Keith Case

Loughborough University | Lough · Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering

This book presents the eBook of ICMR 2022, the 19th International conference in Manufacturing Research, Incorporating the 36th National Conference in Manufacturing Research, held in University of Derby, UK, from 6 - 8 September 2022. For over two decades, ICMR has been the main manufacturing research conference held in UK. Bringing together researc...

The oil palm industry is one of the important sectors in Malaysia. The growth and development of this industry shows that Malaysia is the world second-largest oil palm producers. However, in the fresh fruit bunch (FFB) harvesting process, the harvesters are exposed to many types of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The FFB harvesters...

This book presents the eBook of ICMR 2021, the 18th International conference in Manufacturing Research, Incorporating the 35th National Conference in Manufacturing Research, held in University of Derby, UK, from 7 to 10 September 2021. The theme of ICMR 2021 conference is digital manufacturing. Within the context of Industry 4.0, ICMR 2021 provided...

Although many manual operations have been replaced by automation in the manufacturing domain in various industries, skilled operators still carry out critical manual tasks such as final assembly. The business case for automation in these areas is difficult to justify due to increased complexity and costs arising out of process variabilities associa...

Nowadays, many high technology machines, mechanical devices, and modern mechanical processes exist to create better products and to produce them instantly. The welding process is one of the mechanical processes to produce a product, and it requires the welder to stay in a static posture for long period of time. Due to this problem, the process is s...

Problems of motivation and job satisfaction have continued to plague developing countries like Malaysia. The driving factors to motivate employees have frequently been studied, but no correlation between motivation and job satisfaction has been found. The study described here focuses on work motivation and satisfaction together with their relations...

Technological advancements are continuously changing the human life. Like many other developments, autonomous vehicle system is attracting public interest and being widely discussed by all the stakeholders. Recent reports show that in future, autonomous vehicles or self-driving cars will be on roads in developed countries such as in UK and US. In t...

This study investigate different ways of presenting material and information at workstations while using mixed assembly mode with product variants. The experimental set up annotated an assembly line involving 36 subjects. The material presentation factor involved the use of a material rack compared to using an unstructured kit as well as a structur...

Process planning is an important component in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining and directly influences the efficiency of cutting operations. However the planning task is highly dependent on the user's experience and is usually considered as a manual process. This paper seeks to remedy these problems by developing a tool to assist in execu...

Pakistan is the eighth largest exporter of textiles, and this sector contributes 8.7% to the country’s GDP. The garment industry contribution to the total textile-based exports from the country is 47%. Skilled labour is available at relatively cheap rates. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are prevalent in this sector and this research...

This paper presents research into the area of public transport and accessibility, addressing the support of practitioners in achieving socially inclusive solutions to the mobility issues of diverse populations. For decades, social policy has been underpinned by a stereotyping of populations into simplified sub groups: old, young, disabled, etc. and...

The aim of this research study was to understand and evaluate the effect of different factors including age, gender, disabilities and medical conditions on joint mobility. Joint mobility data from a group of 66 people from a previously existing database has been re-analysed. Twenty four participants had disabilities and 42 participants were conside...

In common with many industries, manufacturing faces the challenge of effective management of a diverse workforce. Humans differ greatly, but traditional manufacturing work practices do not take into account human variability issues during the work design process. Variations in individual and organizational work performance are due to many individua...

The application of Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machining for Rapid Manufacturing processes (CNC-RM) exploits the innate potential of 4th axis machining. The use of an indexer allows the workpiece to be rotated to various orientations which directly increased the region accessible to the cutting tool. However, in order to avoid thin webs a...

A product’s lifecycle performance (e.g. assembly, outsourcing, maintenance and recycling) can often be improved through modularity. However, modularisation under different and often conflicting lifecycle objectives is a complex problem that will ultimately require trade-offs. This paper presents a novel multi-objective modularity optimisation frame...

This paper aims to provide a retrospective of the use of a digital human modelling tool (SAMMIE) that was perhaps the first usable tool and is still active today. Relationships between digital human modelling and inclusive design, engineering design and ergonomics practice are discussed using examples from design studies using SAMMIE and government...

Human movement in a crowd can be considered as complex and unpredictable, and accordingly large scale video observation studies based on a conceptual behaviour framework were used to characterise individual movements and behaviours. The conceptual behaviours were free movement (moving through and move-stop-move), same direction movement (queuing an...

Human movement in crowd can be considered as complex and unpredictable. In this research, image analysis, video observation and conceptual behaviour was developed as a method to understand the human movement in crowd. Based on the method, human movement was represented or converted into the virtual environment using gaming software called DarkBASIC...

It is known that the ageing process will result in a decrease in anthropometric dimensions as well as loss of hand grip strength, which is natural among elderly people. Previous studies have shown that the decrease in anthropometric dimensions may influence hand grip strength of elderly people. Hence, this paper seeks to determine the relationship...

Digital human modelling (DHM) has often focused on user populations that could be characterised as able-bodied and in the working age group. It is clear however that demographic changes are resulting in older populations in developed countries but this is also becoming increasingly true even in developing countries. The economic pressures of increa...

Computer numerical controlled (CNC) machining has been recognized as a manufacturing process that is capable of producing metal parts with high precision and reliable quality, whereas many additive manufacturing methods are less capable in these respects. The introduction of a new layer-removal methodology that utilizes an indexing device to clamp...

Globalization of business and competitiveness in manufacturing has forced companies to improve their manufacturing facilities to respond to market requirements. Machine tool evaluation involves an essential decision using imprecise and vague information, and plays a major role to improve the productivity and flexibility in manufacturing. The aim of...

The scheduling problem in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) environment with loop layout configuration has been shown to be a NP-hard problem. Moreover, the improvement and modification of the loop layout add to the difficulties in the production planning stage. The introduction of multi loading-unloading points and turntable shortcut resulted o...

This paper presents significant empirical evidence on the relationship between Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) practices and sustainable environmental initiatives with the manufacturing capabilities of automotive SMEs in Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey is adopted in this study, which involves 83 Malaysian automotive SMEs. Two hypotheses...

The demographics of older people and people with disabilities in developing countries are discussed in the context of inclusive design and the drivers and barriers to inclusive design have been identified. Data were collected from 50 individuals from various industrial sectors in Pakistan. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) relates to inclusive...

This paper presents a method for optimizing roughing operations in CNC machining, particularly for parts production through a subtractive rapid manufacturing process. The overall objective is to utilize the characteristics of CNC machining (rapid removal rates, suitability for a wide range of materials and precision) whilst obtaining some of the be...

User-Centred Design aims to involve users at all stages of the design of products. Some of the basic principles are briefly considered together with their relationship to ergonomics. Tools for the application of User-Centred Design are discussed including specific tools such as digital human modelling, personas, manikin characters, inclusive design...

Seamless computer-based knowledge sharing between departments of a manufacturing enterprise is useful in preventing unnecessary design revisions. A lack of interoperability between independently developed knowledge bases, however, is a major impediment in the development of a seamless knowledge-sharing system. Interoperability, being an ability to...

Due to the advancement in the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), manufacturing industry and its many domains employ a wide range of different ICT tools. To be competitive, industries need to communicate effectively within and across their many system domains. This communication is hindered by the diversity in the semanti...

This article investigates the use of a hand-held unit as an information source in manual assembly. Having a mobile information system, such as a Personal Digital Assistant PDA, that can be brought at all times, as opposed to a stationary one, such as a computer terminal, is hypothesised to increase the information range and thus improves assembly p...

The requirements for the interoperability of semantics and knowledge have become increasingly important in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), in the drive towards knowledge-driven decision support in the manufacturing industry. This article presents a novel concept, based on the Model Driven Architecture (MDA). The concept has been implemented und...

Understanding the needs and aspirations of a suitable range of users during the product design process is an extremely difficult task. Methods such as ethnographic studies can be used to gain a better understanding of users needs, but they are inherently time consuming and expensive. The time pressures that are evident in the work performed by desi...

This paper presents the current status of the Interoperable Manufacturing Knowledge Systems (IMKS) research project. It sets the work into the context of Model Driven Architectures, explores the value of a manufacturing foundation ontology in the context of the design and manufacture of machined components and illustrates potential routes to knowle...

This chapter identifies a concept based on the Model Driven Architecture (MDA), as a contribution towards the understanding of novel methods of achieving manufacturing knowledge interoperability across multiple information platforms used in the product lifecycle. The understanding and results from the completed Interoperable Manufacturing Knowledge...

Product lifecycle management provides a framework for information sharing that promotes various types of decision-making procedures. For product lifecycle management to advance towards knowledge-driven decision support, then this demands more than simply exchanging information. There is, therefore, a need to formally capture best practice through-l...

To achieve efficient, fast and cost effective production, designers must consider all the manufacturing stages a product has to go through. A case study in a manufacturing setup shows that owing to the differences in perception of an engineering component, the coordination between design and manufacturing becomes difficult. Semantic interoperabilit...

Ontologies are helpful in giving interoperable structures to sources of knowledge and information. This interoperability, however, is greatly hindered by the heterogeneity of independently developed ontologies which in turn increases the requirements for mediation systems to reconcile the differences. A core concepts ontology for a certain domain c...

For the last decade research by the Loughborough Design School in the UK has lead a computer-based tool called HADRIAN has been developed to encourage empathy between design professionals, policy makers, commissioning clients and potential end-users, including people who are older or who may have some form of impairment. The tool provides a means t...

Minimalism of design is a concept often found in Human-computer interaction (HCI). It is a concept that emphasizes the presentation of as little information as possible to reduce the perceptual strain and visual search of the subject. However, in a manufacturing context, such as in manual assembly, state of the art information presentation is rarel...

To build software which, at the press of a button, can tell you what cognition-related hazards there are within an environment or a task, is probably well into the future if it is possible at all. However, incorporating existing tools such as task analysis tools, interface design guidelines and information about general cognitive limitations in hum...

This paper proposes a particular method which utilises the unified modelling language (UML) as a design visualisation tool for modelling ontologies based on the Common Logic knowledge representation language. The use of this method will enable Common Logic ontological concepts to be more readily accessible to general engineers and provide a valuabl...

Production-centric international standards are intended to serve as an important route towards information sharing across manufacturing decision support systems. As a consequence of the textual-based definitions of the concepts acknowledged within these standards, their inability to fully interoperate becomes an issue, especially since a multitude...

This paper proposed a motion detection system using periodic background estimation subtraction method for outdoor illumination condition using MATLAB. The proposed method is robust to illumination change effect, change in background and noise. The method basically used background subtraction. The background image is estimated at every 0.8 second wh...

This paper proposes a manufacturing core concepts ontology (MCCO) aimed at providing support for product life cycle interoperability. The potential focus of the work is interoperability across the production and design domains of product lifecycle. A core set of manufacturing concepts and their key relationships are identified in MCCO. Semantics ar...

For over 10 years research has been conducted by the Design School at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom (UK) into accessibility of products, services and environments with a particular focus on the needs of older and disabled people. As part of this research a computer based tool called HADRIAN has been developed to encourage empathy be...

The changing economic climate has made global manufacturing a growing necessity over the last decade, forcing companies from East and West to collaborate beyond geographic boundaries in the design, manufacture and assembly of products. The ISO 10303 and ISO 14649 Standards (STEP and STEP-NC) have been developed to introduce interoperability into ma...

The research reported in this paper is concerned with gaining a better understanding of human factors issues in machining and the automation of manufacturing tasks. Mismatches between operators' performance and the requirements of machining tasks were experimentally studied with respect to the relationships with various human characteristics, inclu...

Improved integration using product models in a computer aided design and manufacture environment implies that there is an enhanced need to provide information support across a wide range of applications. In a typical situation concerned with mechanical products, these applications are likely to include detail design, process planning and assembly p...

The use of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) as the basis for a Diagnostic Service Tool (DST) is discussed in the context of Design for Service. Designers are assisted in developing diagnostic service tools early in the design process rather than this being a post-production activity. A system for computerised interactive FMEA generation fr...

Modern manufacturing information systems allow fast distribution of, and access to, information. One of the main purposes with an information system within manual assembly is to improve product quality, i.e. to ensure that assembly errors are as few as possible. Not only must an information system contain the right information, it must also provide...

This article describes research into the area of ‘design for all’. The research addresses two common needs for designers working towards developing inclusive products and environments, namely, data on users that are accessible, valid and applicable, and a means of utilising the data to assess the accessibility of designs during the early stages of...

This paper presents the idea of a proposed Manufacturing Foundation Ontology (MFO) aimed at acting as a basis for the Product Life Cycle (PLC) interoperability. MFO is aimed to have the provision for introducing interoperability not only across departments but across organization as well. The proposed idea shows the development of a MFO in several...

Mapping between ontologies provides a way to overcome any dissimilarities in the terminologies used in two ontologies. Some tools and techniques to map ontologies are available with some semi-automatic mapping capabilities. These tools are employed to join the similar concepts in two ontologies and overcome the possible mismatches.Several types of...