The paradigm shift towards a decentralised approach of cloud manufacturing requires tighter standardisation and efficient interfaces between additive manufacturing (AM) data and production. In parallel with technology advancements, it is important to consider the digital chain of information. Although a plethora of AM formats exist, only some are commonly used for data transfer. None of these AM data transfer standards specifically addresses the needs of the redistributed manufacturing (RDM) landscape. The purpose of this study is to identify the required features for AM data transfer standards to support a RDM landscape. The study examined the data flow from CAD to AM and reviewed established shortcomings of existing data exchange standards such as STL. After identifying the data exchange standards for AMF, 3MF, STEP and STEP-NC as promising replacements for STL, their premises, objectives, contributions and advantages were reviewed. The role of AM to support RDM by overcoming tooling costs and the associated need for economies of scale was also reviewed. Focus group interviews and surveys were conducted with AM and RDM experts from industry and academia and the participants' accounts were analysed for common themes and narratives. Finally, the suitability of existing data transfer formats was examined by compiling existing and expected standard features and having them rated by AM experts. The study showed that STEP-NC and AMF standards are ahead in implementing the most highly valued data transfer features. Open standards are also expected to further facilitate innovation in AM. The survey also identified that the top five features deemed most important by the participants for data exchange formats for RDM were regular internal structures/lattices, manufacturing tolerances, geometric representation, curvature representation, and surface structures. This study has contributed towards evaluating existing standards and their future development and adoption. It is hoped that the results will benefit policy makers and industry leaders to be aware of the importance of data exchange standards for AM so as to pave a clear roadmap for the Digital Economy in a RDM landscape.
A growing number of learners join HE institutions through degree apprenticeships with a strong emphasis on both on-the-job and off-the-job training, with apprentices sharing time between lecture theatres and the workplace. In addition to meeting the degree requirements, the completion of degree apprenticeships requires passing a work-based end-point assessment (EPA). EPAs often include a capstone project that is equivalent to a project or dissertation and plays a crucial role in degree apprenticeships, but their execution is not without its problems. This paper identifies common challenges for EPA projects, including academia-business goal misalignment, external factors, confidentiality and commercial sensitivity, and gaps between expectations and experience. Consequently, a set of recommendations is proposed to mitigate the identified challenges.
Software localization does not always fit well into agile software development. In this poster, we illustrate their relationship by examining how problems may occur. A list of common localization issues is presented, and their potential connections to the agile methodology are explored.
The Centre for Internationalisation and Usability within the School of Computing and Technology at The University of West London aims to enhance understanding of cultural differences in international software development. A particular focus is the development and usability of ICT products in a global market, both in terms of international software development and economic, community and social development. We host a number of researchers and PhD students working in topics such as usability evaluation and culture, sociotechnical participatory design, internationalization attitudes of software engineers, mobile learning and library cognitive design.
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