Design and Development of Best Class Discrete Production Model for Distributed Manufacturing under Industry 4.0.

Global competitiveness creates a challenge for manufacturing companies to maintain their market share with dynamic customer requirements. Capital investment in machinery does not allow facility expansion to accommodate large orders from customers but to reconfigure the manufacturing enterprise. Distributed manufacturing (DM) is embraced in order to increase facility utilization by decentralizing production. An enterprise in charge of a DM network allows customers to choose the best manufacturers available for their order based on their track record, which is available through historical and online performance data. Furthermore, manufacturers as members of this network may receive orders based on their past performance. Industry 4.0 with all necessary Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) enables the online monitoring of production key parameters of manufacturers subscribed to a DM network. We develop a new network model of manufacturers teamed under specific terms and conditions to support a group of customers who have specific needs. The proposed model, known as the continuous supervised model, is created with the ARENA simulation software. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our model by contrasting it with the standard practice approach. To ensure the best possible performance, we continuously monitor the cost, quality, delivery time, and production rate indicators of the various manufacturers and update their performance ranking for current and future orders. Furthermore, using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach, a single performance measure based on the four indicators is developed. Implementing the proposed model showed an improvement in the average performance by 51.3%.

Review of Recent Bio-Inspired Design and Manufacturing of Whisker Tactile Sensors.

Whisker sensors are a class of tactile sensors that have recently attracted attention. Inspired by mammals' whiskers known as mystacial vibrissae, they have displayed tremendous potential in a variety of applications e.g., robotics, underwater vehicles, minimally invasive surgeries, and leak detection. This paper provides a supplement to the recent tactile sensing techniques' designs of whiskers that only sense at their base, as well as the materials employed, and manufacturing techniques. The article delves into the technical specifications of these sensors, such as the resolution, measurement range, sensitivity, durability, and recovery time, which determine their performance. The sensors' sensitivity varies depending on the measured physical quantity; for example, the pressure sensors had an intermediate sensitivity of 58%/Pa and a response time of around 90 ms, whereas the force sensors that function based on piezoelectric effects exhibited good linearity in the measurements with a resolution of 3 µN and sensitivity of 0.1682 mV/µN. Some sensors were used to perform spatial mapping and the identification of the geometry and roughness of objects with a reported resolution of 25 nm. The durability and recovery time showed a wide range of values, with the maximum durability being 10,000 cycles and the shortest recovery time being 5 ms. Furthermore, the paper examines the fabrication of whiskers at the micro- and nanoscales, as well as their contributions to mechanical and thermal behavior. The commonly used manufacturing techniques of 3D printing, PDMS casting, and screen printing were used in addition to several micro and nanofabrication techniques such as photolithography, etching, and chemical vapor deposition. Lastly, the paper discusses the main potential applications of these sensors and potential research gaps in this field. In particular, the operation of whisker sensors under high temperatures or high pressure requires further investigation, as does the design of sensors to explore larger topologies.

Electromechanical Assessment and Induced Temperature Measurement of Carbon Fiber Tows under Tensile Condition.

The paper presents an investigation and analysis of the electromechanical and thermal characteristics of the carbon fiber alone as single tow and embedded in host materials such as polymer e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) using 3D printing. While carbon fibers can partially reinforce the structure, they can act as sensors to monitor the structural health of the host material. The piezo-resistive behavior was examined without any pretreatment of the carbon fiber under tensile test in both cases. Special focus on the filaments clamping types and their effects was observed. An auxetic behavior was exhibited; otherwise, the free part shows elastic and yielding ranges with break point at high resistance. An induced temperature of the carbon fiber was measured during the tensile test to show low variation. The carbon fiber can provide strength contribution to the host material depending on the percentage of filling the material in 3D printing. The relative variation of the electrical resistance increases by 400% while embedded in the host material, but decreases as the tows filament density increases from 1 to 12 K.

In-Process Atomic-Force Microscopy (AFM) Based Inspection.

A new in-process atomic-force microscopy (AFM) based inspection is presented for nanolithography to compensate for any deviation such as instantaneous degradation of the lithography probe tip. Traditional method used the AFM probes for lithography work and retract to inspect the obtained feature but this practice degrades the probe tip shape and hence, affects the measurement quality. This paper suggests a second dedicated lithography probe that is positioned back-to-back to the AFM probe under two synchronized controllers to correct any deviation in the process compared to specifications. This method shows that the quality improvement of the nanomachining, in progress probe tip wear, and better understanding of nanomachining. The system is hosted in a recently developed nanomanipulator for educational and research purposes.

Nanoscale Manipulators: Review of Conceptual Designs Through Recent Patents.

BACKGROUND: Nanomanipulation techniques have gone through several phases to be used in scientific explorations not only to reveal more characteristics of nano, micro and mesoscopic phenomena but also to build functional nano-devices useful for specific applications. The nano-manipulator becomes a key instrument for technology bridging between sub-nano and mesoscale. The recent patents have exhibited integration of various functions in the nano-devices requiring sub-nanometer precision and highly stable manipulator with substantial pulling/pushing forces. This work reviews patents and works on conceptual designs of existing nanomanipulators with specific features. This includes design analysis leading to ultra-precision motion and stability with discussion of enabling technology. A novel integrated and numerically controlled instrument for nanomanipulation, visualization and inspection/characterization of materials at sub-nanoscale will be presented with a feature to keep the same datum for all operation and hence improve accuracy of samples. METHODS: This paper has undertaken a review search in a structured examination of bibliographic databases for published and issued patents using a focused review keyword of nano-manipulation. The quality of selected patents was appraised using standard tools. The characteristics of screened patents were described, and a deductive qualitative content analysis methodology was applied to understand the modeling and testing of nanomachining process, the exact construction of nanostructure arrays and the inspection of devices with complex features. RESULTS: The paper encompassed forty patents. Fourteen patents exhibited the manipulation at the micro scale (MEMS manipulations), others outlined systems with sub-micron resolution and workspace range in mesoscale. Standard scale manipulation were described in 13 patents assuming only systems comprising positioning stages, arms and end-effectors where positioners are a few centimeters in size with workspace higher than one cm3. Finally, ten patents included in this review described the importance of end-effectors being extremely important in nanomanipulation as they do support the function defining the manipulation e.g. grippers, sprayers, Nano-tweezers. CONCLUSION: The findings of this patents review confirm the relevance of the nanomanipulation of objects in 3D system coupled with real time imaging having higher resolution in comparison with the standard manipulators including AFM, TEM, STM, SEM or NSOM. In terms of tooling, AFM cantilever tips, etched tungsten tips or tips with electron beam deposition can be used to manufacture or develop nanodevices e.g. nanowires in in-situ SEM. In handling and manipulating in ambient conditions, commercial microfabricated grippers although available, are less used compared to CNT nanotweezers. Nanomanipulation is currently enabled for nanoscale samples by on-chip operations using promising MEMS and NEMS devices to relatively large samples by the meso and standard scale nanomanipulators. Manipulation is comprehensive and requires multiple functions enabled by various types of end-effectors and probes actuated with high precision. Piezo actuators are at the moment of great performance. Nano and sub-nano samples require proper environment e.g, with electron microscopy to monitor and manipulate including testing, inspecting and fabricating and assembling.

Fiber-Embedded Metallic Materials: From Sensing towards Nervous Behavior.

Embedding of fibers in materials has attracted serious attention from researchers and has become a new research trend. Such material structures are usually termed "smart" or more recently "nervous". Materials can have the capability of sensing and responding to the surrounding environmental stimulus, in the former, and the capability of feeling multiple structural and external stimuli, while feeding information back to a controller for appropriate real-time action, in the latter. In this paper, embeddable fibers, embedding processes, and behavior of fiber-embedded metallic materials are reviewed. Particular emphasis has been given to embedding fiber Bragg grating (FBG) array sensors and piezo wires, because of their high potential to be used in nervous materials for structural health monitoring. Ultrasonic consolidation and laser-based layered manufacturing processes are discussed in detail because of their high potential to integrate fibers without disruption. In addition, current challenges associated with embedding fibers in metallic materials are highlighted and recommendations for future research work are set.

Towards sensor array materials: can failure be delayed?

Further to prior development in enhancing structural health using smart materials, an innovative class of materials characterized by the ability to feel senses like humans, i.e. 'nervous materials', is discussed. Designed at all scales, these materials will enhance personnel and public safety, and secure greater reliability of products. Materials may fail suddenly, but any system wishes that failure is known in good time and delayed until safe conditions are reached. Nervous materials are expected to be the solution to this statement. This new class of materials is based on the novel concept of materials capable of feeling multiple structural and external stimuli, e.g. stress, force, pressure and temperature, while feeding information back to a controller for appropriate real-time action. The strain-stress state is developed in real time with the identified and characterized source of stimulus, with optimized time response to retrieve initial specified conditions, e.g. shape and strength. Sensors are volumetrically embedded and distributed, emulating the human nervous system. Immediate applications are in aircraft, cars, nuclear energy and robotics. Such materials will reduce maintenance costs, detect initial failures and delay them with self-healing. This article reviews the common aspects and challenges surrounding this new class of materials with types of sensors to be embedded seamlessly or inherently, including appropriate embedding manufacturing techniques with modeling and simulation methods.

Suitability of MEMS Accelerometers for Condition Monitoring: An experimental study.

With increasing demands for wireless sensing nodes for assets control and condition monitoring; needs for alternatives to expensive conventional accelerometers in vibration measurements have been arisen. Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) accelerometer is one of the available options. The performances of three of the MEMS accelerometers from different manufacturers are investigated in this paper and compared to a well calibrated commercial accelerometer used as a reference for MEMS sensors performance evaluation. Tests were performed on a real CNC machine in a typical industrial environmental workshop and the achieved results are presented.