Manufacturing Systems

The development of faster and more powerful computers has led to virtual flood of digital data. Over the decades capacity of data storage devices has continued to multiply. At the same time the dimensions of these digital silos have even become smaller. Year after year better devices and finer write-read-heads are developed. The magnetic bit domains became smaller and smaller. Until one day - they are no bigger than an atom. By using spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy - a method of nanotechnology - it is possible today to determine the individual magnetic orientation of single atoms on surfaces, which means to read magnetic information atom by atom. If the same instrument could be used to write magnetic information in adjacent atoms, it would be possible to store the entire world literature on a space of a postage stamp. This is in the focus of research at the University of Hamburg.

In many applications Virtual Prototyping allows for an analysis based on computer models reducing time and cost. The Augmented Reality technology offers new potentials for virtual prototyping by augmenting a user’s view on real objects with additional computer generated information. In analogy to hardware in the loop techniques it is possible, e.g., to jointly analyse already existing and virtual components of a system currently under development. In this paper we describe the application and potential benefits of AR-technologies. As an example we present a mobile test platform for the analysis and evaluation of automotive ergonomics under real driving condi-tions in the field of automobile advance development.

The ideas of lean production for rationalization of the value-added processes, which were intensely discussed during the nineties of the last century, presently undergo a revival. In the course of this development the concept of Holistic Production Systems is praised by industry and science as an effective instrument for realizing a production focussing on added value and eliminating wastefulness. Because of this fact this article deals in-depth with the basics of setup and introduction of Holistic Production Systems. Furthermore the benefit of this concept for learning enterprises will be assessed.

The material “metal foam” shows a unique combination of properties such as low density, excellent energy absorption, improved attenuation of sound and vibration etc., which provides an ideal basis for light-weight construction. Metal foams are mainly employed as a light-weight component of hybrid structures with other materials. Metal foam parts can directly be produced in the desired near net shape. But for their production individual process management as well as specific equipment and tools are required. The Advanced Pore Morphology (APM) Technology has been developed for reduced effort and complexity production of metal foam containing hybrid structures. The foam expansions process has been separated from foam part shaping. The APM-process can be completely automated and provides a high flexibility, reproducibility, and robustness. As a result the material costs are significantly reduced.

In modern industry optical technologies stand for a leading innovative power influencing all sectors of economy and, thus, representing important factors within economic competition of coming markets. Regarding the manufacture of complex consumer optics the development of reasonable and flexible mass production processes is one of the dominant priority actions and ultra-precision machining technologies play a key role within this challenging task.

Incremental sheet forming is a new approach, which offers high flexibility and economic advantages for low number manufacturing of complex sheet metal parts. The forming of the sheet metal is effected by the CNC-controlled movement of a universal, ball-headed punch in combination with a simplified die as a support under the sheet. This enables quick and cost effective adaptation to changes of the product geometry. The process itself can be carried out on any conventional 3-axis milling machine which is refitted with a clamping device for the metal sheet.

Growing requirements concerning comfort, safety, functionality and design are leading to fundamental changes in car body manufacturing, where as the demands for lightweight construction are clearly playing a central role. The expanding use of lightweight materials, including innovative semi-finished products, continually increases the level of difficulty required in forming operations and this, in turn, is leading to the inevitable development of new technologies. Based on this, some of the most significant trends in car body manufacturing will be covered.

Lightweight construction is inevitable in transportation engineering for economical and ecological reasons. The lightweight construction potential of CFRP surpasses that of metallic materials for the specific strength, stiffness, possible energy absorption, damping, and swinging strength. Production procedures on the basis of injection molding procedure, textile techniques, and stitching techniques are presented and are combined to a fabrication technology. The target set by aeronautical industry is a weight reduction of 30 % and a cost reduction of 40 % compared to metallic lightweight structures. Composites will only be able to achieve general acceptance in the fields of railway, automotive, and mechanical engineering, if the implemented lightweight construction is made profitable by new production concepts.

Facing shorter product life cycles and ever changing customer requirements, production ramp-up processes are becoming one of the most decisive factors to stay in the market. In contrast to the automotive industry, where large scale information systems (IS) and simulation tools allow the build up of digital factories, small and medium sized enterprises (SME) lack resources to satisfy the corresponding organisational and IS-specific requirements. The focus of the research project ELAN is to develop an overall approach to manage production ramp-up adapted to the needs of SME.

The ramp-up of a production system is a part of the product creation process. In a highly dynamic and complex sur-rounding, it is more then every other phase characterised by an immediate call for action. This challenge can be met by designing production systems in a way that they offer a maximum of flexibility and transparency. In this context, planning a robust ramp-up means designing production systems that are flexible enough to balance transient state working systems and that are easy to handle in order to achieve a steep learning curve. How this can concretely be implemented, which are the benefits of the actual planning methods and -tools for the production, and what a company has to do to tap the full potential is demonstrated at two examples from the automotive supply industry.