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Manufacturing industries are continually challenged to adapt to a competitive environment. Consequently, there is an urgency to opt for automation technologies to upgrade their manufacturing facilities and make them more flexible. Especially this relates to automating manual manufacturing processes, which is often challenging to structure to ensure repetitiveness and generalization to other processes within the facility. Consequently, innovating systematic approaches to identify robotization opportunities is an interesting proposition for manufacturing set-ups that would like to integrate collaborative robots on the shop floor and struggle with the decision steps to follow. In this paper, a framework for supporting robotization effort for manufacturing set-ups is proposed. The methodology consisting of five phases, culminating in the identification of robotization opportunities. A case for manual milling manufacturing processes is demonstrated as a 'proof-of-concept'. The first step of the proposed approach focuses on task decomposition, in which manual manufacturing tasks are characterized. This is followed by task allocation to a robot and human agent based on intrinsic characteristics of the task to capabilities of the agent. Next, alternative layout configurations for candidate cell layouts are generated. In the final step, a candidate layout is selected and modeled in an agent-based simulation platform, considering factors such as realism, interaction safety between the robot and human agent, and interesting manufacturing metrics such as resource utilization and throughput rate. A final configuration is optimized, which visualizes a collaborative robot performs loading and unloading tasks alongside an operator performing highly cognitive tasks. For safety, zoning of the manufacturing cell is visualized, considering a working area separated by a safety fence.

Safe collaboration between a robotic and human agent is an important challenge yet to be fully overcome in a manufacturing set-up. Existing strategies, including safety zoning are sub-optimal since they seldom fully exploit the capabilities of the collaborative robot (for repetitive tasks) and highly cognitive tasks (best suited for the operator). The recently released ISO 15066 standard for collaborative robots proposes varying safeguards, including force, speed and distance limiting functions. The latter is particularly attractive as it allows the robotic agent to adapt its operating behaviour in proximity of the operator and in instances likely to lead to safety hazards. This paper discusses strategies explored for implementing dynamic zoning in shared workspaces, considering the input speed/force of the robot as dependent on the distance between human and robot. Two main strategies were modelled, for implementing zoning. The first strategy explored integrating a LiDAR sensor, and utilising LiDAR data to dynamically map the separation distances between the operator and robotic agent. The second strategy explores an experimental setup utilising the Microsoft Kinect V2 sensor for capturing 3D point clouds, and in turn, detecting objects/agents and the proximity distance. In both instances, objects/agents were detected up to a separation distance threshold, considering error sensitivity below values of 0.1 meters. Both use cases were demonstrated using a Yumi robot and form the basis of future work towards dynamic workspace zoning.

During the last decade, the European manufacturing industry has experienced a growing trend towards customization and personalization. As a response to increasing global competition and changing customer needs, there has been increasing attention to achieving shorter time-to-market, and manufacturing products for smaller market segments. Throughout this paper, the term ‘high variety products’ will be used to describe products that contain at least one product part with a customized geometry. There are two primary aims of this study. First, to illustrate the current challenges that Small- and Medium-sized manufacturers face with high variety products. Second, to explore how these challenges can be addressed systematically. Assembly tasks within existing manufacturing systems for high variety products typically involve a combination of manual labor and automatization. As geometrical variation is considered complex for automation, cost considerations can hinder increasing the level of automation in assembling high variety products. However, this objection might not be legitimate. Hence, this paper proposes a new design method to improve decision making for cost-effectively realizing high variety products. Two core findings of this study include: First, the achievable product variability of a production process depends on the process step least robust to geometrical variation. Second, the adjustability of product design is regarded as an enabler for customization and increased automatization of the production process.

The number of publications on the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0, short: I4.0) has increased exponentially. Likewise, significant investments by firms are planned. However, the link between purchasing and I4.0 is largely lacking even though procurement managers have high expectations. The fourth industrial revolution - which refers to the use of cyber-physical systems (CPSs) with autonomous machine-to-machine communication - could have several implications for purchasing processes. Support systems for purchasers are been developed, such as contract analysis software, and the possibility of digital negotiations has emerged and could revitalise e-marketplaces. Operative processes can act autonomously, with automated demand identification in CPSs. To support the development of I4.0 strategies in purchasing, this paper contributes by clearly defining I4.0, distinguishing it from the third industrial revolution, structuring the potential development paths of I4.0 in purchasing and by presenting the result of a project to develop a I4.0 maturity model for purchasing.

This study addresses the synthesis of sustainability-related considerations in packaging design curricula by means of educational interventions. The core of the research revolves around an educational module for students in packaging design and development. This research targets the current late-stage integration of sustainability considerations in product-packaging development processes. The combination of the front-end involvement of sustainability considerations with the focus on educational interventions in product-packaging development is lacking in currently available research. The educational interventions which are tested in representative educational environments&mdash, as presented in this article&mdash, address the required focus on the balance in decisions and criteria, trade-offs, and team dynamics within multidisciplinary product-packaging development teams. The educational framework targets five perspectives of packaging sustainability: (1) managerial decision making, (2) life cycle assessment (LCA), (3) consumer purchase behavior, (4) recycling efficiency and effectiveness, and (5) plastic recycling chain redesign. This research&rsquo, s main contribution is bridging the gap between implementing new scientific insights in the field of sustainable packaging from various perspectives, and practicing by applying the relevant knowledge in this field, by means of a design synthesis approach. This research derives findings from both an extensive introspective analysis and expert analysis of the results of the educational module.

This study aims to address the structured implementation of sustainability considerations in packaging design processes by proposing a teaching framework for design students. The framework builds upon a four-year research program which aims to deliver insights regarding the environmental burden caused by product-packaging chains in the Netherlands and cumulates in an educational program for Universities of Applied Sciences. The teaching framework addresses five perspectives of product-packaging sustainability: (1) managerial decision making, (2) life cycle assessment (LCA), (3) consumer behavior, (4) recycling efficiency and effectiveness, and (5) redesign of the plastic waste chain. The research’s main contribution is the setup and the applicability and efficacy of the proposed teaching framework. The application of this framework in packaging design education must lead to a better alignment of insights on sustainability in the early stages of packaging design processes executed by ‘designers of the future’.