Reducing translation cycle time: technology overcomes time and space

Today many manufacturing firms are focusing on cycle or throughput time reduction to gain a competitive advantage. In many instances, cycle times at individual workstations are adversely affected by unscheduled machine breakdowns. In this paper, existing closed-form approximations for the expected cycle time at a parallel machine workstation with general process and interarrival times and for the variability in departures from the workstation are used to demonstrate how the mean and variance of machine repair or downtime affects cycle times at a given workstation and downstream workstations. Results from the machine interference literature are used to characterize the dependence of repair time on a base stock inventory policy used for the replenishment of spare components. Expressions for the mean and approximations for the variance of repair times are obtained for machines with either a single critical component or a series of critical components when such components fail exponentially. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the effect that spare component inventory levels have on the average station cycle time and departure variability. A methodology for base stock parameter selection that considers the trade-off between reduced cycle times and inventory investment is also presented.

In automotive production cells, complex processes involving multiple robots must be optimized for cycle time. We investigated using symbolic GR(1) controller synthesis for automating multi-robot task planning. Given a specification of the order of tasks and states to avoid, often multiple valid strategies can be computed; in many states there are multiple choices to satisfy the specification, such as choosing different robots to perform a certain task. To determine the best choices under the consideration of movement times and probabilities that robots may be interrupted for repairs or corrections, we combine the execution of the synthesized controller with Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS), a heuristic AI-planning technique. The result is a model-at-run-time approach that we present by the example of a multi-robot spot welding cell. We report on experiments showing that the approach (1) can reduce cycle times by choosing time-efficient movement sequences and (2) can choose executions that react efficiently to interruptions by choosing to delay tasks that, if an interruption of one robot should occur later, can be reallocated to another robot. Most interestingly, we found, however, that (3) in some cases there is a conflict between time-efficient movement sequences and ones that may react efficiently to probable future interruptions—and when interruption probabilities are low, increasing the time allocated for MCTS, i.e., increasing the number of sample simulations made by MCTS, does not improve cycle time.

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The Engine Supplier Base Initiative (ESBI) is a joint Air Force/Industry cooperative agreement aimed at achieving affordable precision investment cast airfoil and large structural components for man-rated gas turbine engines. The ESBI program will obtain these goals through the implementation of business and technology improvements with specific focus on increased product quality and reduced cycle time. This program has brought together competitors in the business to solve sector wide problems. This paper presents the framework of the teaming approach as well as results achieved in quality and cycle time improvements through technical and business process improvements.</div>

Inefficient clinic systems leading to prolonged wait times at primary care clinics are a source of frustration for patients, physicians, staff and administration. Measuring and shortening cycle time has the potential to improve patient experience, staff satisfaction and patient access by moving more patients through in a shorter cycle time. Limited studies have demonstrated that improvements can be made to cycle time and may result in improved patient satisfaction. Most of these studies have focused their efforts on improving efficiency at the front end of the cycle. Our aim was to improve cycle time for the whole visit to less than 60 min within 1 year by engaging our team in brainstorming solutions, presenting regular measurements to our team for review and holding regular meetings to plan rapid improvement cycles. Over the course of 1 year (2017), we were able to reduce cycle time by 12% from 71 to 65 min and to improve patient satisfaction with care. Despite the reduction in cycle time, we maintained high satisfaction scores from patients who felt that the doctor spent enough time with them. We learnt the value of engaging our team, frequent measurement for reporting, adequate staffing at the beginning of clinic, and the value of MA staff acting in a flow coordinator role. We have not only maintained this improvement but also made further small gains over the subsequent 2 years, and by April 2019, our cycle time is at 60 min, despite a marked increase in patient volume. Additional work on the time after the patient is roomed and waiting for a doctor, and further analysis of the physician workflow would be important next steps to drive further improvement.

Collaborative robotics is increasingly considered in manufacturing to improve efficiency while reducing operators physical and cognitive workloads. However, the lack of comprehensive methodologies has limited the consistent implementation of human–robot collaborative workstations across industries. Existing approaches are often fragmented, require robotics expertise, and pose challenges for non-experts, leading to suboptimal station designs and inefficient task allocation. This study presents a structured design framework to transition traditional assembly processes into collaborative ones. The framework provides a practical, scalable solution for optimizing collaborative workstations, balancing performance, ergonomics, and industrial applicability. It starts from the analysis of the assembly tasks, followed by classification and allocation between human operators and robots, and concludes with virtual prototyping and performance optimization through simulation using a commercial tool. The adopted methodology integrates task analysis, ergonomic assessment, and workspace design to ensure accessible and efficient implementation. Validated through two industrial case studies involving a gear pump and a worm gearbox, the approach demonstrated significant reductions in cycle time and notable improvements in the ergonomic working conditions. Additionally, physical prototyping and testing conducted within a research collaborative cell further confirmed the achieved results. • A design framework for designing human–robot collaborative assembly workstations is proposed. • The method integrates digital tools for task analysis, ergonomic assessment and workspace design. • A virtual prototype of the cell is used to assess assembly performance and ergonomic conditions. • Two industrial case studies validate the approach in real production contexts.

A number of grid-generation and CFD-process software tools have been developed which greatly improve the ability to perform overset CFD analysis of complex con gurations. These tools have been applied to the task of generating grids and computing the ow eld about two di erent high-lift aircraft con gured for landing: a Boeing 777-200, and a High-Wing Transport with externally blown aps. The high-lift owelds of both aircraft were simulated using the OVERFLOW solver. A Navier-Stokes simulation of a complete Boeing 777-200 aircraft con gured for landing was obtained in less than 50 labor days with a lift coe cient which di ers from experimental data by only 1.2%. This is an order of magnitude reduction in the cycle time for the entire computational process compared to a similar high-lift simulation e ort that took place two years earlier. The new software was utilized to perform a oweld analysis of a ap-rigging modi cation for the Boeing 777-200 aircraft in only four days. The software was also utilized to simplify Aerospace Engineer. yChief, Aerospace Operations Modeling O ce. Senior Member AIAA. zResearch Engineer. xPrincipal Engineer. Senior Member AIAA. {Engineer/Scientist Specialist. Member AIAA. kPrincipal Engineer. Copyright c 2000 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. No copyright is asserted in the United States under Title 17, U.S. Code. The U.S. Government has a royalty-free license to exercise all rights under the copyright claimed herein for Governmental Purposes. All other rights are reserved by the copyright owner. grid generation of the High-Wing Transport for many di erent geometric con gurations. The reductions in computational cycle time are primarily the result of the use of an automatic script system that streamlines the overset grid preparation process. Analysis of the process shows that over-setting the the grid system is now the most labor-intensive part of a single-point analysis; however, for multi-point analyses, multiple viscous ow-solver runs are costly.

Accelerated product development is a competitive strategy that seeks to reduce the development cycle time of new products. However, there has been little theoretical advancement and empirical model testing in the identification of the conditions under which cycle time reduction is appropriate, the organizational characteristics and practices that accelerate product development, and the precise manner by which cycle time reduction affects project outcomes. Since cycle time reduction has become widely accepted as a key element in managing new‐product development, this contribution organizes and integrates the literature on accelerated product development. Specifically, we argue that the antecedents associated with shorter development cycle time are well known, but that there are inconsistencies with respect to the contextual applicability of cycle time reduction, and contradictory empirical evidence for its alleged merits in achieving lower development costs, better product quality, and greater chance of new‐product success. We attribute these inconclusive results to methodological differences in measurement approach, trade‐offs in cycle time reduction, and the hidden costs of accelerated product development. Moreover, we discuss that it is essential to take the new product's window of opportunity into account while investigating the outcomes of accelerated product development. For scholars, we provide a theoretical foundation for rigorous, empirical research. For practitioners, we list the merits of cycle time reduction, describe the situations in which it is appropriate, and delineate ways how interventions can be applied.

This article presents two area/latency optimized gate level asynchronous full adder designs which correspond to early output logic. The proposed full adders are constructed using the delay-insensitive dual-rail code and adhere to the four-phase return-to-zero handshaking. For an asynchronous ripple carry adder (RCA) constructed using the proposed early output full adders, the relative-timing assumption becomes necessary and the inherent advantages of the relative-timed RCA are: (1) computation with valid inputs, i.e., forward latency is data-dependent, and (2) computation with spacer inputs involves a bare minimum constant reverse latency of just one full adder delay, thus resulting in the optimal cycle time. With respect to different 32-bit RCA implementations, and in comparison with the optimized strong-indication, weak-indication, and early output full adder designs, one of the proposed early output full adders achieves respective reductions in latency by 67.8, 12.3 and 6.1 %, while the other proposed early output full adder achieves corresponding reductions in area by 32.6, 24.6 and 6.9 %, with practically no power penalty. Further, the proposed early output full adders based asynchronous RCAs enable minimum reductions in cycle time by 83.4, 15, and 8.8 % when considering carry-propagation over the entire RCA width of 32-bits, and maximum reductions in cycle time by 97.5, 27.4, and 22.4 % for the consideration of a typical carry chain length of 4 full adder stages, when compared to the least of the cycle time estimates of various strong-indication, weak-indication, and early output asynchronous RCAs of similar size. All the asynchronous full adders and RCAs were realized using standard cells in a semi-custom design fashion based on a 32/28 nm CMOS process technology.

Experimental investigation on cycle time in machining of forged crankshaft

The impact of lot-sizing on net profits and cycle times in the n-job, m-machine job shop with both discrete and batch processing

Shortening cycle time and maximising output are the major concerns of highly competitive industry. In this paper, an Adjusted X-Factor Contribution (AXFC) measurement is developed, which considers batching process, un-batching process and machine failure. A general model is established to determine the X-factor contribution for all types of machines. In this model, GI/G/m queuing theory is applied to estimate the aggregated cycle time. The machine downtime variability, lot arrival variability, batching and un-batching processing are considered. Finally, the effects of system performances by improving the workstations with high utilisation and high AXFC are explored. The results showed that the cycle time and cycle time variability of products could be affected by the relative locations of high utilisation and high AXFC workstations. Furthermore, the results also revealed that reducing failure frequency of high AXFC workstation will perform as good as high utilisation workstation on cycle time improving.

The garment industry is one of the fastest-paced production environments, where speed and accuracy are crucial for meeting global customer demand. Cycle time plays an important role in satisfying the speed factor as it represents the overall time needed to produce a single piece of a product. Maintaining an appropriate cycle time is key to achieving production line balance. This study aims to analyze the cycle time of men's jacket production on a sewing line in an Indonesian garment industry by comparing the actual cycle time with the standard cycle time based on the operation breakdown for each production process step. Four significant discrepancies in actual cycle time were identified, ranging from 16% to 95%, indicating that the actual cycle time was significantly longer than the standard cycle time. The root cause of the highest cycle time was analyzed using Fishbone and 5 Whys analysis to understand the problem from each factor and sub-factor. Six improvement action plans were proposed and implemented, resulting in a 57.81% reduction in actual cycle time, from 127.66 seconds to 53.85 seconds, making it 17.66% faster than the standard cycle time. Furthermore, the total output per hour increased by approximately 216.67%, from 12 pieces to 38 pieces. This result implies that the study successfully identified the root of the problem on the sewing line and managed to increase production output.

The application of PLC, an advanced digital controller, has dramatically shifted the manufacturing process by incorporating high levels of industrial automation. This paper examines new highly valued skills in computer programming for improving cycle time and enhancing automated manufacturing systems. It provides examples of how complex programming enhances production effectiveness by examining interrupt-based applications, memory management systems such as Hermes, and parallel processing features of a PLC. This study also focuses on expanding automation using PLC in significant manufacturing processes such as material handling systems, assembly line operations, and packaging facilities. Other innovations include enhanced guided vehicles, simultaneous operation of multiple stations, and integrated motion control for high-speed packaging. The study shows that high precision, increased speed, and manufacturing quality control are made possible when using the technology in many manufacturing applications while minimizing human interference and operation costs. The paper will immensely benefit manufacturing practitioners needing practical and proven guidelines on improving productivity and minimizing cycle time through PLC technology within industries.

The timing optimization of multiphase logic entails the reduction of the overall cycle time of the machine and/or input-to-output delays by distributing computation throughout the entire clock cycle. A tool has been developed to automatically perform this optimization task, and it has been implemented as a set of extensions to the combinational logic optimization tool, misII. The algorithms yield improvements that are on average 10-20% better than what is achievable using purely combinational logic optimization tools that do not move logic across latches. These improvements represent 75% of what would be possible in the most idealized case. Results on simple two-phase circuits show average input-to-output delay improvements of 13% with area penalties of 11%. For a four-phase controller used in the SPUR processor it yields an improvement in cycle time of 18% with an area penalty of 11%. Experiments indicate that the optimization algorithm is highly insensitive to parameter variations in the underlying combinational logic optimization routines and initial state assignment. >

Document is the final report for PSP project No. 14402-10-02 entitled ''Improved Manufacturing of MC4531 Mold Bodies Using High-Speed Machining (HSM)''. The basic physics of high speed machining is discussed in detail including multiple vibrational mode machining systems (milling and turning) and the effect of spindle speed regulation on maximizing the depth of cut and metal removal rate of a machining operation. The topics of cutting tests and tap tests are also discussed as well as the use of the HSM assistance software ''Harmonizer''. Results of the application of HSM to the machining of encapsulation molds are explained in detail including cutting test results, new tool speeds and feeds, dimensional and surface finish measurements and a comparison to the original machining operations and cycle times. A 38% improvement in cycle time is demonstrated while achieving a 50% better surface finish than required.