No abstract

BackgroundMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) that result from poor ergonomic design are one of the occupational disorders of greatest concern in the industrial sector. A key advantage in the primary design phase is to focus on a method of assessment that detects and evaluates the potential risks experienced by the operative when faced with these types of physical injuries. The method of assessment will improve the process design identifying potential ergonomic improvements from various design alternatives or activities undertaken as part of the cycle of continuous improvement throughout the differing phases of the product life cycle.Methodology/Principal FindingsThis paper presents a novel postural assessment method (NERPA) fit for product-process design, which was developed with the help of a digital human model together with a 3D CAD tool, which is widely used in the aeronautic and automotive industries. The power of 3D visualization and the possibility of studying the actual assembly sequence in a virtual environment can allow the functional performance of the parts to be addressed. Such tools can also provide us with an ergonomic workstation design, together with a competitive advantage in the assembly process.ConclusionsThe method developed was used in the design of six production lines, studying 240 manual assembly operations and improving 21 of them. This study demonstrated the proposed method’s usefulness and found statistically significant differences in the evaluations of the proposed method and the widely used Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method.

This paper presents a study of hole quality and energy consumption in the process of drilling a thermoplastic polymeric material, polyether-ether-ketone, reinforced with 30% glass fibers (PEEK-GF30). PEEK-GF30’s capacity to be machined has focused on turning operations. Studies of drilling involving thermoplastic polymeric materials have considered materials with other types of matrices, or reinforcement. In this study, quantities such as maximum and mean surface roughness, delamination, maximum thrust force, maximum momentum, and energy required during the process were determined for three types of drill bits, and the most influential factors for each variable were identified using an ANOVA multifactor analysis. The highest quality and lowest energy consumption were achieved for a drill bit rotation speed of 7000 rpm and a feed rate of 400 mm/min with a tungsten carbide (WC) drill bit coated with titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN). Although a WC drill bit with a diamond point reduces delamination, the roughness increases, thus, the choice of the drill bit type depends on the roughness allowed. A WC drill bit coated with TiAlN produces a good surface finish that can eliminate subsequent operations and requires less energy; thus, this type of drill bit is the most attractive of the types evaluated.

No abstract

No abstract

The IFMIF-DONES (International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility-DEMO Oriented NEutron Source) facility is being designed with the general objective of providing irradiation of representative samples of power fusion machine materials under prototypical conditions. A linear accelerator will deliver deuterons at high intensity to circulating lithium in a loop, which will produce neutrons capable of obtaining the required damage conditions. As a result of this process, radionuclides will be produced as a by-product, which is characterized by several degrees of mobility. Shielding and radiation protection measures will be required in the facility. IFMIF-DONES will be classified as a first class radioactive facility according to national regulations, with Spain being the European candidate to site the facility. Several aspects of the main safety instructions affecting the facility's design are explained and discussed in this paper.

Designing, changing and adapting organizations to secure viability is challenging for manufacturing companies. Researchers often fail to holistically design or transform production systems. Reasons are often the conflict of interests between production and maintenance, the temporal divergence of their activities and their organizational structure. Thus, the aim of this study is to propose a holistic approach of how production and maintenance can be designed, changed or managed. Hereby, the Viable System Model was applied. This structure can be applied to any kind of structured organization and for its management with goals to be achieved in modern society; however, focus of the research is the coordination of production and maintenance management. The goal of the developed model is to be able to react to some potential production environments by taking coordinated decisions correctly and in the right moment based on the needed information. To ensure this, standardized communication channels were defined. In conclusion, this proposed approach enables production systems to have internal mechanisms to secure viability depending on all potential environment scenarios.

No abstract