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In the paper, we solved the problems regarding the improvement of the production process of allocating material to the inlet of a production hall using the Plant Simulation software in a selected company. The solved problematics are high costs for the shipping company, elimination of the necessity to transfer the semi-finished product from the external warehouse to the production hall and non-effective layout. We deal with the characteristics of the current state of the production process in the production company and create its model in Plant Simulation. Thereafter we propose solutions that can make that process more efficient. The software enables the comparison of complex production alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inventory management plays an important role in production and marketing processes, especially in production facilities and commercial institutions that have warehouses in which they store their equipment and goods. Inventory management is considered one of the most important management functions in terms of determining the ideal volume of inventory and calculating its costs, as this affects the facility’s efficiency and achieves either large profits or it causes huge losses, so warehouse managers in production facilities or institutions must determine the appropriate and ideal volume of inventory, especially when they are presented with price offers from companies seeking to market their products. These offers are directly related to the volume of the order, and in this case, they must make an ideal decision through which determine the volume of the order by taking into account the following matters: 1. Securing the quantities required for production or sale so that there is no deficit. 2. The storage cost should be as low as possible. 3. Benefit as much as possible from the discounts offered by companies. In this research, we present a complementary study to what we did in researching the neutrosophic treatment of static inventory models without deficit, through which we arrived at mathematical relationships through which we can calculate the ideal volume of the order at the lowest possible cost. We will use these relationships to determine the ideal volume of the order so that we achieve the greatest benefit from price offers and discounts. Provided by companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variational auto-encoders (VAE) have been widely used in process modeling due to the ability of deep feature extraction and noise robustness. However, the construction of a supervised VAE model still faces huge challenges. The data generated by the existing supervised VAE models are unstable and uncontrollable due to random resampling in the latent subspace, meaning the performance of prediction is greatly weakened. In this paper, a new multi-layer conditional variational auto-encoder (M-CVAE) is constructed by injecting label information into the latent subspace to control the output data generated towards the direction of the actual value. Furthermore, the label information is also used as the input with process variables in order to strengthen the correlation between input and output. Finally, a neural network layer is embedded in the encoder of the model to achieve online quality prediction. The superiority and effectiveness of the proposed method are demonstrated by two real industrial process cases that are compared with other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading numbers aloud involves visual processes that analyze the digit string and verbal processes that produce the number words. Cognitive models of number reading assume that information flows from the visual input to the verbal production processes—a feed‐forward processing mode in which the verbal production depends on the visual input but not vice versa. Here, I show that information flows also in the opposite direction, from verbal production to the visual input processes. Participants read aloud briefly presented multi‐digit strings in Hebrew, in which the order of words is congruent with the order of digits (21 = twenty‐and‐one), and in Arabic, in which the ones word precedes the tens word (one‐and‐twenty). The error‐by‐digit‐position curve was affected by language: relative to Hebrew, in Arabic the error rate was slightly lower for the unit digit and slightly higher for the decade digit, indicating that in Arabic the unit digit was processed earlier and the decade digit later, in accord with the Arabic word order. This language‐dependent processing order originated in the visual level and was not a verbal confound, because it persisted even when I controlled for the serial position of the decade/unit word in the verbal number by using numbers with 0 (two hundred three/two hundred thirty). I conclude that the visual analyzer's digit scanning order, decade‐first or unit‐first, is not fixed but affected by the language in which the number is produced—a top‐down, verbal‐to‐visual information flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ilex paraguariensis is a species native to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentine, valued by its positive effects on human health. Mate processing consists of the following stages: pre-drying (rapid drying at high temperature, known as sapeco operation), drying, and milling. In order to verify the current process and to propose future improvements to the mate processing, thermal and mass balance analysis were applied to industrial mate processing units. Results showed that the consumption of energy in sapeco and drying operations exceeds the calorific input necessary for these operations. These results verify the need for a change in the management of temperatures in the sapeco and drying stages of mate processing in order to optimize the consumption of energy, resulting in lower costs, with positive effects on the quality of the mate products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the manufacturing process of aircraft panel parts resquires accurately extracting the machining allowance, this paper proposes a repair method of panel parts based on the measured point cloud data. First, a feature point detection algorithm based on normal difference is designed to extract the initial feature points of the reference panels. Second, the iterative shrinkage optimization model is established to perform shrinkage optimization on the initial feature points to obtain the final feature points of the reference panels. Finally, registration is performed according to the tooling positioning holes, and after the feature points of the reference panel are mapped to the panel to be repaired, feature points are connected in a certain order to obtain the processing path of the panel to be repaired. Processing is carried out according to the repairing path and the gap of the panels is detected after the assemble. Experimental result show that this method can accurately extract the processing path of the panel to be repaired and after processing verification, and the gap between the wall panels is less than 1.2 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze applications of biform games to linear production (LP) and sequencing processes. Biform games apply to problems in which strategic decisions are followed by some cooperative game, where the specific environment of the cooperative game is in turn determined by these strategic decisions. In biform LP-processes, we allow firms to compete for resources, rather than assuming the resource bundles are simply given. With strategy dependent resource bundles that can be obtained from two locations, we show that the induced strategic game has a (pure) Nash equilibrium, using the Owen set or any game-theoretic solution concept that satisfies anonymity to solve the cooperative LP-game. In biform sequencing processes, we no longer assume an initial processing order is given. Instead, this initial order is strategically determined. Solving the second-stage cooperative sequencing game using a gain splitting rule, we fully determine the set of Nash equilibria of the induced strategic game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the increasingly pressing problem for any commercial company is that of being flexible in order to respond to market demands. One of the places where continuous adaptation to market requirements is needed are warehouses. Depending on the needs, the warehouse must be able to redefine its routes for storing and delivering products. FlexSim software can be used for modelling, simulation, and improvement systems such as manufacturing, warehousing, health, material handling, logistics, etc. The aim of this paper is to improve the existing flow in a warehouse. For this, in the first stage, the warehouse is simulated in its existing state in order to be able to see the reception times, the storage mode, the package preparation times as well as the transport times. Based on the data obtained, in the second part, a simulation will be carried out in which the flow in the warehouse will be improved, starting from the different aspects identified in the initial simulation. FlexSim software is used to define the model, simulate and improve the warehouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product assembly is often one of the last steps in the production process. Product assembly is often carried out by workers (assemblers) rather than robots, as it is generally challenging to adapt automation to any product. When assembling complex products, it can take a long time before the assembler masters all the steps and can assemble the product independently. Training time has no added value; therefore, it should be reduced as much as possible. This paper presents a custom-developed system that enables the guided assembly of complex and diverse products using modern technologies. The system is based on pick-to-light (PTL) modules, used primarily in logistics as an additional aid in the order picking process, and Computer Vision technology. The designed system includes a personal computer (PC), several custom-developed PTL modules and a USB camera. The PC with a touchscreen visualizes the assembly process and allows the assembler to interact with the system. The developed PC application guides the operator through the assembly process by showing all the necessary assembly steps and parts. Two-step verification is used to ensure that the correct part is picked out of the bin, first by checking that the correct pushbutton on the PTL module has been pressed and second by using a camera with a Computer Vision algorithm. The paper is supported by a use case demonstrating that the proposed system reduces the assembly time of the used product. The presented solution is scalable and flexible as it can be easily adapted to show the assembly steps of another product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a limited understanding of automation in construction materials-handling processes utilised by manufacturing firms in Nigeria. This article evaluates the level of utilisation of automation in construction materials-handling operations by manufacturing firms in North-Central Nigeria, to improve operational efficiency and reduce operating costs. Using a case study research design, quantitative data (observation guide with measurements) were collected from 32 purposively selected constructionmaterial manufacturers. A total of 72 customers' orders were observed and recorded to be representative of deliveries from the sampled (n=32) manufacturers' warehouses to other terminals. The descriptive method of data analysis was employed using percentages and results presented in a form of bar charts. The study reveals low-level utilisation of automation in the combined processes of order picking, storage, loading, and offloading of material. These imply increasing material costs and causing a delay in delivery. The article concludes by providing construction-material manufacturers with areas that require automation to optimise material-handling operations. A recommendation is made for further study to explore why automation is not utilised despite its advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-productive auxiliary processes affect the single part and small badge production of milling tools. The key production process grinding is inevitably linked to the auxiliary conditioning process. The time demand of those process steps decreases the overall productivity of the manufacturing process. However, today the machine operator decides on conditioning cycles individually by the use of experience. Until today, there is no objective data based approach available that supports the initiation of these conditioning processes or the adaption of the grinding process itself in order to improve its process efficiency. For this purpose, a process-related topography evaluation method of the grinding wheel surface is developed within this study. For the measurement, an optical method based on laser triangulation is used. The measurement system is implemented into a common tool grinding machine tool. In addition, characteristic topography values are defined that show the wear conditions of the grinding tool. Moreover, the data is summarized in a database of wear conditions. The developed measurement method can save grinding and dressing tool resources, process times and minimizes scrap parts. In addition, an adaptation of the process and a targeted launch of auxiliary processes can be enabled. The novel characteristic-based topography measurement creates the opportunity to enhance the tool life of the grinding wheels up to 30% without losing productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In semiconductor manufacturing processes, yield analysis aims to increase the yield by determining and managing the causes of low yield. The variable data collected from semiconductor manufacturing processes, in which hundreds of unit processes are implemented according to specific conditions and sequences, are interdependent, and the variables related to previous processes influence the variables in subsequent processes. Therefore, the order of processes should be considered when building a model that searches for the causes of low yield. However, there have been few studies in this area. This paper proposes a low-yield root cause search method considering the order of processes using a long short-term memory with attention mechanism (LSTM-AM) model. Specifically, the LSTM-AM model is applied to data classified according to the process structure of semiconductor products, and the causes of low yield are determined considering the order of processes by extracting attention weights. Experiments are conducted to verify the suitability of the proposed method using real yield data from a semiconductor company. The experimental results confirm that the proposed method outperforms the existing low yield root cause search methods in terms of low yield prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The microbial evolution of the J'ben Elgafs prepared with raw milk from local cows, was studied during the manufacturing and maturating process in order to characterize this variety of cheese from the Algerian terroir. Methods: The microbial activity and physical-chemical parameters were tested during the three dairy seasons of the year. Total, lactics and alteration floras were counted on their selective environments. Result: Lactic germs multiply considerably during the first days and only stabilize towards the end of maturation. The low presence of alteration floras is the result of the continuous modification of the physico-chemical parameters of Aw and pH from one stage to the other of the j'ben production and the respect of good processing practices. These different proportions of variation are induced by the biochemical reactions and microbial interactions that take place responsible for the sequential growth of one microbial group compared to another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) can produce either hydrogen or accumulate PHB. • PHB production depends on the pH, high C/N ratios, and N, S, P, limitation. • An excess of carbon from acetate or butyrate favors PHB production. • R. sphaeroides and R. capsulatus accumulate more PHB than other PNSB. • Wastewater and consortia are recommended to reduce economic costs. Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB), most commonly called photobacteria, are a group of photoheterotrophic bacteria well known for their ability to produce hydrogen while degrading several carbon substrates, such as organic acids and carbohydrates, as well as organic matter in wastewater and effluents from other processes, such as dark fermentation. Given that this group of photobacteria is also capable of accumulating polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as a storage compound, this review paper aims to present and discuss the different operational and nutritional conditions reported in the literature that favor PHB production by PNSB in order to guide the process conditions that should be used. A comparison of the accumulated PHB content among different PNSB strains on several carbon and nitrogen sources and concentrations is also outlined. This paper also addresses some future perspectives for PHB production, such as the use of wastewater as a substrate and mixed cultures to reduce economic costs and the environmental impact and make the PHB production process more profitable, sustainable and attractive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For production companies, the identification and elimination of logistics losses have a great importance, as it mostly determines their competitiveness. Reducing the turnaround time of logistics processes has so far been mainly in the production areas, however, in order to serve the production processes smoothly and efficiently, the proper selection of raw material warehousing strategies has become extremely important. The paper presents the currently used warehouse material handling strategies and the concept of their appropriate selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have proliferated in most of the application domains that involve data processing, predictive analysis and knowledge inference. Alongside the need for developing highly performance-efficient DNN accelerators, there is an utmost need to improve the yield of the manufacturing process in order to reduce the per unit cost of the DNN accelerators. To this end, we present 'SalvageDNN', a methodology to enable reliable execution of DNNs on the hardware accelerators with permanent faults (typically due to imperfect manufacturing processes). It employs a fault-aware mapping of different parts of a given DNN on the hardware accelerator (subjected to faults) by leveraging the saliency of the DNN parameters and the fault map of the underlying processing hardware. We also present novel modifications in a systolic array design to further improve the yield of the accelerators while ensuring reliable DNN execution using 'SalvageDNN' and negligible overheads in terms of area, power/energy and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of optimal structures and the planning of (additive manufacturing) fabrication sequences have been considered typically as two separate tasks that are performed consecutively. In the light of recent advances in robot-assisted (wire-arc) additive manufacturing which enable addition of material along curved surfaces, we present a novel topology optimization formulation which concurrently optimizes the structure and the fabrication sequence. For this, two sets of design variables, i.e., a density field for defining the structural layout, and a time field which determines the fabrication process order, are simultaneously optimized. These two fields allow to generate a sequence of intermediate structures, upon which manufacturing constraints (e.g., fabrication continuity and speed) are imposed. The proposed space-time formulation is general, and is demonstrated on three fabrication settings, considering self-weight of the intermediate structures, process-dependent critical loads, and time-dependent material properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an Augmented Reality system for the improvement of the manufacturing process in the packaging sector. It presents a successful use case of how to integrate the Augmented Reality technology in a factory shop floor by providing a tool that helps operators in their daily work. Given a product reference, the proposed system digitizes the setting of the die cutter automatically from an image and stores it in a database to subsequently consult and analyze. Furthermore, the content display is not carried out as a conventional Augmented Reality system (wearable devices such as glasses or mobile), but projecting directly on the workspace to facilitate its interpretation. Compared to the current workflow, where the data is recorded on sheets of paper and stored physically in warehouses, the proposed system offers several advantages such as preventing data loss, reducing costs, or the possibility of increasing knowledge from the post-processing of digitized data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring the effective development of manufacturing enterprises requires a number of activities that are concerned with the planning and systematic organization of its activities, making and implementing management decisions, conducting production and innovation processes and evaluating the results achieved on the basis of the involvement of internal and external strategic impulses. The article analyzes the concept of strategy, its structure and its functions. It has been revealed that the task of strategic planning of activity and development of the enterprise is one of the important in the conditions of competition. Many real enterprises were not prepared for its decision. In order to understand this process, it is necessary to disclose the content of the strategic approach in enterprise theory and in the practice of enterprise management. The main objective of this article is to determine the requirements for the development and implementation of strategies arising from the theoretical analysis of the internal and external environment of the enterprise. In formulating the strategy of the enterprise it is important not to get lost in the infinity of incomparable possibilities of strategic choice, to reduce the variety of these opportunities in each line of activity of the enterprise to a discrete set of options. Developing and presenting recommendations for conducting this necessary part of strategy development and implementation is the second objective of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tapered gas-solid risers have been used in some industrial processes in order to adapt to the requirements of various reactions, but little attention was paid to these reactors in previous investigation. In this work, three-dimensional gas-solid flow in tapered-out and tapered-in risers was simulated by the two-fluid model using an improved structure-dependent drag based on the EMMS model. The EMMS model was solved at different axial levels to determine different correlations of heterogeneity index with voidage, which were then interpolated between these levels to improve the prediction of varying interphase drag in the tapered risers. Considering the axial variation of the EMMS drag, the simulation predicts much more reasonable flow dynamics in the tapered risers than those coupled with an average EMMS drag or homogeneous drag laws. The axial and radial heterogeneities as well as the parametric effects on the flow dynamics in the tapered risers were discussed in detail, so as to provide reference for the proper design of tapered gas-solid riser reactors. Unlabelled Image • Tapered gas-solid risers are studied by three-dimensional numerical simulation. • An improved EMMS drag is calculated and incorporated into the simulation. • Axial variation of drag is determined by interpolating between various heights. • EMMS-based simulation predicts reasonable flow dynamics in the tapered risers. • Parametric effects on flow dynamics in the tapered risers are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous penetration of renewable energies, the control requirements for conventional thermal power unit superheated steam temperature (SST) systems are gradually increasing, to cope with more frequent and large-scale load changes. As a key parameter in the thermal power generation process, SST directly affects the safe and economic operation of the unit. However, the SST system is a typical high-order, large inertia industrial process, which poses severe difficulties to improve the control performance in practice, especially the disturbance rejection performance. To this end, this paper proposes a phase compensation (PC) based low-order active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) strategy for a class of high-order, large-inertia processes. Firstly, the working principles and control problems of SST system are illustrated, and the SST model is identified based on the open-loop step experiment data. Then, the phase compensation network model is derived in detail by low-frequency approximation. A design shift is presented, PC is adopted to compensate process dynamics and obtain reduced-order plant equivalently, which makes it also accessible to other error-based controllers. For engineering practice, its simple implementation and equivalent plant analysis for PC-ADRC control system are also given. At last, the stability and robustness of the PC-ADRC control system are carefully studied. The PC-ADRC controller parameters are determined according to the ideal dynamics and the trade-off between the performance and robustness. Both analysis and simulations show that the PC can effectively improve the robustness and fast response ability of high-order process control system. The efficacy of the proposed method is verified by simulation results based on the identified model, and a laboratory experiment shows the promise in practical applications. • A phase compensation based ADRC controller for high order large inertia processes is proposed. • A practical phase compensation network for a class of high order processes is obtained by low frequency approximation. • The PC-ADRC controller parameters are determined according to the ideal dynamics and the trade-off between the robustness and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Single pass ultrafiltration is an emerging technology in continuous bioprocessing. • Single pass modules are configured with multiple membranes in series and/or parallel. • Approaches for module configuration are currently not well-defined for the end-user. • A single-membrane model is used as a building block for modelling complex configurations. • An in-silico optimization approach is developed, facilitating membrane area savings. Formulation of biotherapeutics using single pass tangential-flow filtration (SPTFF) is a critical step in continuous manufacturing processes for many drugs including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The concentration of the mAb in the final formulation is a critical quality attribute which affects safety and efficacy and is determined by the concentration factor achieved by the process material stream in a single pass through an SPTFF module. Modern SPTFF modules consist of multiple smaller membranes connected in different series and parallel configurations to increase the overall membrane area and residence time of the process material in order to achieve high concentration factors in a single pass. The present work leverages the gel polarization model of protein ultrafiltration to develop a model for the permeate flux vs. time profile of a single membrane inside an SPTFF module based on three key resistances, namely the boundary layer resistance, resistance of the deposited protein layer over time, and intrinsic membrane resistance. Correlations are developed to predict the key mechanistic parameters across the typical operating range of flow rate, bulk concentration and transmembrane pressure in downstream mAb processing steps. The single membrane model is then used as a building block to model complex SPTFF configurations with diverse tree structures, and to facilitate in-silico design of customized SPTFF configurations based on operating targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to design a correlated storage assignment system by storing items with demand dependences together to minimize zone visits when picking materials/parts in production line. The demand dependences can be obtained from the products' bill of materials (BOMs) and production rates. Due to the large number of materials in a BOM, picking capacity constraint is explicitly considered. A mathematical model is formulated and heuristic algorithms are proposed, including two direct heuristics and two hybrid genetic algorithms with different crossover mechanisms. Numerical experimentation shows that the hybrid genetic algorithm with 2-point crossover outperforms others and can be practical in warehouse design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carousel conveyors (also known simply as "carousels") are an important and well-known type of material handling system used in warehousing and manufacturing to store/retrieve small-to-medium-sized parts. A traditional multi-tier (or multi-level) carousel, which is powered by a single drive, rotates as a whole unit, and brings the items to the input/output point one at a time, since each level cannot be rotated independently. A special type of carousel (also known as a "rotary rack") uses a dedicated drive for each level of the carousel. This allows each level of the carousel to rotate independently of and concurrently with the other levels. It also allows a rotary rack to support multiple pickers (or robots) while a traditional carousel can support typically only one picker. Although rotary racks have been available for quite some time, questions about their performance and efficient use remain largely unanswered, especially in comparison with traditional carousels, which have been the subject of numerous studies. Assuming one or more picking robots, in this paper we use a simulation model to develop and analyze four retrieval strategies for a rotary rack. We compare the performance of the four strategies as a function of the input data and the number of robots in the system. We also address the question of the appropriate number of robots. As one would expect, the simulation results indicate that the throughput of the system increases with the number of robots. However, more robots also lead to more idle time per robot. We show the tradeoff between the expected time required to process an order and the expected idle time per robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using grey relational analysis, this paper analyzes the components of supply chain response time. The results show that the order-processing time ranks the first, product-distributing time ranks the next, and manufacturing time ranks the last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Combination of two different manufacturing processes simultaneously one thermo-mechanical grinding and the other purely mechanical: burnishing. • 3D Finite element model developed for the simultaneous grinding/ball-burnishing involving thermo-mechanical approaches. • Compressive residual stress results obtained after simultaneous grinding /ball-burnishing at a thick layer of about 2.7 mm under the surface. • The increase of the burnishing pressure increases the maximal value of the compressive residual stress results and the affected workpiece depth until reaching a threshold burnishing pressure value. In the manufacturing field, a growing interest is being held to the environment, to sustainability and more precisely saving energy and time. Combining thermomechanical with pure mechanical processes is an eco-friendly and profitable technique. In this paper, it is proposed to combine grinding and ball-burnishing processes. Further from reducing time, energy and cost of the manufacturing operations, this original combination is imagined to take benefit from thermomechanical history occurring while grinding to optimise ball-burnishing process in order to enhance the workpiece surface integrity. In this paper, the impact of this newly developed process on the surface and subsurface behaviour is studied through experiments and 3D FEM simulations. It is shown that performing simultaneously grinding and ball-burnishing processes leads to a thick surface layer up to several millimetres with compressive residual stresses state. This is an interesting result to increase sustainability of metallic workpieces by enhancing wear resistance, fatigue strength and fatigue lifetime. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study is to develop a specific structured procedure to assess the sustainability performance of conventional and flow drilling manufacturing processes. A systematic literature review was carried out in order to find a set of information to assess sustainability performance in drilling manufacturing. Interviews were conducted with professionals and researchers from the manufacturing and industrial engineering fields to assess information collected during the theoretical research and to define a set of aspects related to the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability. Based on the herein developed methodological procedures, it was possible assessing the sustainability performance in manufacturing processes that were the object of the present study. The specific structured procedure allowed implementing a viable methodology based on correlating results to information developed in the research, as well as on adapting and extrapolating it to other manufacturing processes in order to generate environmental, social and economic gains to companies. Image 1 • Use of the main existing models found in the systematic review for sustainability assessment. • Assessment of aspects using a group of stakeholders with knowledge in the manufacturing area. • Obtain the Product from the analysis which is the Structured Procedure for Sustainability Assessment in Manufacturing. • Apply the Structured Procedure adapted and applied in other manufacturing processes generating environmental, social and economic gains for companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, novel biorefinery processes for obtaining value-added chemicals such as biosugar and hesperidin from mandarin peel waste (MPW) are described. Herein, three different treatment methods were comparatively evaluated to obtain high yields of biosugar and hesperidin from MPW. Each method was determined by changes in the order of three processing steps, i.e., oil removal, hesperidin extraction, and enzymatic hydrolysis. The order of the three steps was found to have a significant influence on the production yields. Biosugar and hesperidin production yields were highest with method II, where the processing steps were performed in the following order: oil removal, enzymatic hydrolysis, and hesperidin extraction. The maximum yields obtained with method II were 34.46 g of biosugar and 6.48 g of hesperidin per initial 100 g of dry MPW. Therefore, the methods shown herein are useful for the production of hesperidin and biosugar from MPW. Furthermore, the utilization of MPWs as sources of valuable materials may be of considerable economic benefits and has become increasingly attractive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a computational model for a discontinuous fibre composite manufacturing process. The alignment mechanism of this novel process, called the High Performance Discontinuous Fibre (HiPerDiF) method, involves highly coupled fluid-structure interactions. Fibres with a length on the order of a few millimetres are placed in a water suspension, sprayed between two parallel plates and deposited on a moving belt to make an aligned discontinuous fibre tape. This technology can be used as part of a composites recycling process to remanufacture reclaimed fibres into valuable recycled composite feedstock by ensuring a high level of alignment. In order to industrialise this process, the throughput must be increased whilst maintaining the high level of alignment. This work aims to assist this development by modelling the alignment mechanism using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH). It is shown through comparison to experiments that SPH models the process well and captures the influences affecting fibre alignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of lumber manufacturing lies on the ability to maintain the quality of the wood along the production process. The drying stage in a sawmill is one of the more important steps in the lumber production, since wood value and characteristics required by customers depend on this process phase. In a sawmill, a set of drying kilns operating in parallel out of phase is available, and periodically, packages of boards enter to this drying sector in order to be processed. Drying kilns are filled with wagons loaded with packages of boards. Different operative conditions must be satisfied in order to assure an efficient processing. These tasks involve several decisions, which are addressed through a Generalized Disjunctive Programming model, and solved using the corresponding Mixed Integer Programming reformulation considering different objective functions. From the examples, two scenarios are assessed and the capabilities of the presented approach are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a growing availability of polylactide (PLA) intended to three-dimensional molding applications, its spatial dependence of structural evolution during hygrothermal aging needs to be further investigated, in order to evaluate the service and degradation of PLA. This work mainly focuses on the spatial dependence of ordering process in the bulk materials of PLA and PLA/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) multiple system during hygrothermal aging. It is the first time that the microbeam wide angle X-ray diffraction (μWAXD) combined with differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy are utilized to quantitatively analyze the spatial dependence of ordering process in the three-dimensional samples. Interestingly, owing to the presence of substantial mesophase and the preferential penetration of water molecules, stronger diffraction intensity in the skin layer can be identified in PLA/PBAT blends at the initial stage of hygrothermal aging, meanwhile neat PLA remains a negligible crystallinity. We ascribe the accelerated crystallization in PLA/PBAT blends to the higher X meso (6.3–9.0%) for unaged PLA/PBAT blends. Moreover, at the initial stage of hygrothermal aging, the mesophase can act as active nuclei to promote the formation of crystal, and the PBAT could act as heterogeneous nucleation to facilitate the transformation of mobile amorphous (MAF) to mesophase. However, at the late stage the original mesophase consumes up and the increasing ordered phase could act as physical cross-linking point to hinder the transforming into local ordering, leading to the slower transformation rate in PLA/PBAT blends than that in neat PLA. Notably, the obvious change of phase morphology can be observed at the late stage, and a blurred interface between PLA and PBAT may infer an improved compatibility. The reason for improved compatibility between PLA and PBAT can range a wide combination of factors including lower molecular weight PLA produced by hydrolysis and transesterification. • The spatial dependence of ordering process in a bulk material of PLA during hygrothermal aging is revealed. • The μWAXD combined with DSC and SEM are firstly utilized to analyze ordering process. analyzed. • The spatial dependence of ordering process is quantitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates an order acceptance and scheduling problem with an energy consumption budget, a machine launch budget, and the order release time in a green manufacturing system. The phenomenon of deteriorating jobs is considered in the production of the accepted orders. The objective of the study is to maximize the net revenue and a modified variable neighborhood search (MVNS) Algorithm that combines a novel encoding and decoding procedure as well as a dynamic programming algorithm is developed to solve it. To show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm, we first employ the MVNS algorithm and seven VNS-based algorithms to solve the problems with different configurations of orders and machines. The results show that the MVNS algorithm obtains better solutions than existing VNS-based algorithms. Then, the proposed algorithm is compared with three meta-heuristic algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has significant advantages in terms of solution optimality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]