This paper deals with a design and a shape optimization of a tool that combines punching of a tarpaulin with the tarpaulin grommet pressing in one operation. The tarpaulin grommet 0.5 mm thick with a diameter of 10 mm is made of DX51D+Z275MAC steel. The designed tool and its main shape dimensions are verified by using a numerical simulation in an ANSYS Workbench software and subsequently also by a practical experiment, i.e. verification and debugging functionality in cooperation with H + D kovo company.

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Accepted: 26 August 2014 In the last years researches in engineering have moved towards customer-oriented manufacturing. The individual customer's requirements are very important for the company's activities. It results in high-variety production. High-variety production like mass customization is facing the challenge of effective variety management. Applying methods of mass customization to the empirical process can improve the efficiency of product development process and reduce time and cost. The manufacturing process requires documentation of the production. Very often, the documentation process and the time of its formation is limited. One possible way to solve this problem is to automatically create documentation in electronic form. Then, without having to print, distribute them directly to the panel of the machine. In the process of creating manufacturing documentation, this method takes into account alternative manufacturing processes and the current availability of labor resources The article is an attempt at the analysis of the modern manufacturing systems and answering the question, how it is possible to produce without having documentation in paper form. The presented solution is used for the high-variety products manufactured in the SMEs. The method was validated in the conditions of best practice high-variety production.

Maximizing knowledge transfer is one of the main factors of modern education. It is important to raise the probability that students can successfully apply acquired knowledge into practice. This article deals with virtual reality (VR) as an alternative method to provide students with a more immersive approach to semester assignments and their completion. In addition to information on paper, they are provided with an immersive virtual environment that interactively visualizes problems. To test this approach, a case study took place at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Žilina. Students were given a standard assignment for workplace analysis and optimization. However, in addition to papers containing all the necessary information about the workplace and its processes (a drilling workplace), the students could also put on a VR headset and walk through a virtual copy of the assigned workplace. Instead of relying on a 2D layout and a few photos, the students observed every detail of the workplace from any angle. Moreover, the immersive virtual workplace was interactive, and the students could interact with machine tools and replicate the real manufacturing process. With this new addition, the students completed the assignment and then filled out a short questionnaire questioning their satisfaction with the chosen approach. With positive feedback, the implementation of VR into the teaching process could further motivate students and make the transfer of knowledge into their future jobs easier.

Sustainable manufacturing is not just about manufacturing, but also products and services. In the area of custom production processes, there may also be circumstances of organizational management where compliance with labor productivity and the due-date principle is problematic. Similar products with different operating times cause the throughput of assembly lines to slow down, increase number of works in progress (WIP), and increase productivity waste. It is possible to reduce this impact through various productivity-enhancing methods and innovations. This paper presents an innovative approach to product segmentation in the assembly phase of custom manufacturing, and a proposal for a new segmentation procedure that will allow significantly better integration of products into existing assembly processes without negatively impacting the company’s production indicators. The scientific problem was defined on the basis that extending existing segmentation by the third dimension of operating times allows products in MTO (made to order) environments to be divided into families with approximately equal operating times. This will increase assembly efficiency in existing medium to large companies without large investments in the development and adaptation of assembly process products. The contributions of this work relate mainly to simple adaptations to existing processes in medium-sized businesses. The proposed solution respects the basic elements of Industry 4.0.