Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems
Active Projects
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Sponsored Research Projects
- NSF I-CORPS: Next Generation Airway Management
Principle Investigator: Dr. Lyle Hood
Timeline: September 2022 - January 2024
Objectives: To complete customer discovery around both military and civilian first-responder needs surrounding portable medical suction. In addition, completion of I-CORPS curriculum includes training on how to found, manage, and develop startup ventures
- Suction: Combat Ready Advanced Multimodal Machine
Principle Investigator: Lyle Hood and David Restrepo
Timeline: September 2022 - May 2024
Objectives: To develop an innovative multimodal suction solution for military Role 2-3 care. Work includes design with Air Force end-user input, fabrication of a novel platform, benchtop testing of said platform, and comparative usage and feedback from Air Force End Users
Finished Projects
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Center-Designated Projects
R&D projects tackling manufacturing problems of interest to multiple member companies. These projects, which may last 1 or 2 years, are selected/voted by members at the annual meeting. Costs are covered by pooled annual membership fees.
- Integrated Production and Maintenance Management (IPMM) System
Principle Investigator: Dr. C. Saygin
Timeline: January - December 2013
Objectives: To develop an integrated production and maintenance management system that considers the following:
- Dynamic nature, real-time data of shop floor
- Generates production and maintenance work orders effectively
- A proactive approach to maximize resource utilization to improve system throughput with minimal amount of inventory and minimal amount of operating expense
- Intelligent Maintenance Platform based on Shop Floor Data
Principle Investigator: Dr. C. Saygin
Timeline: January - December 2012
Objectives:
- Develop a shop floor data-centric production system performance degradation model that can facilitate effective preventive maintenance that leads to minimal downtime
- Integrate hardware/sensor-based data with production data that are typically not considered as a direct indicator for maintenance, such as number of parts, inventory, throughput, cycle time
- Define metrics at device, unit/station, and system level that indicate performance degradation as a symptom that can be tracked to a root-cause
- Lean Methodology for GHG Emissions Inventory
Principle Investigator: Drs. G. Kuriger, H. Rashed-Ali, H. Wan
Timeline: January - December 2011
Objectives: To develop a regionally specific methodology for conducting GHG Emissions Inventories of a selected type of manufacturing facility. This methodology will assess three different scopes of GHG emissions including:
- Direct emissions due to onsite energy use in buildings, manufacturing processes, company owned vehicles, etc
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Indirect emissions due to electricity generation
- Emissions due to secondary activities
The methodology will be used to develop a simplified tool (spreadsheet), which can be used by local manufacturing companies to develop their GHG inventories, track them overtime, and forecast the impact of lean methodologies on reducing emissions.
- Energy and Environmental Value Stream Mapping
Principle Investigator: Dr. G. Kuriger
Timeline: January - December 2010
Objectives:
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Develop a holistic value stream mapping approach that considers environmental metrics, energy metrics, and traditional metrics. This is coined as an Energy and Environmental Value Stream Map (EE-VSM)
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Develop a method to combine these metrics into one over-arching metric
- Lean Office Implementation Wizard
Principle Investigator: Dr. H. Wan
Timeline: January - December 2010
Objectives:
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Investigate the applicability and priority of various lean tools in office environment
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Develop a web-based decision support tool to assist lean practitioners in improving the office operations, configurations, and culture.
- Auto-ID Technologies for Tracking
Principle Investigator: Dr. C. Saygin
Timeline: January - December 2009
Objectives:
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To benchmark barcode and RFID (radio frequency identification) technologies for various tracking applications in manufacturing
- A Feasibility Study in Deformation Free Welding
Principle Investigator: Dr. B. Nowak
Timeline: January - December 2009
Objectives:
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To conduct a feasibility study for a fully automated welding process that examines requirements such as, but not limited to, thickness variations, material properties, welding technology, material oxidation prevention
- Human-to-Robot Collaboration (H2R)
Principle Investigator: Dr. B. Nowak
Timeline: January - December 2009
Objectives:
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To examine the problem of human-to-robot collaboration (shared work envelope)
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Sponsored Research Projects
Externally funded R&D projects tackling specific problems determined by individual funding sponsor.
- Predictive Maintenance - Phase 1: A Roadmap for Intelligent Maintenance
Principle Investigator: C. Saygin, F. Frank Chen, H. Wan, K. Castillo-Villar, and A. Alaeddini
Sponsor: Harland Clarke
Timeline: March 2013 - August 2013
Objectives: The objective of the overall 3-phase effort is to create a prognostics-based approach for predictive maintenance (PdM) of printing systems. The envisioned PdM system will be based on real-time data collected from sensors, devices, and controllers in the printing systems and its interpretation to predict failures ahead of time with an estimated time-to-failure using degradation models. From an operational perspective, the goal is to maximize uptime while reducing maintenance costs.
- Lean R&D Initiatives at Sandia National Laboratories Pulsed Power Facility
Principle Investigator: Frank Chen, G. Kuriger, and H. Wan
Sponsor: Sandia National Labs
Timeline: October 2011 - September 2014
Objectives: Understand the current processes, develop lean and six-sigma tools for the research environment, and investigate advanced technological solutions to minimize experimental cycle time and eliminate hazards.
- Recycling Plant Redesign and Modernization: Monterrey Iron and Metal
Principle Investigator: H. Wan and G. Kuriger
Sponsor: Monterrey Iron and Metal
Timeline: February 2012 - July 2012
Objectives: The goal of the project was to assist Monterrey Iron and Metal (MIM) to map, analyze, and redesign the layout of the facility to create efficient traffic flow that allows for more efficient loading/unloading of recycled materials.
- An Intelligent Decision Support System for Workforce Forecast
Principle Investigator: Dr. H. Wan, Dr. F. Chen, Dr. G. Kuriger
Sponsor: Air Force Research Laboratory
Timeline: September 2008 - August 2010
Objectives: To assist effective workforce allocation of the Air Force for upcoming timeframe through innovative approaches of artificial intelligence.
- Acquisition of An Automated Assembly System and RFID Equipment for Research and Education in Advanced manufacturing
Principle Investigator: Dr. C. Saygin, Dr. F. Chen
Sponsor: NSF
Timeline: August 2007 - July 2010
Objectives:
- Acquisition of two automated systems and their integration between the MSA and FMLS labs.
- Implementation of RFID systems.
- Use the above-mentioned infrastructure to support research and new curricula.
- Instrumentation for Research and Education in Advanced Manufacturing and Enterprise Systems
Principle Investigator: Dr. F. Chen, Dr. C. Saygin
Sponsor: DoD
Timeline: September 2007 - August 2008
Objectives: Establish infrastructure to support advanced manufacturing and enterprise systems research and serve as the backbone of new curricula at both undergraduate and graduate levels at UTSA.
