Artificial Neural Network Model Based Setup Period Estimation for Polymer Cutting

The paper presents the results and industrial
applications in the production setup period estimation based on
industrial data inherited from the field of polymer cutting. The
literature of polymer cutting is very limited considering the number
of publications. The first polymer cutting machine is known since the
second half of the 20th century; however, the production of polymer
parts with this kind of technology is still a challenging research topic.
The products of the applying industrial partner must met high
technical requirements, as they are used in medical, measurement
instrumentation and painting industry branches. Typically, 20% of
these parts are new work, which means every five years almost the
entire product portfolio is replaced in their low series manufacturing
environment. Consequently, it requires a flexible production system,
where the estimation of the frequent setup periods' lengths is one of
the key success factors. In the investigation, several (input)
parameters have been studied and grouped to create an adequate
training information set for an artificial neural network as a base for
the estimation of the individual setup periods. In the first group,
product information is collected such as the product name and
number of items. The second group contains material data like
material type and colour. In the third group, surface quality and
tolerance information are collected including the finest surface and
tightest (or narrowest) tolerance. The fourth group contains the setup
data like machine type and work shift. One source of these
parameters is the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) but some
data were also collected from Computer Aided Design (CAD)
drawings. The number of the applied tools is one of the key factors
on which the industrial partners’ estimations were based previously.
The artificial neural network model was trained on several thousands
of real industrial data. The mean estimation accuracy of the setup
periods' lengths was improved by 30%, and in the same time the
deviation of the prognosis was also improved by 50%. Furthermore,
an investigation on the mentioned parameter groups considering the
manufacturing order was also researched. The paper also highlights
the manufacturing introduction experiences and further
improvements of the proposed methods, both on the shop floor and
on the quotation preparation fields. Every week more than 100 real
industrial setup events are given and the related data are collected.




References:
[1] Bilici M. K., Yükler A. I., “Influence of tool geometry and process
parameters on macrostructure and static strength in friction stir spot
welded polyethylene sheets”, in Materials and Design, 2012, vol. 33, pp.
145–152.
[2] Arici A., Mert S., “Friction stir spot welding of poly-propylene”, in
Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 2008, vol. 27, pp. 2001–
2004.
[3] F. Quadrini, "Machining plastics: A new approach for modeling" in
Polymer Engineering and Science, 48. ed. vol. 3., 2008, pp. 434–438.
[4] A.R. Mileham, S.J. Culley, G.W. Owen, L.B. Newnes, M.D. Giess, A.N.
Bramley, “The impact of run-up in ensuring Rapid Changeover”, in
CIRP Annals - Manufacturing Technology, 2004, vol. 53, ISSUE 1, pp.
407-410.
[5] Diganta Das, Satyandra K. Guptas, Dana S. Nau, “Estimation Of Setup
Time For Machined Parts: Accounting For Work-Holding Constraints
Using A Vise” in Computers in Engineering, 1995, pp. 619-632.
[6] McCulloch, W.S., Pitts, W., “A logical calculus of the ideas immanent
in nervous activity” in Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics, 1945, 5, pp.
115-133.
[7] Werbos, P.J., “Beyond Regression: New Tools for Prediction and
Analysis in the Behaviour Sciences”, PhD Thesis, Harvard University,
Cambridge, 1974.