the practical application of machining dynamics, with a particular focus on milling. The book is arranged such that the steps required to improve machining productivity through chatter avoidance and reduced surface location error (forced vibrations resulting in part geometric errors) are clearly evident. The following topics are covered in detail: modal analysis, including experimental methods, to obtain the tool point frequency response function; descriptions of turning and milling, including force modeling, time domain simulation, stability lobe diagram algorithms, and surface location error calculation for milling; and receptance coupling methods for tool point frequency response prediction, including beam theory. Numerical examples are included, as well as the MATLAB code used to develop the figures.

"Machine Tool Vibrations and Cutting Dynamics" covers the fundamentals of cutting dynamics from the perspective of discontinuous systems theory. It shows the reader how to use coupling, interaction, and different cutting states to mitigate machining instability and enable better machine tool design. Among the topics discussed are; underlying dynamics of cutting and interruptions in cutting motions; the operation of the machine-tool systems over a broad range of operating conditions with minimal vibration and the need for high precision, high yield micro- and nano-machining.

The concept generation process seems like an intuitional thought: difficult to capture and perform, although everyone is capable of it. It is not an analytical process but a synthetic process which has yet to be clarified. Furthermore, new research methods for investigating the concept generation process-a very difficult task since the concept generation process is driven by inner feelings deeply etched in the mind-are necessary to establish its theory and methodology. Concept Generation for Design Creativity - A Systematized Theory and Methodology presents the concept generation process both theoretically and methodologically. Theoretically, the concept generation process is discussed by comparing metaphor, abduction, and General Design Theory from the notions of similarities and dissimilarities. Analogy, blending, and integration by thematic relation have been explained methodologically. So far, these theories and methods have been discussed independently, and the relations among them have not been clarified. Two newly developed research methods to investigate the concept generation process are clearly explained: the explanation-based protocol analysis and constructive simulation. By reading Concept Generation for Design Creativity - A Systematized Theory and Methodology, students, researchers and lecturers in design disciplines (including engineering design, industrial design, software design, CHI, design education, and cognitive science ) can obtain a clear picture of the advanced research findings and the outline of the theories and methods for concept generation. Furthermore, readers are expected to achieve the competence to generate new concepts.

As a companion to books on project-management theory, this book illustrates, in a down-to-earth, comprehensive style, how to put that theory into practice. In addition to the many examples that illustrate procedures, the book includes over 25 case studies, each one addressing a specific theme. Key topics, such as project selection, negotiations, planning and scheduling, cost and budgeting, project control, human resources, environmental impacts, risk management, and financial evaluation, are discussed, using a step-by-step approach. Beginning at the grassroots level, some cases are solved by hand to illustrate the mechanics of a procedure, while others are solved using advanced computer programs. In this way the reader has a clear idea of the problem, how and when to raise the issue, information needed (and who can provide it), how to solve it by hand, when possible, and also its resolution using the latest informatics tools.

Many important properties of a polycrystalline material are known to depend on the orientation of the crystallites. The distribution of these orientations is referred to as its texture. During the past decade a remarkable sophistication of experimental methods, of texture determination and texture representation has been achieved, and, at the same time, a fast development of texture applications, for the improvement of materials propert- ies and for investigating the processes underlying the texture formation has taken place. As a consequence of this increasing interest in texture analysis and control in research and practice, world wide conferences on textures of materials were established in order to master the increasing flood of ideas and results. Until now five of such meetings were held, namely in Clausthal (1969), Cracow (1971), Pont-a-Mousson (1973), Cambridge (1975), and in Aachen (1978). The sixth conference of this series will be held in Tokyo. The present two volumes contain the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Con- ference on Textures of Materials (ICOTOM 5). It was held from March 28-31, 1978 at the Institut fUr Allgemeine Metallkunde und Metallphysik of the Rheinisch-Westfiilische Technische Hochschule Aachen. The 150 participating scientists (47 from Germany, 103 from 19 other countries) heard 16 invited and 86 contributed papers. Topics of the conference were all important areas of current research and application: texture analysis, experimental methods, deformation textures, recrystallization textures, transformation tex- tures, textures of minerals, textures in steels, textures in special applications, influence of the texture on physical and mechanical properties.

Membrane Reactors for Hydrogen Production Processes deals with technological and economic aspects of hydrogen selective membranes application in hydrogen production chemical processes. Membrane Reactors for Hydrogen Production Processes starts with an overview of membrane integration in the chemical reaction environment, formulating the thermodynamics and kinetics of membrane reactors and assessing the performance of different process architectures. Then, the state of the art of hydrogen selective membranes, membrane manufacturing processes and the mathematical modeling of membrane reactors are discussed. A review of the most useful applications from an industrial point of view is given. These applications include: natural gas steam reforming, autothermal reforming, water gas shift reaction, decomposition of hydrogen sulphide, and alkanes dehydrogenation. The final part is dedicated to the description of a pilot plant where the novel configuration was implemented at a semi-industrial scale. Plant engineers, researchers and postgraduate students will find Membrane Reactors for Hydrogen Production Processes a comprehensive guide to the state of the art of membrane reactor technology.

Imaging technology is an important research area and it is widely utilized in a growing number of disciplines ranging from gaming, robotics and automation to medicine. In the last decade 3D imaging became popular mainly driven by the introduction of novel 3D cameras and measuring devices. These cameras are usually limited to indoor scenes with relatively low distances. Benjamin Langmann introduces medium and long-range 2D/3D cameras to overcome these limitations. He reports measurement results for these devices and studies their characteristic behavior. In order to facilitate the application of these cameras, common algorithms are adapted to the 2D/3D data and new approaches for standard computer vision tasks are introduced.

A thorough industry analysis is of utmost importance for a study on the impact of technological changes on industry structure. This book evaluates the consequences of a vaguely chosen level of an industry analysis. Too broad a definition of the industry may disaggregate sub-industries, processing industries and international aspects. This is illustrated by revisiting an industry study upon which the dominant design model was based. Readers will see and understand the consequences of too broadly defined industries together with quantitative research approach can have. The book argues that the nature of the industry should define the level of the analysis. This is done by revisiting the flat glass industry study, on which Anderson and Tushman's (1990) dominant design model is partly based. In their study Anderson and Tushman defined the flat glass industry based on four-digit SIC codes. It is argued that this definition was too broad and it disaggregated important sub-industries, processing industries and international aspects. This study uses more accurate analysis in five-digit SIC codes. The empirical findings of this study and Anderson and Tushman's study are different. Their broader industry definition revealed only the flat glass industry not two sub-industries: plate glass and sheet glass. According to this study the nature of the industry should define the level of the analysis and performance parameter should defined be based on effectiveness instead of efficiency of the innovation. As a consequence of these clarifications this study regards contrary to Anderson and Tushman float glass as the dominant design.

The 19th CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering continues a strong tradition of scientific meetings in the areas of sustainability and engineering within the community of the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP). The focus of the conference is to review and discuss the current developments, technology improvements, and future research directions that will allow engineers to help create green businesses and industries that are both socially responsible and economically successful. The symposium covers a variety of relevant topics within life cycle engineering including Businesses and Organizations, Case Studies, End of Life Management, Life Cycle Design, Machine Tool Technologies for Sustainability, Manufacturing Processes, Manufacturing Systems, Methods and Tools for Sustainability, Social Sustainability, and Supply Chain Management.

High Interstitial Stainless Austenitic Steels is of interest to all engineers and resaerchers working with stainless steel, either at universities or R&D departments in Industry. The new applications described appeal to design engineers while procees engineers find interesting challenges. These novel steels enter more and more industrial applications. Their development is presented by this book in its entirety, starting from the electronic scale of components. This makes it particlularly attractive to Materials Scientists and Metal Physicists.

All-embracing manufacturing is a system that aims to dissolve the complexity of the manufacturing process and restore the inherent simplicity. It claims that production is very simple and flexible by nature. However, the complexity is a result of the production system approach which makes it rigid and therefore complex. All-embracing manufacturing introduces flexibility to production planning, it eliminates constraints, bottlenecks, and disruptions automatically while it restores the simplicity. No decision is made ahead of time, but only at the time of execution. It introduces technology as dominant part of manufacturing. It is a computer oriented system that imitates human behavior i.e. practically as any of us behave in daily personal life.