Maurizio Muzzupappa

A simple approach for reducing profile diverting in a single point incremental forming process

Abstract Incremental forming applications are currently increasing in industry, especially for the production of small batches or single components. In fact, sufficient know-how is now available for the manufacture of simple products. However, further efforts are required to reduce the drawbacks of typical incremental forming processes, which compromise important advantages in terms of costs and flexibility. First of all the duration of the process, usually a few minutes, influences this kind of process, even if the operations are carried out on highspeed digitally controlled units. A tendency to produce inaccurate parts can reduce industrial interest with respect to incremental forming. Different approaches could be proposed to reduce this drawback, and a feasible and easily implemented strategy is the design of modified trajectories able to take into account both springback effects and stiffness reduction owing to specific clamping equipment. In this paper, such a strategy is pursued by integrating an on-line measuring system, composed of a digital inspector and a computer numerically controlled (CNC) open program. The geometry obtained is sampled in particular steps and an appropriate routine modifies the coordinates of the future punch path. This procedure of automatic control has been developed using an effective finite element (FE) code. An experimental design illustrates the potential use of the suggested methodology.

Critical Thinking and Concept Design Generation in a Collaborative Network

The key focus of this paper is to introduce an approach to collaborative concept design which makes use of critical thinking styles and methods. It consists of four stages aimed to generate concept ideas, in response to identified needs, to explore them, to develop a set of solutions, and to finally choose a solution through critical examination of the solution set. Experimental findings and results obtained from an implementation of this approach in a blended learning classroom are also presented and discussed.

Visualization of Industrial Engineering Data Visualization of Industrial Engineering Data in Augmented Reality

This paper presents an innovative application of Augmented Reality (AR) techniques in the field of industrial engineering in which the user explores data from numerical simulations or the results of measurements and experiments, superimposed to the real object that they refer to. The user observes the object through a tablet PC, used as a video see-through handheld display. Data are visualized superimposed to the real object that represents a spatial reference relative to which the user can refer to, so the exploration is more natural compared to a traditional visualization software. Moreover, we have developed a new framework, called VTK4AR, that provides a set of useful software classes for the rapid development of AR applications for scientific visualization. VTK4AR is built on top of VTK (an open source API for scientific visualization), so it will be possible to employ a wide range of visualization techniques in many application fields, and moreover, it is possible to interactively manipulate data-sets in order to achieve a more effective way of visualization.

Identifying Partners And Organizational Logical Structures For Collaborative Conceptual Design

Recently much interest has been devoted to novel distributed approaches which lead to the formation of collaborative networked organizations, e.g. virtual organizations, specifically oriented to generate an innovative product concept. Making use of logical-formal structures based on concepts related to directed hypergraphs, we formally represent competitive inter-organization and collaborative intra-organization relationships. Thanks to these structures, models for distributed processes which lead to the emergence of both design chains and functional architectures of an innovative product are formally described and then illustrated through examples from an applicative scenario.

Product design data modelling for review process management

Recently, some web-based tools have been proposed to support both individual designer and design teams in the management of information and in assisting concurrent distributed design activities. The rationale which is often underlying such proposal is to enhance design-manufacturing engineering or product data management (PDM) systems for managing product development as a single integrated business process. The focus of this paper is on presenting a logical model which can drive the conception of tools for supporting the distributed management of design data of mechanical products (DDDM: Design Data Distributed Management). How the model can be fruitfully used to support individual/group technical activities and group organisational activities, especially in the product design review phases during the product development process, is discussed. The main functionality and the client/server architecture of one of these tools is also described, and, lastly, a case of study is reported in order to explain how the model can be applied.

A Complete Morphological Study of the Right Hand of Bronzo "A" DI Riace

The Riace Bronzes represent one of the most important masterpieces of Magna Graecia archaeology, and of the whole world artistic heritage. The Bronzes, other than for their exquisite workmanship, are also interesting for the mysteries which surround their history. The countless hypotheses about their identity, origin and authors are supported by many studies of historical and iconographic nature. This paper describes a complete morphological study of the Riace Bronzes in order to provide to the archaeologists some objective data about the shape of the most interesting and controversial part of the Bronzes: the right hand of Bronzo A. This study aims to provide a series of geometrical data which could help to identify the object that the A Bronze was gripping. This questions is, in fact, one of the fundamental steps for the individuation of the Bronze As identity.

User-centered design of a Virtual Museum system: a case study

The paper describes a user-centered design (UCD) approach that has been adopted in order to develop and build a virtual museum (VM) system for the “Museum of the Bruttians and the Sea” of Cetraro (Italy). The main goal of the system was to enrich the museum with a virtual exhibition able to make the visitors enjoy an immersive and attractive experience, allowing them to observe 3D archaeological finds, in their original context. The paper deals with several technical and technological issues commonly related to the design of virtual museum exhibits. The proposed solutions, based on an UCD approach, can be efficiently adopted as guidelines for the development of similar VM systems, especially when very low budget and little free space are unavoidable design requirements.

Experimental Evidences Concerning Geometrical Accuracy after Unclamping and Trimming Incrementally Formed Components

It is well known that the geometrical accuracy is a very relevant problem in Incremental Forming operations, since the material is not well sustained and, then, the elastic springback plays a significant role during the process. A number of researches are involved in the study of geometrical precision after the forming stage but considering the sheet clamped to the equipment. However, it is well known that material coupling is carried out after trimming, when it could change its shape after the new equilibrium. In the paper here addressed the above concept is kept in touch and a wide experimental campaign has been set-up in order to acquire experimental information on the effect of unclamping and trimming after incremental forming processes. The obtained results are able to suggest to the process designer some best practices which are accurately discussed in the paper.

The Formation of Collaborative Chains for Conceptual Design

In this paper, we propose a collaborative and joint approach for the identification of partners and the formation of virtual enterprise for concept designing, without compromising design rights or proprietary knowledge. Besides, we introduce a framework for a Multi-Agent System model which is capable of supporting such an approach. The approach described in this paper enables the formalization of distributed processes which lead to the emergence of both conceptual design chains and functional architectures of an innovative product.

Improvement Geometrical Precision in Sheet Incremental Forming Processes

Incremental forming is nowadays increasing its presence in industry as a new but interesting process, especially for production of small batches or unique components. Anyway, relevant efforts have to be spent in order to reduce the typical incremental forming processes drawbacks that risk to belittle the high advantages in terms of costs and simplicity. In fact, the process duration, usually equal to several minutes even if the operations are carried out on high speed numerical controlled units, and a certain tendency to produce no precise parts, can reduce industrial interest about incremental forming. A possible strategy to reduce the latter item is the design of modified trajectories able to take into account both the springback effects and the stiffness reduction due to the particular clamping equipment. In this paper the above introduced strategy is pursued integrating an on-line measuring system, based on a digital inspector, and a CNC open program. The actual geometry is acquired in some remarkable points and a compensation routine modifies the coordinates of the future punch path. The modification policy has been developed by using an effective FE code. An experimental verification shows the good potentiality of the suggested methodology.Copyright