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Research Interests: Computer Science and XML
Research Interests: iOS and Blockchain
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Presently, modular designs use various technologies accompanied by multiple models. Although no integral solution is known, a plethora of approaches is used to resolve this trans disciplinary challenge, often by using local intelligence.... more
Presently, modular designs use various technologies accompanied by multiple models. Although no integral solution is known, a plethora of approaches is used to resolve this trans disciplinary challenge, often by using local intelligence. However, the effective utilization of multiple models requires proper integration for them to work together as a cohesive system. This requirement calls for the development of intelligent models and tools that can be used for the development of intelligent modular products. Modular design based on these intelligent models and tools is called intelligent modular design. Intelligent modular design requires to be considered both dynamically and holistically by combining customer requirements, product functions, solutions, service specifications, and their fuzziness in order to structure a product into intelligent modules. This paper proposes the use of holonic fuzzy agents to fulfill both the properties of intelligent models and the requirements of intelligent modular design. The set of fuzzy function agents and their corresponding fuzzy solution agents are found from customization of the product-service system in the fuzzy function agent-fuzzy solution agent sub-network. On the basis of attractor agent recognition, the fuzzy function and fuzzy solution agents interact to form the holonic fuzzy module agents. Self-embedding of holonic fuzzy module agents, which is the fundamental property of the holonic structure, is also characterized by vertical and horizontal communication. The flexibility and agility of the software agent make the holonic structure of intelligent modules adaptable. An application illustrates the proposed intelligent modular design.
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The system concept is a widely-used concept in research and practice. Already in the 50s of the previous century, a community was created to investigate interrelationships between domains and create a theory surpassing and comparing... more
The system concept is a widely-used concept in research and practice. Already in the 50s of the previous century, a community was created to investigate interrelationships between domains and create a theory surpassing and comparing domains. The General Systems Theory (GST) community has tried to come up with such a theory for several decades. The ambition has grown more realistic in the years after, recognizing that an all-encompassing theory would not be possible. Since then, systems research was aimed at generating useful and usable approaches to compare and interrelate domains, thus creating a trans-disciplinary approach to enable description and analysis of large, and even complex, systems. The concept of systems, however, is often loosely used. Levels of abstraction are neglected, and interrelationships between systems ignored. In this paper, the concept of system is put in historical context, and further elaborated upon in the context of complex and trans-disciplinary systems. Two examples of transdisciplinary systems are presented and discussed to illustrate the use of the system concept.
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ABSTRACT CE has been used for more than two decades now. Despite many successes and advantages, there are still many challenges to be addressed. These challenges are both technical and organisational. In the paper we will address the... more
ABSTRACT CE has been used for more than two decades now. Despite many successes and advantages, there are still many challenges to be addressed. These challenges are both technical and organisational. In the paper we will address the current challenges of CE. Many challenges are related to the exchange of data and knowledge and to the systems that make data and knowledge exchange possible. Although much progress has been made in enabling extensive data and knowledge exchange and use, much remains to be wished. For example, there are still barriers to data exchange. Technically, these barriers may consist of different formats, differences in infrastructures and systems, and different semantics. There are also organisational and political barriers. For example, investment in information system may heavily impact upstream suppliers, while revenues of better information exchange may predominantly be gained by downstream actors. Without sharing costs and revenues, chain-wide information exchange will not be easily realised. Another barrier is the possible lack of willingness to share information, because of potential misuse of knowledge and loss of power. The paper is organised as follows. First we will describe the current manifestation of CE as described in a recent book. Second, we will list current trends in CE. Third, we will present some Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that are considered relevant for implementing and adapting CE practices. Last, we indicate some research and practical questions to be addressed, especially for areas that have a high potential and actual impact.
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Innovation of products and services is a key success factor for the manufacturing industry. Development of upgraded and innovative products and services usually takes place in partnerships. In this regard, in the manufacturing industry,... more
Innovation of products and services is a key success factor for the manufacturing industry. Development of upgraded and innovative products and services usually takes place in partnerships. In this regard, in the manufacturing industry, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) distribute the development of new and innovative products to many different locations in various countries across the world. Suppliers, especially first-tier suppliers (FTSs), are then involved in the development of new products and services based on strategic firm-specific competences. The OEM–supplier relationship is characterized by a sequential interaction whereby OEMs specify product and production requirements to the suppliers and the suppliers then produce and deliver products or services to OEMs. Tight collaboration between FTSs and OEMs is essential to reduce costs and risks, anticipate potential downstream errors and enable fruitful implementation of FTSs’ knowledge and competencies. The paper presents recent developments in the OEM–FTS supply chain management with particular emphasis on the design of shared platforms which emerge as ecosystems on the basis of the joint organizational learning and stakeholder management. Development of such ecosystems could be viewed as a transdisciplinary process, combining expertise from various fields ranging from engineering, especially IT engineering, to management, especially supply chain, strategic and knowledge management.
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Information integration is one of the key features to foster innovative design approaches and to enable smart manufacturing in modern companies. Future manufacturing will be more automated, more digitalized, but also more flexible,... more
Information integration is one of the key features to foster innovative design approaches and to enable smart manufacturing in modern companies. Future manufacturing will be more automated, more digitalized, but also more flexible, distributed, networked and collaborative. As a consequence, information integration approaches are necessary to support companies to be innovative and profitable. The issue collects valuable examples of how collaborative approaches and interdisciplinary actions can benefit companies, from new idea co-creation to smart enterprise management, from intelligent data analysis to flexible decision-making, from smart management of business relationships to reconfigurable manufacturing automation.
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The concept of concurrent engineering (CE) was first developed in the 1980s. Now often referred to as transdiciplinary engineering, it is based on the idea that different phases of a product life cycle should be conducted concurrently and... more
The concept of concurrent engineering (CE) was first developed in the 1980s. Now often referred to as transdiciplinary engineering, it is based on the idea that different phases of a product life cycle should be conducted concurrently and initiated as early as possible within the Product Creation Process (PCP). The main goal of CE is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the PCP and reduce errors in later phases, as well as incorporating considerations \u2013 including environmental implications \u2013 for the full lifecycle of the product. It has become a substantive methodology in many industries, and has also been adopted in the development of new services and service support. This book presents the proceedings of the 25th ISPE Inc. International Conference on Transdisciplinary Engineering, held in Modena, Italy, in July 2018. This international conference attracts researchers, industry experts, students, and government representatives interested in recent transdisciplinary engineering research, advancements and applications. The book contains 120 peer-reviewed papers, selected from 259 submissions from all continents of the world, ranging from the theoretical and conceptual to papers addressing industrial best practice, and is divided into 11 sections reflecting the themes addressed in the conference program and addressing topics as diverse as industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing; human-centered design; modeling, simulation and virtual design; and knowledge and data management among others. With an overview of the latest research results, product creation processes and related methodologies, this book will be of interest to researchers, design practitioners and educators alike
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During product design, when many design aspects still must be understood by the design team, it is necessary to apply robust modelling approaches in order to describe the properties of the product according to the functional requirements,... more
During product design, when many design aspects still must be understood by the design team, it is necessary to apply robust modelling approaches in order to describe the properties of the product according to the functional requirements, employing CAD system. High sensitivity to change of a CAD model can lead to unstable and unpredictable model behaviour which hinders the daily work of engineers and causes significant rework in downstream stages. Engineers need a methodology which enables them to evaluate and reduce the geometrical sensitivity of a product assembly, what the sources of variation are, their importance for the overall robustness and in what order to improve the overall design. Robustness is meant that the model structure is adjusted to react less sensitive to changes in design and model update. Robust CAD models are suitable for both downstream processes and collaboration. In this paper, we illuminate the background of CAD modelling and introduce the term robust mode...
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”Model-based Systems Engineering” is currently a hot topic at INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering). It involves multidisciplinary development based on the usage of models as main artifact. The frequent use of models... more
”Model-based Systems Engineering” is currently a hot topic at INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering). It involves multidisciplinary development based on the usage of models as main artifact. The frequent use of models during the development of the pico-satellite MOVE (Munich Orbital Verification Experiment) was attributed to the long history of the chair for astronautics at the TU Munchen with Systems Engineering. The development of MOVE displayed many of the characteristics of a real-world multidisciplinary engineering project and resulted in a successful space flight of the engineered satellite. Within the satellite, communication was lead through a central bus between the different components and required expertise and coordination from all of the involved disciplines. An equivalent task of distributing information and energy can be found in automotive engineering: in the wire-harness. In contrast to the satellite bus, it does not distribute centrally created coordination commands, but supports the orchestration between distributed systems. Even though these two systems and their development processes are inherently different, they exhibit similar difficulties during their design phase (e.g. with compatibility) and can be modeled similarly. This paper uses the design of satellite bus systems and automotive wire-harnesses as examples, describes their common pitfalls, explains ”Model-based Systems Engineering” and demonstrates how the development of communication systems in both satellite and automotive engineering can benefit from relying on it in early design and concept phases.
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For Aristotelian scholars, matter is identified as the subject of change, while form is the boundary of matter. Design is a process of bringing about change. From a design perspective, material is what an entity is made from; form is what... more
For Aristotelian scholars, matter is identified as the subject of change, while form is the boundary of matter. Design is a process of bringing about change. From a design perspective, material is what an entity is made from; form is what makes a thing what it is. Based on the principle, “form is the boundary of matter”, this paper proposes a Design by Material method, thereby addressing the knowledge gap of a systematic method for designing according to material. This method is predicated on the material specification as the first input in the design process. A formal model is built in which the material acts as a trigger and driver for the design process. The method is implemented by integrating computer-aided design (CAD) modelling and its design form. A design application is explained to demonstrate the relevance of the Design by Material method.
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Systems Engineering (SE) is a well-established field of research and practice. Nevertheless, the theory underlying SE is experiencing significant development, directly and in association with advancements in closely associated research... more
Systems Engineering (SE) is a well-established field of research and practice. Nevertheless, the theory underlying SE is experiencing significant development, directly and in association with advancements in closely associated research domains. In this final Chapter, a socio-technical perspective is applied to identify and describe major trends in SE, as well as identifying future challenges in theory and application of SE. In doing so, trends are identified for (1) strategic issues from a product and process lifecycle perspective; (2) stakeholder representation and involvement; (3) current and future technologies employed to enable SE; (4) knowledge and skills as contributed by people and teams; and (5) structures to enable transdisciplinary activities supporting a socio-technical system perspective in systems development. Challenges remain present regarding these dimensions; SE requires methods and tools that are suitable to support the dynamic and evolving nature of the systems that need to be developed including the development system itself. Besides, management of SE projects for solving complex societal problems requires people with vision and power to motivate and mobilize the necessary people and value their respective input in the overall task. Transdisciplinary Engineering is introduced as an approach in which Systems Thinking and System Approaches interoperate, taking into account the different levels of abstraction of the system of focus.
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Innovative products and services are key success factors for the manufacturing industry. Development of such products and services usually takes place in partnerships in which the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) distributes the... more
Innovative products and services are key success factors for the manufacturing industry. Development of such products and services usually takes place in partnerships in which the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) distributes the development of new products to many locations in several countries across the world. Suppliers, especially first-tier suppliers (FTSs) are involved in the development process as early as possible, because they have knowledge that is strategically important for developing the new product and services. Historically, the OEM-supplier relationship is characterized by a sequential interaction whereby the OEM gives product and production requirements to the supplier and the supplier delivers his product or service to the OEM. However, collaboration between FTS and OEM is essential to fruitfully use the knowledge of the FTS, anticipate potential downstream errors, and reduce costs and risks. The paper presents recent developments in this part of the supply cha...
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Digital Twin has been recognized as a strategic approach in the modern manufacturing industry to improve both the flexibility and the efficiency. To efficiently generate the Digital Twin of an existing real object in the factory, powerful... more
Digital Twin has been recognized as a strategic approach in the modern manufacturing industry to improve both the flexibility and the efficiency. To efficiently generate the Digital Twin of an existing real object in the factory, powerful methods are necessary. Hereby, a fast data acquisition including object recognition and model reconstruction methodology has been combined to resolve these issues. Such a data set often has to replace the missing original digital model. Subsequently, a model reconstruction plan has to be derived so that an editable CAD model, which fulfils process requirements, can be generated using standard geometry creation tools. Such a reverse-engineered CAD model preferably contains form-feature based design intent and can be easily modified due to new design and manufacturing constraints. The presented paper describes an industrial approach for a commercial service being in the implementation to generate the Digital Twin based on fast scanning on a factory.