Leveraging Robust Artificial Intelligence for Mechatronic Product Development—A Literature Review

Mechatronic product development is a complex and multidisciplinary field that encompasses various domains, including, among others, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, control theory and software engineering. The integration of artificial intelligence technologies is revolutionizing this domain, offering opportunities to enhance design processes, optimize performance, and leverage vast amounts of knowledge. However, human expertise remains essential in contextualizing information, considering trade-offs, and ensuring ethical and societal implications are taken into account. This paper therefore explores the existing literature regarding the application of artificial intelligence as a comprehensive database, decision support system, and modeling tool in mechatronic product development. It analyzes the benefits of artificial intelligence in enabling domain linking, replacing human expert knowledge, improving prediction quality, and enhancing intelligent control systems. For this purpose, a consideration of the V-cycle takes place, a standard in mechatronic product development. Along this, an initial assessment of the AI potential is shown and important categories of AI support are formed. This is followed by an examination of the literature with regard to these aspects. As a result, the integration of artificial intelligence in mechatronic product development opens new possibilities and transforms the way innovative mechatronic systems are conceived, designed, and deployed. However, the approaches are only taking place selectively, and a holistic view of the development processes and the potential for robust and context-sensitive artificial intelligence along them is still needed.

Ultra-high Temperature Ceramic Coatings:A Review on Preparation Technology and Development Prospect

Ultra-high temperature ceramic coatings have ultra-high melting points,excellent mechanical properties and high temperature ablation resistance.These unique performance combinations turn it into a promising material for use in extreme environment structures in rockets and hypersonic vehicles,particularly nozzles,leading edges and engine components.In this paper,various preparation methods of ultra-high temperature ceramic coatings were reviewed,including plasma spraying,chemical vapor deposition,pack cementation,slurry sintering,hot pressing and their research progress.Meanwhile,some new preparation methods of high temperature coatings,such as ion beam deposition,ultrasonic spraying,metal organic frame work coating,and magnetron sputtering,were introduced.The development trend of ultra-high temperature coatings was prospected as well.

Integrated Product Development in Rhinoplasty:A Case Study

The 3D simulation in preoperative design for nasal plastic surgery was studied to help patients see the postoperative effects and reduce medical disputes.The study developed and clinically tested an innovative design for surgical guides for nasal plastic surgery,which showed positive results in patient satisfaction and accuracy in achieving the preoperative simulated effect.The study also investigated the process of designing and producing nasal prostheses and how patient feedback could be obtained using third-party social media voting.Patient satisfaction information was collected and evaluated using the Likert scale,and the data statistical analysis was carried out with the SPSS19.0 software.More than 94.1% of the patients were satisfied with the postoperative results.The study provides a good reference case for the integration of knowledge and skills from the medicine,design,and engineering fields in the development of medical devices.

Sustainable, thermoplastic and hydrophobic coating from natural cellulose and cinnamon to fabricate eco-friendly catering packaging

Non-degradable polymers cause serious environmental pollution problem,such as the widely-used while unrecyclable coatings which significantly affect the overall degradation performance of products.It is imperative and attractive to develop biodegradable functional coatings.Herein,we proposed a novel strategy to successfully prepare biodegradable,thermoplastic and hydrophobic coatings with high transparence and biosafety by weakening the interchain interactions between cellulose chain.The natural cellulose and cinnamic acid were as raw materials.Via reducing the degree of polymerization(DP)of cellulose and regulating the degree of substitution(DS)of cinnamate moiety,the obtained cellulose cinnamate(CC)exhibited not only the thermalflow behavior but also good biodegradability,which solves the conflict between the thermoplasticity and biodegradability in cellulose-based materials.The glass transition temperature(T_(g))and thermalflow temperature(T_(f))of the CC could be adjusted in a range of 150–200℃ and 180–210℃,respectively.The CC with DS<1.2 and DP≤100 degraded more than 60%after an enzyme treatment for 7 days,and degraded more than 80%after a composting treatment for 42 days.Furthermore,CC had no toxicity to human epidermal cells even at a high concentration(0.5 mg mL^(-1)).In addition,CC could be easily fabricated into multifunctional coating with high hydrophobicity,thermal adhesion and high transparence.Therefore,after combining with cellophane and paperboard,CC coating with low DP and DS could be used to prepare fully-biodegradable heat-sealing packaging,art paper,paper cups,paper straws and food packaging boxes.

First-principles study on the diffusion behavior of Cs and I in Cr coating

Cs and I can migrate through fuel-cladding interfaces and accelerate the cladding corrosion process induced by the fuel-cladding chemical interaction.Cr coating has emerged as an important candidate for mitigating this chemical interaction.In this study,first-principles calculations were employed to investigate the diffusion behavior of Cs and I in the Cr bulk and grain boundaries to reveal the microscopic interaction mitigation mechanisms at the fuel-cladding interface.The interaction between these two fission products and the Cr coating were studied systematically,and the Cs and I temperature-dependent diffusion coefficients in Cr were obtained using Bocquet’s oversized solute-atom model and Le Claire’s nine-frequency model,respectively.The results showed that the Cs and I migration barriers were significantly lower than that of Cr,and the Cs and I diffusion coefficients were more than three orders of magnitude larger than the Cr self-diffusion coefficient within the temperature range of Generation-IV fast reactors(below 1000 K),demonstrating the strong penetration ability of Cs and I.Furthermore,Cs and I are more likely to diffuse along the grain boundary because of the generally low migration barriers,indicating that the grain boundary serves as a fast diffusion channel for Cs and I.

Preparation and characterization of PTFE coating in new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor for testing liquor products

A new method was developed based on the electron beam vacuum dispersion（EBVD） technology to prepare the PTFE polymer coating of the new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor for testing liquor products. The new method was applied in the new EBVD equipment which we designed. A real-time system monitoring the polymer coating＇s thickness was designed for the new EBVD equipment according to the quartz crystal microbalance（QCM） principle, playing an important role in preparing stable and uniform PTFE polymer coatings of the same thickness. 30 pieces of PTFE polymer coatings on the surface of the quartz crystal basis were prepared with the PTFE polymer ultrafine powder（purity ≥ 99.99%）as the starting material. We obtained 30 pieces of new PTFE polymer sensors. By using scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, the structure of the PTFE polymer coating＇s column clusters was studied. One sample from the 30 pieces of new PTFE polymer sensors was analysed by SEM in four scales, i.e., 400×, 1000×, 10000×, and 25000×. It was shown that under the condition of high bias voltage and low bias current, uniformly PTFE polymer coating could be achieved, which indicates that the new EBVD equipment is suitable for mass production of stable and uniform polymer coating.

Development of Continuous Coating and Plating Strip Steel

The development trend of coated and plated technology for continuous strip steels,which include hot dip plating,electroplating,organic coating and vacuum plating technology,were summarized.

STUDY ON MICROWAVE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF EPOXY RESIN MIXTURES USED FOR RAPID PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

This paper presents a preliminary study on the dielectric properties and curing of three different types of epoxy resins mixed at various stoichiometric mixture of hardener, flydust and aluminium powder under microwave energy. In this work, the curing process of thin layers of epoxy resins using microwave radiation was investigated as an alternative technique that can' be implemented to develop a new rapid product development technique. In this study it was observed that the curing time and temperature were a function of the percentage of hardener and fillers presence in the epoxy resins. Initially dielectric properties of epoxy resins with hardener were measured which was directly correlated to the curing process in order to understand the properties of cured specimen. Tensile tests were conducted on the three different types of epoxy resins with hardener and fillers. Modifying dielectric properties of the mixtures a significant decrease in curing time was observed. In order to study the microstructural changes of cured specimen the morphology of the fracture surface was carried out by using scanning electron microscopy.

OPTIMIZATION METHOD FOR VIRTUAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT BASED ON SIMULATION METAMODEL AND ITS APPLICATION

Virtual product development (VPD) is essentially based on simulation. Due tocomputational inefficiency, traditional engineering simulation software and optimization methods areinadequate to analyze optimization problems in VPD. Optimization method based on simulationmetamodel for virtual product development is proposed to satisfy the needs of complex optimaldesigns driven by VPD. This method extends the current design of experiments (DOE) by variousmetamodeling technologies. Simulation metamodels are built to approximate detailed simulation codes,so as to provide link between optimization and simulation, or serve as a bridge for simulationsoftware integration among different domains. An example of optimal design for composite materialstructure is used to demonstrate the newly introduced method.

Investigation Into the Market-Orientated New Product Development Performance

The effect that the market orientation brings to product innovation performance is reported and the degree of product innovativeness is explored. The interdepartmental integration inside the company is also investigated. A series of hypotheses were developed aiming at presenting a conceptual framework to clarify how market orientation contributes to product innovation performance-moderated by the degree of product innovativeness and affected by the interdepartmental integration. Survey data from 36 business units were analyzed based on the respondents in the research. The statistic results suggest a substantial positive effect of market orientation on product innovation performance. Under the condition of incremental innovativeness among the samples, the more innovative the product is, the more improvements in product innovation performance would be achieved. A variety of particular interdepartmental integration mechanisms have been certified to lend more supports to establishing market orientation and improving product innovation performance.

Lean Product Development Process with Design Verification Stages in the Value Stream of Automotive Industry

In the automotive industry, lean projects and innovation creation come to life by being updated under the control of systematic interdisciplinary process flows. The lean product development process that changes the shell, defined under the light of the variables created by the competitive conditions, is today measured by the value flow efficiency and the global market spread of the final product. Consequently, the lean product development approach, which aims to identify and purify all the wastes that do none value or create value to the system or cause burdens in the new product development process, is shaped by step-by-step approvals in the flow. In the main automotive industry company practices within the scope of the research (3 national, 3 international), the beginning of the concept of lean in design is to define and optimize the steps in the product development process under the value stream map. Therefore, the product function for which the customer has paid for, the function of the new product or the physical structure used to meet the needs in question, the comfort, life, experience, innovations of the scope that constitute the new product concept are planned and verified and implemented in the simplified automotive design stages at the beginning of the lean product development process. In this research, initial automotive design objectives and stages are at the focal point of the innovation and added value creation brought by the concept of “lean” approach. The research is modelled on the determination of steps that do not create added value together with the points where the flow circuits’ or stems, the process is devalued, the interdisciplinary holistic studies intensify, the information and delay begin and end in the sequential and simultaneous design validation step transition stages, which are examined under the lean approach. As a visual and virtual tool that enables the elaboration of nominal values such as the total duration of the design verification stages and the influence of interdisciplinary stakeholders or the test level of the product design with the new product added, it reveals the value flow or losses. Hence research;from innovation creation and new product design steps, which constitute the initial stages of the lean product development process, to design verification analysis, the efficiency of the automotive company processes within the scope of the research has been measured by comparing using lean automotive design techniques, methods and concepts.

Exploring Barriers and Opportunities in Adopting Crowdsourcing Based New Product Development in Manufacturing SMEs

Crowdsourcing is an innovative business practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content or even funds by soliciting contributions from a large group of people （the ＇Crowd＇）. The potential benefits of utilizing crowdsourcing in product design are well-documented, but little research exists on what are the barriers and opportunities in adopting crowdsourcing in new product development （NPD） of manufacturing SMEs. In order to answer the above questions, a Proof of Market study is carried out on crowdsourcing-based product design under an Innovate UK funded Smart project, which aims at identifying the needs, challenges and future development opportunities associated with adopting crowdsourcing strategies for NPD. The research findings from this study are reported here and can be used to guide future development of crowdsourcing-based collaborative design methods and tools and provide some practical references for industry to adopt this new and emerging collaborative design method in their business.

Impact of the synergy between technology management and technological capability on new product development:a system dynamics approach

This paper employs system dynamics to explore how the synergy between technology management and technological capability affects new product development.The results show that the synergy between technology management and technological capability has positive impact on new product development.Moreover, the leading synergy processes between technology management and technological capability in different new product development stages are different.This paper deepens the theoretical understanding of how to achieve new product development, and also provides useful guidance for firms to implement new product development.

ADAPTABLE DESIGN IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

A newly emerging design pattern, named as adaptable design （AD）, which aims at developing products that are adaptable from design to post-life cycle, is discussed. AD consists of four main phases： product modeling, design platform, specific design and product redesign. A new process-based design data model （PDDM） is presented which is organized according to the principles of convenient knowledge extraction, data representation, layout, sharing and reuse. Based on the PDDM, a universal design platform for product family development is established, which has characters of modularity, parameter-driven, variant design, etc. The framework of the platform is also proposed as a conceptual structure and overall logical organization for generating a family of products. AD methodology is successfully applied to develop a family of tunnel boring machine （TBM） for different engineering projects, with the efficiency of our developing team being greatly increased.

Evaluation of Lean Product Development Stages of Autonomous Vehicle Technologies with AHP Method

The potential innovation and emerging workforce created by autonomous vehicle technologies, which have just entered the lean product development disciplines, play an important role in the development or change of the automotive manufacturing industry. Therefore, the intensity of work and the innovation practices brought by the technologies in question at each step of very different and interdisciplinary studies deeply affect the new and lean product development steps. Comparatively measuring the operating weight of new autonomous vehicle technologies in different company structures in these lean product development steps has important consequences for the development and change of the automotive industry under heavy global competition. On the other hand, it is difficult to measure the innovation input or the use of new autonomous technology under the AHP mathematical model of each part that constitutes the whole of the lean product development process, but it also creates the future predictions of the sector. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is one of the multi-purpose decision-making methods, was used to determine the most intense value creation, the design and development phase where there is innovation input, or the lean product development discipline throughout the whole process. The AHP method was preferred for the comparative analysis and synthesis of different applications or similar approaches in the automotive manufacturing industry companies (global and local) and lean product development processes in the field study of the research, under qualitative data. Under the AHP mathematical model created in the research, it was aimed to measure interdisciplinary clusters with a focus on new technology and to identify similarities or differences under alternative applications created by different company structures and to compare them systematically and evaluate them mathematically. In the study, the AHP mathematical model was used to compare lean product development processes and the use of new autonomous vehicle technologies, and the Expert Choice program was preferred in the application of the method.

RESEARCH ON PRODUCT INNOVATION DESIGN IN VIRTUAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

An integrated template of virtual product development alters primarilysequential tradition mode of product life cycle. The template integrates all processes of productdevelopment using digital modem. An environment of virtual product development provides productdevelopment environment of integration, communion, network, concurrent and collaboration. Combiningdevelopment of new rapier loom, an innovated design process is researched in virtual productdevelopment, which consists three portions: constructing an integration development environment,innovation design and manufacturing simulation. The innovated design process realizes reversedesign, mechanism concept design, structural design and analysis, performance analysis andmanufacturing process simulation of virtual product, which can enhance greatly product performanceand reduce cost and development cycle of new product.

Application of Epoxy Coatings to Increase the Efficiency of Wax Oils Production

When producing hydrocarbons,an important task relates to the optimization of the stock of the producing well.The main complications for wells in non-working mode are represented by the formation of asphalt-resinparaffin deposits.This issue is one of the most common problems in the production and transportation of oil.A promising method to deal with these deposits is the application of smooth coatings made of epoxy polymers on the inner surface of the production well tubing.In this work,a number of laboratory studies were carried out on the“Cold Finger”installation to assess the effectiveness of this approach.These laboratory studies have shown that the efficiency related to smooth coatings is 27%while the resulting thermal conductivity ranges from 0.259 to 0.279 W/(m°C).These results demonstrate that this technology can reduce the amount of organic deposits and increase the temperature of oil.

Autonomous Vehicle Design in Lean Product Development Processes for Value Stream Map

The global automotive industry is giving a difficult and common test in order to create advanced life models in the near future plans or scenarios that include current autonomous vehicle technologies. Therefore, the main purpose of the research is to comparatively evaluate the impact of autonomous vehicle technologies, which are newly included in the automotive manufacturing industry under sustainable competition, on lean product development processes, value acquisition and preservation, in different organizational structures in the approach. Although mergers or brand acquisitions in the global automotive industry create joint R & D (Research Development) or joint new P & D (Product Development) process structures for the development of autonomous vehicle technologies, heavy competition continues in the market. These new processes create different needs for the merger and partnership of the renewed traffic infrastructures under national and international regulations, and for the implementation of the new autonomous life model. Firm and brand marriages, mergers or acquisitions in today’s automotive industry have ensured the high diffusion of lean product development processes under the stream of value creation or preservation carried out specific to the company under competition. Brand mergers in automotive industry companies struggling to survive under high competition create new work disciplines, professions, and engineering flow steps in lean product development processes. However, lean product development processes driven by technological innovation under simplification have resulted in the integration of parts and systems within the autonomous vehicle design structure, as well as creating new interdisciplinary value streams or different stakeholders. Therefore, the research revealed the significant effects of lean product development processes on the value stream in the automotive industry, on the mixed and lean product development process structure formed by new or existing vehicle systems (conventional vehicle) under the penetration of each existing and new discipline. This research compares the efficient operation steps of the process stakeholders in the autonomous vehicle design parts or systems containing innovation and new technology together with the value stream in the lean product development process, and the new process stakeholder’s business-oriented global and local automotive industry companies. New autonomous vehicle technologies, together with their unique software, hardware and development analysis, have been involved in the lean product development process with their interdisciplinary studies or expertise. Therefore, the study firstly focused on the technologies in environmental use together with the new basic features of autonomous vehicles, and then examined in depth the new or existing disciplines and interdisciplinary basic structure that these innovations affect under the value stream in the lean product development process. In addition, micro-level results and recommendations were shared, shedding light on how autonomous vehicle levels will create changes in the new product development process.

The Application Work on 2008 Product Development Contribution Award of China National Textile &Apparel Council has been Initiated

Currently, the application work on 2008 Product Development Contribution Award of China National Textile &Apparel Council, has been initiated, and this award is established

An Approach to Integrated and Concurrent Product Development

A concurrent product development example is used in this paper to introduce a roadmap for integrated and concurrent product development. The roadmap covers the following steps: (1)enterprise problem specifying; (2)information integration modeling; (3)integrated products development team modeling; (4)product development process modeling; and (5) integrated information-process-organization modeling. They have been successfully applied in the major pilot project of "Concurrent Engineering" of the 863 Programme of China.