In the last decade, the production of mechanical components to be assembled in final products produced in high volumes (e.g. cars, mopeds, industrial vehicles, etc.) has undergone deep changes due to the overall modifications in the way companies compete. Companies must consider competitive factors such as short lead times, tight product tolerances, frequent market changes and cost reduction. Anyway, companies often have to define production objectives as trade-offs among these critical factors since it can be difficult to improve all of them.

Even if system flexibility is often considered a fundamental requirement for firms, it is not always a desirable characteristic of a system because it requires relevant investment cost which can jeopardize the profitability of the firm. Dedicated systems are not able to adapt to changes of the product characteristics while flexible systems offer more flexibility than what is needed, thus increasing investment and operative costs. Production contexts characterized by mid to high demand volume of well identified families of products in continuous evolution do not require the highest level of flexibility; therefore, manufacturing system flexibility must be rationalized and it is necessary to find out the best trade-off between productivity and flexibility by designing manufacturing systems endowed with the right level of flexibility required by the production problem. This new class of production systems can be named Focused Flexibility Manufacturing Systems-FFMSs.

The flexibility degree in FFMSs is related to their ability to cope with volume, mix and technological changes, and it must take into account both present and future changes. Therequired level of system flexibility impacts on the architecture of the system and the explicit design of flexibility often leads to hybrid systems, i.e. automated integrated systems in which parts can be processed by both general purpose and dedicated machines. This is a key issue of FFMSs and results from the matching of flexibility and productivity that respectively characterize FMSs and Dedicated Manufacturing Systems (DMSs).

The market share of the EU in the machine tool sector is 44%; the introduction of focused flexibility would be particularly important for machine tool builders whose competitive advantage is based on the ability of customizing their systems on the basis of needs of their customers. In fact, even if current production contexts frequently present situations which would fit well with the FFMS approach, tradition and know-how of machine tool builders play a crucial role. Firms often agree with the focused flexibility vision, nevertheless they decide not to pay the risk and efforts related to the design of this new system architecture. This is due also to the lack of well-structured design approaches which can help machine tool builders to configure innovative systems. Therefore, the FFMS topic is studied through the book chapters following a shared mission: "To define methodologies and tools to design production systems with a minimum level of flexibility needed to face, during their lifecycle, the product and process evolution both in the technological and demand aspects. The goal is to find out the optimal trade-off between flexibility and productivity."

The book framework follows the architecture which has been developed to address the FFMS Design problem.This architecture is both broad and detailed, since it pays attention to all the relevant levels in a firm hierarchy which are involved in the system design. Moreover, the architecture is innovative because it models both the point of view of the machine tool builder and the point of view of the system user.

The architecture starts analyzing Manufacturing Strategy issues and generating the possible demand scenario to be faced. Technological aspects play a key role while solving process plan problems for the products in the part family. Strategic and technological data becomes input when a machine tool builder performs system configuration. The resulting system configurations are possible solutions that a system user considers when planning its system capacity.

All the steps of the architecture are deeply studied, developing methods and tools to address each subproblem. Particular attention is paid to the methodologies adopted to face the different subproblems: mathematical programming, stochastic programming, simulation techniques and inverse kinematics have been used.

The whole architecture provides a general approach to implement the right degree of flexibility and it allows to study how different aspects and decisions taken in a firm impact on each other. The work presented in the book is innovative because it gives links among different research fields, such as Manufacturing Strategy, Process Plan, System Design, Capacity Planning and Performance Evaluation; moreover, it helps to formalize and rationalize a critical area such as manufacturing system flexibility.

The addressed problem is relevant at an academic level but, also, at an industrial level. A great deal ofindustrial sectors need to address the problem of designing systems with the right degree of flexibility; for instance, automotive, white goods, electrical and electronic goods industries, etc.

Attention to industrial issues is confirmed by empirical studies and real case analyses which are presented within the book chapters.

Earned Value Management (EVM) is a project management technique for measuring project progress in terms of cost, schedule and scope, and has developed into a very effective way to uncover performance problems at an early and correctible stage in any given project. From its earliest days as a financial analysis tool in the US in the early 1960 s, it steadily grew in use through the US Department of Defense until it was made the standard measurement for all DoD, NASA, and Department of Energy projects, and was widely adopted by publicly-traded companies trying to comply with the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley ruling calling for greater transparency and accountability. It has also long been used in software engineering projects.

Winning the 2008 Research Award from IPMA for his research leading to this proposed book, author Mario Vanhoucke has surveyed the published literature to find and evaluate the effectiveness of the latest developments (and established practices) in EVM. After first explaining the fundamentals and terminology of the practice, he explores all the latest research trends and then tests them against a group of fictitious projects to gauge their effectiveness, offering general results applicable to a wide set of project types that researchers and practitioners can use to expand their work in EVM-managed projects. With a focus on the simple calculations behind EVM systems, Vanhoucke shows how they can often lead to misinterpretation and frustration and how to avoid common mistakes.

Meant to complement rather than compete with the existing books on the subject, the proposed book deals with the project performance and control phases of the project life cycle to present a detailed investigation of the project s time performance measurement methods and risk analysis techniques in order to evaluate existing and newly developed methods in terms of their abilities to improve the corrective actions decision-making process during project tracking. As readers apply what is learned from the book, EVM practices will become even more effective in project management and cost engineering. Individual chapters look at simulation studies in forecast accuracy (under nine different scenarios); schedule adherence; time sensitivity; activity sensitivity; and using top-down or bottom-up project tracking. Vanhoucke also offers an actual real-life case study, a tutorial on the use of ProTrack software (newly developed based on his research) in EVM, and conclusions on the relative effectiveness for each technique presented. This will be an important read for anyone researching, using, or studying EVM and will certainly help to push the field forward in the coming years.

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This book offers invaluable insights about the full spectrum of core design course contents systematically and in detail. This book is for instructors and students who are involved in teaching and learning of 'capstone senior design projects' in mechanical engineering. It consists of 17 chapters, over 300 illustrations with many real-world student project examples. The main project processes are grouped into three phases, i.e., project scoping and specification, conceptual design, and detail design, and each has dedicated two chapters of process description and report content prescription, respectively. The basic principles and engineering process flow are well applicable for professional development of mechanical design engineers. CAD/CAM/CAE technologies are commonly used within many project examples. Thematic chapters also cover student teamwork organization and evaluation, project management, design standards and regulations, and rubrics of course activity grading. Key criteria of successful course accreditation and graduation attributes are discussed in details. In summary, it is a handy textbook for the capstone design project course in mechanical engineering and an insightful teaching guidebook for engineering design instructors.

The underlying philosophy of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) is to traverse physical and functional boundaries so as to promote synergy on an enterprise-wide basis. However, the lack of understanding coupled with prevailing gaps in capability and know-how can undermine its adoption and acceptance, imposing constraints when building such systems. The CIM Debacle approaches this problem by providing a balanced text on enabling and emerging CIM-related technologies, discussed in view of the industrys immediate concerns and pragmatic requirements. It explains in a clear manner the issues concerning integrated manufacturing, with particular reference to application software interoperability. The methodologies, software tool-set and enabling mechanisms necessary to facilitate software interoperability, functional interaction and workflow management, and to overcome forms of functional modules, are also addressed. In addition, a proof-of-concept'integrated manufacturing system is presented to demonstrate how such a system can be effectively realised.

This fifth edition of "Product Lifecycle Management" updates and adds to the successful fourth edition, the most frequently cited PLM publication. It gives the reader a thorough explanation of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and provides them with a full understanding and the skills to implement PLM within their own business environment. This new and expanded edition is fully updated to reflect the many technological and management advances made in PLM since the release of the fourth edition. "Product Lifecycle Management" will broaden the reader's understanding of PLM, nurturing the skills needed to implement PLM successfully and to achieve world-class product performance across the lifecycle. Among the components of PLM described are product-related business processes, product data, product data management (PDM) systems, other PLM applications, best practices, company objectives and organisation. This book also describes the relationships of PLM with the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, Digital Twins and Digital Threads. "Product Lifecycle Management" (5th edition) explains what PLM is, and why it is needed. It describes the environment in which products are ideated, developed, manufactured, supported and retired, before addressing the main components of PLM and PLM Initiatives. Key activities in PLM Initiatives described include organisational change management (OCM) and project management. The final part of the book addresses the PLM Initiative, showing the typical steps and activities of a PLM project or initiative.

This book presents the fundamentals of arc phenomena, various arc welding power sources, their control strategies, welding data acquisition, and welding optimization. In addition, it discusses a broad range of electrical concepts in welding, including power source characteristics, associated parameters, arc welding power source classification, control strategies, data acquisitions techniques, as well as optimization methods. It also offers advice on how to minimize the flaws and improve the efficacy and performance of welds, as well as insights into the mechanical behavior expressed in terms of electromagnetic phenomena, which is rarely addressed. The book provides a comprehensive review of interdisciplinary concepts, offering researchers a wide selection of strategies, parameters, and sequences of operations to choose from.

This book contains selected papers from International Symposium for Production Research 2022, held on October 6-9, 2022, Turkey. The book reports recent advances in production engineering and operations. It explores topics including: production research; production management; operations management; industry 4.0; industrial engineering; mechanical engineering; engineering management; and operational research. Presenting real-life applications, case studies, and mathematical models, this book is of interest to researchers, academics, and practitioners in the field of production and operation engineering. It provides both the results of recent research and practical solutions to real-world problems.

Logistics and supply chain management is facing disruptive economic, technological and climate change developments that require new strategies. New technologies such as the Internet-of-Things, digital manufacturing or blockchain are emerging quickly and could provide competitive advantage to those companies that leverage the technologies smartly while managers that do not adopt and embrace change could be left behind. Last but perhaps most important for mankind, sustainability aspects such as low-carbon transportation, closed loop supply chains or socially-responsible supply chain setups will become essential to operate successfully in the future. All these aspects will affect logistics and supply chains as a whole as well as different functional areas such as air cargo, maritime logistics or sourcing/procurement. This book aims to dive into several of these functional topics to highlight the key developments in the next decade predicted by leading global experts in the field. It features contributions and key insights of globally leading scholars and senior industry experts. Their forward-looking perspectives on the anticipated trends are aimed at informing the reader about how logistics and supply chain management will evolve in the next decade and which academic qualities and skills will be required to succeed in the "new normal" environment that will be characterized by volatile and increasingly disrupted business eco-systems. Future scenarios are envisaged to provide both practitioners and students with insights that will help them to adapt and succeed in a fast changing world.

The phenomenal success of integrated product and process development (IPPD) at such companies as Boeing, Motorola, and Hewlett-Packard has led many manufacturers to place renewed emphasis on this critical aspect of concurrent engineering. If you are among those charged with the daunting task of implementing, upgrading, or maintaining IPPD, you need a single reference/handbook that covers all of the tools, technologies, and applications that support IPPD. You need Integrated Product and Process Development.

Emphasizing applications, this extremely user-friendly guide covers everything from basic principles to cutting-edge research. It addresses ideas and methods in product design as well as issues related to process design and manufacturing. Case studies illustrate the application of various tools and techniques of IPPD in manufacturing for the defense industry, making the most of product planning, applications of quality function deployment (QFD), the effective use of design optimization, and integrating design and process planning.

Other topics covered include:

• Identifying customer needs using QFD.
• Issues and constraints in time-driven product development.
• Enhancing automated design systems with functional design.
• Rapid prototyping.
• Case-based process planning systems

This book presents the proceedings of the 4th International Conference of IFToMM ITALY (IFIT), held in Naples, Italy on September 7-9, 2022. It includes peer-reviewed papers on the latest advances in mechanism and machine science, discussing topics such as biomechanical engineering, computational kinematics, the history of mechanism and machine science, gearing and transmissions, multi-body dynamics, robotics and mechatronics, the dynamics of machinery, tribology, vibrations, rotor dynamics and vehicle dynamics. A valuable, up-to-date resource, it offers an essential overview of the subject for scientists and practitioners alike, and will inspire further investigations and research.

This volume presents selected papers presented during the 18th International Conference on Humanizing Work and Work Environment (HWWE 2020). The book presents research findings on different areas of ergonomics for developing appropriate tools and work environment considering capabilities and limitations of working people for maximum effectiveness on their performance. The book is divided into several sections focusing on different ergonomic research activities currently being undertaken at both national and international levels. The volume will be of use to researchers, practitioners and students working in different fields of ergonomics.

This book presents select proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering and Material Science (ICAMEMS 2022). It discusses about the diverse technological advancements, innovations, and achievements in the areas of mechanical engineering and material science. It also covers the developments and challenges in the field of machine design, manufacturing, thermal and fluid engineering. Important topics covered in the conference include advanced manufacturing processes, machining, product design and development, mechatronics and robotics, non-conventional energy resources, green energy and energy harvesting, tribology, materials and characterization. The book also discusses advanced research areas in material science such as smart materials, bio-materials and advanced energy materials. Given the contents, the book will be a valuable reference for students, researchers and industrialists interested in advanced research areas of mechanical engineering and material science.

This book highlights the analytics and optimization issues in industry, to propose new approaches, and to present applications of innovative approaches in real facilities. In the past few decades there has been an exponential rise in the application of artificial intelligence for solving complex and intricate problems arising in industrial domain. The versatility of these techniques have made them a favorite among scientists and researchers working in diverse areas. The book is edited to serve a broad readership, including computer scientists, medical professionals, and mathematicians interested in studying computational intelligence and their applications. It will also be helpful for researchers, graduate and undergraduate students with an interest in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Industrial problems. This book will be a useful resource for researchers, academicians as well as professionals interested in the highly interdisciplinary field of Artificial Intelligence.

The manufacturing industry is a cornerstone of national economy and people's livelihood. It is the way of transforming resources into products or goods which are required to cater to the needs of the society. Traditional manufacturing companies currently face several challenges such as rapid technological changes, inventory problem, shortened innovation, short product life cycles, volatile demand, low prices, highly customized products, and ability to compete in the global markets. Modern manufacturing is highly competitive due to globalization and fast changes in the global market. This book reviews emerging technologies in manufacturing. These technologies include artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, lean manufacturing, robotics, automation, 3D printing, nanotechnology, industrial Internet of things, and augmented reality. The use of these technologies will have a profound impact on the manufacturing industry. The book consists of 19 chapters. Each chapter addresses a single emerging technology in depth and describes how manufacturing organizations are adopting the technology. The book fills an important niche for manufacturing. It is a comprehensive, jargon-free introductory text on the issues, ideas, theories, and problems on emerging technologies in manufacturing. It is a must-read book for beginners or anyone who wants to be updated about emerging technologies.

This text helps readers to build a solid understanding of the key concepts in the management and operation of supply chains involving chilling, refrigeration or freezing. Emphasis is placed on environmental-particularly temperature-control as important in avoiding irreversible damage to product quality and safety and the resulting loss of profit and consumer confidence. The authors explain the important issues arising within the supply chain of perishable goods from production to consumption: topics that include planning and design, instrumentation and methods of implementation, and process monitoring and control. Reminding the student that cold supply chains are essential for the supply of products more various than foods, product-specific studies and examples are included for handling bananas and vaccines. The importance of product traceability and automation are highlighted. Cold Chain Management is a self-contained guide for graduate and final-year undergraduate students specializing in the study of supply chains, and their instructors. Researchers interested in logistics will find this book instructive when they wish to consider the particular problems associated with cold chains and anyone looking to begin a business in which refrigeration or freezing will be necessary will be well-served by reading this text.

This book includes best selected, high-quality research papers presented at the International Conference on Intelligent Manufacturing and Energy Sustainability (ICIMES 2021) held at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Malla Reddy College of Engineering & Technology (MRCET), Maisammaguda, Hyderabad, India, during June 18-19, 2021. It covers topics in the areas of automation, manufacturing technology and energy sustainability and also includes original works in the intelligent systems, manufacturing, mechanical, electrical, aeronautical, materials, automobile, bioenergy and energy sustainability.

This book covers historical aspects and future directions of mechanical and industrial engineering. Chapters of this book include applied mechanics and design, tribology, machining, additive manufacturing and management of industrial technologies.

This volume gathers the latest advances, innovations and applications in the field of condition monitoring, plant maintenance and reliability, as presented by leading international researchers and engineers at the 5th International Conference on Maintenance Engineering and the 2020 Annual Conference of the Centre for Efficiency and Performance Engineering Network (IncoME-V & CEPE Net-2020), held in Zhuhai, China on October 23-25, 2020. Topics include vibro-acoustics monitoring, condition-based maintenance, sensing and instrumentation, machine health monitoring, maintenance auditing and organization, non-destructive testing, reliability, asset management, condition monitoring, life-cycle cost optimisation, prognostics and health management, maintenance performance measurement, manufacturing process monitoring, and robot-based monitoring and diagnostics. The contributions, which were selected through a rigorous international peer-review process, share exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster new multidisciplinary collaborations.

Process Control details the core knowledge and practical skills that a successful process control practitioner needs. It explains the essential technologies that are in use in current industrial practice or which may be wanting for the future. The book focuses on practical considerations, not only on those that make a control solution work, but also on those that prevent it from failing, especially for complex control loops and plant-wide control solutions. After discussing the indispensable role of control in modern process industries, the authors concentrate on the skills required for process analysis, control design, and troubleshooting. One of the first books to provide a systematic approach and structured methodology for process analysis and control design, Process Control illustrates that methodology with many practical examples that cover process control, equipment control, and control calculations derived from real projects and applications. The book uses 229 drawings and 83 tables to make the concepts it presents more intuitive and its methodology easy to follow. Process Control will help the practising control engineer to benefit from a wealth of practical experience and good ideas on how to make control work in the real world and students training to take up roles in process control are shown the applied relevance of control theory in the efficient functioning of industrial plant and the considerations needed to make it work. Advances in Industrial Control reports and encourages the transfer of technology in control engineering. The rapid development of control technology has an impact on all areas of the control discipline. The series offers an opportunity for researchers to present an extended exposition of new work in all aspects of industrial control.

This book presents the proceedings of the International Conference on Health, Safety, Fire, Environment, and Allied Sciences 2020. It highlights latest developments in the field of science and technology aimed at improving health and safety in the workplace. The volume comprises content from leading scientists, engineers, and policy makers discussing issues relating to industrial safety, fire hazards and their management in industry, forests and other settings. Also dealt with are issues of occupational health in engineering, process and agricultural industry and protection against incidents of arson and terror attacks. The contents of this volume will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers alike.

This book is presented to demonstrate how energy efficiency can be achieved in existing systems or in the design of a new system, as well as a guide for energy savings opportunities. Accordingly, the content of the book has been enriched with many examples applied in the industry. Thus, it is aimed to provide energy savings by successfully managing the energy in the readers' own businesses. The authors primarily present the necessary measurement techniques and measurement tools to be used for energy saving, as well as how to evaluate the methods that can be used for improvements in systems. The book also provides information on how to calculate the investments to be made for these necessary improvements and the payback periods. The book covers topics such as: * Reducing unit production costs by ensuring the reduction of energy costs, * Efficient and quality energy use, * Meeting market needs while maintaining competitive conditions, * Ensuring the protection of the environment by reducing CO2 and CO emissions with energy saving and energy efficiency, * Ensuring the correct usage of systems by carrying out energy audits. In summary, this book explains how to effectively design energy systems and manage energy to increase energy savings. In addition, the study has been strengthened by giving some case studies and their results in the fields of intensive energy consumption in industry. This book is an ideal resource for practitioners, engineers, researchers, academics, employees and investors in the fields of energy, energy management, energy efficiency and energy saving.

This book includes original, peer-reviewed research papers from the 12th China Academic Conference on Printing and Packaging (CACPP 2021), held in Beijing, China on November 12-14, 2021. The proceedings cover the recent findings in color science and technology, image processing technology, digital media technology, mechanical and electronic engineering and numerical control, materials and detection, digital process management technology in printing and packaging, and other technologies. As such, the book is of interest to university researchers, R&D engineers and graduate students in the field of graphic arts, packaging, color science, image science, material science, computer science, digital media, network technology, and smart manufacturing technology.

This book reports on advanced theories and methods in three related fields of research: applied physics, system science and computers. It is organized in three parts, the first of which covers applied physics topics, including lasers and accelerators; condensed matter, soft matter and materials science; nanoscience and quantum engineering; atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics; as well as nuclear and high-energy particle physics. It also addresses astrophysics, gravitation, earth and environmental science, as well as medical and biological physics. The second and third parts focus on advances in computers and system science, respectively, and report on automatic circuit control, power systems, computer communication, fluid mechanics, simulation and modeling, software engineering, data structures and applications of artificial intelligence among other areas. Offering a collection of contributions presented at the 2nd International Conference on Applied Physics, System Science and Computers (APSAC), held in Dubrovnik, Croatia on September 27-29, 2017, the book bridges the gap between applied physics and electrical engineering. It not only to presents new methods, but also promotes collaborations between different communities working on related topics at the interface between physics and engineering, with a special focus on communication, data modeling and visualization, quantum information, applied mechanics as well as bio and geophysics.

This book, to reflect the system's diverse, relevant characteristics, uses three different mathematical tools, namely probability theory, fuzzy theory and random fuzzy theory, to model and analyze the reliability of each system. Reliability system engineering is an interdisciplinary area that chiefly focuses on the lifecycle characteristics of products and involves many fields of basic mathematics, technical science and management science. In recent years, there have been many books on reliability theory, but comparatively few on the reliability of mathematical models, or the reliability of mathematical models based on single probability theory or fuzzy theory. The findings presented here will not only enrich and expand traditional reliability theory, but also promote the development of related disciplines, lending the book considerable theoretical significance.