This projects aims to develop design automation in product development. Design automation causes increase in producibility and decrease in product cost and manufacturing lead time.

The study at hand is proposed to provide a new method and to introduce procedure to the design of wiring pattern for a car seat heater for Kongsberg Automotive, KA. KA is a Norwegian company and a global provider of engineering, design, and manufacture for seat comfort, driver and motion control systems, fluid assemblies, and industrial driver interface products. The method that currently is used in the company to create a wiring pattern is neither sufficient enough nor automated.

In order to design the wiring pattern, at first procedure is handled by the designer. Secondly, car seat heater 2D layout is imported and then, the dimensions of the elements are defined as constraints. Then VBA codes are opened and the program is run. The result will be a wiring pattern in different 2D layouts. To make the design process easier, we have modeled five different layouts; wiring pattern of one element, two elements, three elements, five elements (with two back sides) and one element trapezoidal 2D layout.

The algorithm written in VBA (Visual basic for application) creates the pattern according to the dimensions of the elements which are used as inputs to define constrained parameters. The created macros are simple to use and easy to modify, independent from the programming knowledge. The user is only responsible with parameter input and running the program. The solution gives wiring pattern for a car seat heater.

Quality of the castings is affected by several factors which the designer should take into consideration during the product development process. Although residual stress is one of those, it is often not considered in practical computations. Hence residual stresses are one of the forgotten areas in designing of machine parts. This master thesis is focused on the investigation of residual stresses in a high pressure die casted component, with the aim of extending its service life, by taking results from the study as a feedback.

The investigation of residual stresses was done on a variety of specimens, cast aluminum flywheel, provided by Husqvarna AB. This flywheel is a component in a product of the same company.In evaluating the residual stresses in the part, two tools-simulation and physical measurement were used. Moreover, comparison with these two methods is also done at an area of interest on the flywheel. The simulation was carried out by using MAGMAhpdc-a module for high pressure die casting process, from the commercial software package MAGMAsoft; while for the physical measurements, the hole drilling method was used, a method believed to be less accurate at low stresses areas.

The findings obtained from this study show that the results from both procedures are close, with small deviations observed, which reveals the reliability of the hole drilling method even when the stress levels are low. It is also found that the compressive residual stresses dominate in the component-a preferred phenomenon with regards to residual stress.

This report aims to describing the work behind the development of a masonry heater.

The masonry heater is developed in collaboration with the company Transient Design KB that is a product development company located in Alingsås. The company sees a possibility to cover a market segment where modern technology and design are missing.

The report presents those methods and approaches that have been used and gives an overview to how the project has been carried out. It describes how the ideas behind the final results have produced and how they have been developed during the project's time. In the report you can also read about the final concept with its choices of construction and materials.

The report is completed with a presentation of a final concept and a ground for possible future production.

Lamellar cast iron is a very important technical alloy and the most used material in the casting production especially in the automotive industry which is the major customer. There are many factors such as chemical composition, metallurgical condition and melt treatment that are effecting on the size, morphology and distribution of microstructure features of the lamella graphite iron which in turn this features effecting the material’s mechanical properties and tensile behaviour under static load.

In the past few years many researchers have been done different investigation within improvement of mechanical behaviour in the lamellar graphite iron. Controlling the solidification rate, changing the chemical composition and using different carbon content in the melt are some of the research that have been carried out in last years. Swerea/ Swecast in Jönköping has been involved in many of previous researches. The present work is part of the previous investigation that have been carried out in the Swecast/Swerea.

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of different cooling rate on the microstructure parameters and furthermore how this parameters influence the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) in the lamellar graphite iron. To increase the understanding of cooling rates effect on the material properties, in this work the chemical composition and carbon content was equal in the all of the samples.

The collected data that are based on the morphological data of the solidification structure (dendritic network, eutectic cells) and the eutectoid transformation structure (pearlite) have been correlated to the measured tensile strength. The final purpose of this work was to develop a generic model for the prediction of the tensile strength in lamellar graphite iron which has been presented in the result chapters.

The question that have been answered in this work based on the following points.

 How the cooling rate influences the development of primary austenite phase and those effect on the UTS?

 How the pearlite interlamellar spacing develops during the different cooling rate and influencing the UTS?

 How the different cooling rates influence the size and amount of the eutectic cell and according to this how the UTS varies?

The work has been carried out according to the time plane (see appendix 6) and the result of this work showed that cooling rate has an essential effect on the microstructure features. By controlling the cooling rate, the material strength improves significantly.

The purpose of this report is to document the experiments carried out, methods used and results gained during research into how the silicon content of an aluminium alloy affects the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).

The goal of this paper is to better understand and to find a relation between silicon content and the coefficient of thermal expansion.

Experiments were carried out using carefully prepared samples of Al Si alloys (0, 7, 10 and 20% Si content). Using these alloys, the CTE could be measured using a dilatometer.Comparative analysis carried out could map the effects of silicon content on the coefficient of thermal expansion and an equation was created. Using simple graphs and the rule of mixture method, the authors were able to build a simple tool for calculating the CTE of specific aluminum silicon alloys.

Investigating the Indian society, culture and truck market to develop a list of criteria (design brief) for an optimal truck for these markets. These criteria will be used as a starting point for the design process of designing the truck.

Investigations in Sweden (at Volvo) and in India (at Eicher).

Research conducted through design methods and interviews with stakeholders.

It is the goal of this thesis to create two examples of what a domestically built truck for the Indian market could be.

Together with Attends in Aneby a thesis of 15 ECTS (credits) have been undertaken. The assignment was to develop a new incontinence product for single use. Users of the product value comfort, flexibility, softness, comfort and a discreet product. Users are for individuals with incontinence problems that usually receive the products via prescription. The product must also have an attractive price and good quality from the purchase / originator's perspective.

Currently there are two models that Attends supplies, which the project intends to develop, (Slips / Briefs and Pull On's). The first has a low price but also lower usability than the other. The products have a well-developed absorptive function and with respect to this, only a new design of the chassis will be developed. Project issue were: How should a concept look like when combining Pull On's and Slips / Briefs? Is it possible to develop a better product?

Production methods, costs and customer satisfaction will not be taken into account given that incontinence is a sensitive topic and that it would make the task too extensive. Consideration of patents, industrial designs and design protection are not taken into account when over two hundred applications per month are registered.   The mission was carried out as a development project where the product is broken down into parts which are then developed and combined to form a new developed product. Tools that were used are brainstorming and morphological matrix. This project resulted in a concept that can be described as a hybrid of today's two products. With two parts of elastic material in the waist, the product will gain a better fit for the user. It also creates a wider span between the maximum and minimum waistline each size will cover. The final product also has an adjustment function to increase the user friendliness and comfort. With the help of adjustment so you can change the pressure against the body, making the user able to customize the product. A continuation of the project is to examine whether new materials can be inserted into the device instead of the elastic composite. It is important that further development of the product is made together with a test group to gain answers about ease of use and other problems that can arise in everyday use. A continuation should also involve interviewing healthcare professionals who come into contact with the product.

Toms in Habo moulds jelly candy. The company has a good demand for theirproducts while the factory's machines are in need of an upgrade. Therefore, newmachinery will be purchased and meanwhile there is a vision to change the layoutof the plant. A new arrangement of the plant is necessary because today's disposalof floor space lack conditions to produce large quantities. Toms have developed asuggestion of a new production arrangement, but an evaluation of this is needed.The thesis focuses on evaluating and developing the existing proposal to Toms. Inorder to do so four independent suggestions for a layout of the plant were madewith the method of Systematic Local Planning (SLP). The making of a situationanalysis clarified the conditions required to perform an SLP. The developedsuggestions were valued by a number of criteria. The criteria where establishedfollowing the conditions needed for production. The suggestion given the highestscore in the evaluation was then compared against the suggestion that wasdesigned by Toms. To clarify differences in flows between the various suggestionsarising from the work a spaghetti diagram were drawn for each suggestion.The comparison revealed that both suggestions were similar structured. Theevaluation shows that the suggestion that the thesis presents has a betterutilization of the area and an approach that makes it easier for the staff at thevarious workstations to see each other.Another issue has been how a requested molding machine is to be placed. Givenfrom the beginning have been two options from Toms. Our recommendation is inconsensus with the thesis highest scored suggestion, which means one of theoriginally given options.

The problem of automating design processes is often related to the difficulties with updating, maintaining and sharing the information. This thesis provides a descriptive case study of a large company’s design automation process and the difficulties of reusing already existing solutions.

The main purpose of the thesis has been to trace a product family from its specification of demands to a complete design program. An account is given of the documentation written during the product development process, of the different data storages and also how the company has implemented design automation in their process.

The results have been reached through a series of interviews as well as previous studies and material from the company. From an analysis of the results proposed solutions are given and focus on the low quality the documentation has and how it is a result of a rapid growth within the company.

This thesis was rendered for the client HAGS Aneby AB that is a global leader in playground equipment. The goal of this project was to develop a seesaw that is available for children aged 5-12 years; both with and without disabilities. The project has aimed to develop a seesaw that fits everyone in the target group without looking specially adapted.

Children with disabilities have difficulty using today's seesaws because they consist of only a seat and a handle on each side. It requires that the user has strong arms and legs and can sit up without support. HAGS Aneby AB would like to change this.

To gain knowledge of the target group and on the different types of disabilities information was sought for on the internet including the RBU's and UNICEF's websites. During implementation several concepts was developed and screened off to finally get the final result. Methods such as QFD, feasibility assessment and Go/No-Go-screening have been implemented. The instructions in the safety standard EN 1176 has been closely followed in the development of the seesaw.

The final concept shows a broad seat with handles, seat backs and footrests on each side of a central section that is in the form of a U. On the sides of the seats there is a high lateral support, to lean against, and a low lateral support. Entry and exit will happen on the side where the low lateral support is situated. Rubber buds are placed on the back of the seats and on the outside of the high lateral support, so that an assistant could be able to assist with entry and exit and also to provide extra speed in use. A rubber suspension unit, that makes the seesaw move, restricts the movement to ± 30˚. In order to stimulate the senses, such as vision and hearing, a ballgame was placed in the middle part of the platform.

Problembakgrund

Weland AB tillverkar bland annat spiraltrappor. En spiraltrappa består utav flera olika komponenter som i sin tur består av ett flertal detaljer, alla komponenter har ett specifikt materialflöde i tillverkningen. Weland AB tillverkar två olika typer av spiraltrappor, standard- och tillverkningstrappa. Standardtrappans komponenter tillverkas mot lager och följer standardiserade mått med krav på belastning medan tillverkningstrappans komponenter tillverkas mot kundorder. Enligt företagets policy tar det två veckor för en standardtrappa att levereras och åtta veckor för en tillverkningstrappa. En liten förändring av minst en av standardtrappans komponenter medför att leveransledtiden utökas med sex veckor. Idag finns ingen nulägesbeskrivning över kundorderuppfyllelseprocessen för spiraltrapporna, vilket medför att det är svårt för företaget att veta om de angivna leveranstiderna är rimliga att erbjuda kunderna eller om de kan reduceras.

Syfte

Syftet med projektet var att göra en nulägesanalys över kundorderuppfyllelseprocessen för tillverkningstrappan samt generera förbättringsförslag som kan minska leveransledtiden.

Metod

Metoden som användes för att kartlägga nuläget var värdeflödesanalys. Metoden medförde att både material- och informationsflödet analyserades i kundorderuppfyllelseprocessen. Data som saknades för att kartlägga nuläget identifierades via observationer i produktionen och samlades in med hjälp av ett ifyllnadsdokument “Informationskortet”. Informationskortet fick följa med en kundorder för en tillverkningstrappa från planering till leverans. Intervjuer och samtal följde sedan för att öka validiteten i resultatet. Efter kartläggningen analyserades nuläget och begränsningsteorin användes för att identifiera förekommande begränsningar i flödet.

Resultat

Kartläggningen av nuläget åskådliggjorde ett begränsat informationsflöde och visade att företaget saknade ett helhetsperspektiv för spiraltrapporna. Värdeflödesanalysen visade att cirka 1,3 % skapade mervärde för kunden i kundorderuppfyllelseprocessen. Förslag till förbättringar togs sedan fram med hjälp av kartläggningen och nulägesanalysen. Ett av förslagen innebar att dagliga order läggs ut i produktion istället för veckoorder tillsammans med ett dragande system (kanbansystem). Förslaget kompletterades med att introducera ”styrningstavlor” för att erhålla en mer visuell styrning i produktionen. Syftet med förbättringsförslaget var att minska den totala genomloppstiden för komponenterna i produktionen. Det andra förbättringsförslaget innebar att öka kapaciteten på en begränsning med syfte att reducera genomloppstiden i förberedningen. Med de båda förbättringsförslagen kunde en ny teoretisk leveransledtid uppskattas. Leveransledtiden uppskattas kunna minskas från 39 arbetsdagar (åtta veckor) till 10 arbetsdagar för en spiraltrappa som tillverkas mot kundorder.

This report is a final thesis project written at the Technical University of Jönköping and was done in cooperation with the company Sundström Safety AB. The project discussed in this report is about product development, where two concepts are to be developed from two existing lightweight hoods SR 561 and SR 562. Lightweight hoods are a protective device used in critical environments. Lightweight hoods are used in chemical environments to protect the user from the hazardous environment. The current products are considered to be slightly hard to use in case of equipping and removing the products, and therefore Sundström Safety AB wants to develop new concepts for these two products.

Standards that restrict and claim the product are specified by the company and a literature review is made on these to define the requirements on the product. These requirements are compiled and on the basis of them, concepts are created by following the design process. Different methods such as brainstorming and idea sketching are used to generate concepts that are then screened with screening methods such as Pugh's matrix.

After only two concepts remain, a concept for a reusable lightweight hood and a one- time use hood concept, a final prototype is made. This prototype is made on the reusable concept as it has the most features. The prototype is manufactured using 3D printing as well as other plastic details.

The concepts created in this report may be used for Sundström Safety AB in the development of the current products. The concepts can give an idea of how new products can be developed and inspires to new solutions of the lightweight hoods. 

When a company in the manufactory industry makes costly investments, it's important that these are used as much as possible. The company in this case claims that their invested robot cell, with CNC machine isn't used enough. The questions here are: How can we improve the use of the robot cell? Which products are appropriate for the production in the robot cell?

As a method to come to a conclusion, an analysis has been made over the manufactured products. And also interviews with machine operators and the production management. Our work has also been based on literature studies,   because the production moment has been compared with models from Lean Production theories.     

The analysis shows that there are some limitations in the robot cell, which means that there are several demands that have to be fulfilled. From the investigated material our conclusion is that many products don't keep up with following demands: length, surface, tolerance dimensions, and shape. As a result of this, there are some products that can´t be manufactured in the robot cell, and therefore has to be produced in the ordinary CNC machine group.

Interviews have declared that there doesn't exist any documentation from the production in the robot cell, which causes stop in the production. The data collection shows that an inner setting in the robot cell varies a lot, because the article supply is vast. Therefore it's hard to estimate average time for inner settings. The total time for inner settings could be reduced by shorten time for cleaning the CNC machine, pre-programming the robot and using fixtures which can be attached easily. This should increase the ability to run more articles in the robot cell.

The conclusion is that the company could improve the production, by upgrading and investing in equipment for the robot cell.

Improvements can also be achieved by reduce the time for inner settings, and also by collect statistics from the production in the robot cell. This should make it easier to find reasons that keep the utilization rate low.   

This report is a bachelor thesis work in the field of product development and design. The assignment has been to develop a solution for roof racks, normally used for cars, to fit on the open trailer models FS1425 and Alugance. The project was implemented by Johan Andersson and Victor Karlsson, students at the Mechanical Engineering program with a focus on product development and design at Jönköping’s school of Engineering, in spring 2012.

The client wants to use transport solutions in the same way as roof racks on cars. The user of such a product is assumed to desire simplicity, safety and an attractive design with an appealing price, which has been a challenge during the thesis work.

Pre-studies have been conducted to examine the potential competitors and gain knowledge in the research area. Concepts have been generated by the method of brainstorming and evaluated and screened by the method Go/No-Go and Pugh’s decision matrix. In modeling the concepts, the CAD program Solid Works is used.

The work resulted in one solution for FS1425 and one for Alugance where both solutions are based on a standard approach/kit. Each kit consists of a rubber component and two plates that produce a clamping force to the trailer profile using two screws. Concepts prototypes have been made by modifying the current plates and 3D printing. For further development of the concepts, the focus should be on production optimization and testing of functional prototypes. 

In this undergraduate thesis a throttle body designed for drag racing is investigated and evaluated. The throttle body governs the air flow to the internal combustion engine and is controlled by the throttle twist grip. The concept is developed by Emtes Engineering and within this undergraduate thesis it includes to design a throttle body with the concept for the motorcycle Suzuki Hayabusa. The standard mounted throttle body is suitable for normal usage and a wide power range. For drag racing the maximum power output is crucial and the standard mounted throttle body is a bottle-neck at WOT (Wide Open Throttle).

Complete solutions for various functions are missing for the concept. This undergraduate thesis includes completing the concept with a returning mechanism, synchronisation arrangement and proper standard components. At the beginning of the task it also includes to establish a specification of requirements and DFMEA (Design Failure Mode Effects Analysis).

The final design fulfils the specification of requirements. The throttle body is compact, simple to assemble and suited for small scale manufacturing. The symmetrical design simplifies the CNC-manufacturing (Computer Numerical Control) and thereby reduces the costs.

Finally a test was carried out to compare the new throttle body with the standard mounted. The methodology turned out to be unsuitable and the testing of the throttle body was without results. Further testing with other methods is recommended but that will not be a part of this undergraduate thesis.

This work is a product development of a product which facilitates enduro drivers swallowing fluid while driving. My own experience of the problem and a custom survey gave me some frames and requirements of how such a product would look. To obtain the different concepts the method of brainstorming was used where I outlined the various proposals. The basic concept was that some kind of pump would build pressure in the liquid and when the user opens the nozzle the liquid will come out without the need to use the mouth to suck. The screening phase consisted of two steps. The first step, a Pugh matrix where I varied reference concepts and four of the six proposals were eliminated. During the second screening phase, two test models were built and I tried out which one I would eliminate. The concept that was left was a simple pump, powered by a battery of9-volt. The pump starts when the user opens the nozzle and stops automatically when the nozzle is closed.  This is controlled by a hose which swells when the pump is running and the nozzle is closed. Then the hose begins to swell and affects a small micro switch that breaks the voltage supply to the pump. A check valve makes sure that the liquid remains in the hose and the pump will remain neutral until the re-opening of the nozzle and the hose shrinks. 

Hur kan två automatiserade monteringslinor effektiviseras för att öka antalet färdigmonterade produkter i timmen? Denna fråga ställdes inledandevis vid utformningen av detta examensarbete, som är gjort i samarbete med företaget Thule Sweden AB (Thule). Bakgrunden till detta examensarbete är att Thule anser att två av deras monteringslinor inte når sin fulla kapacitet. Utifrån bakgrunden kom syftet att öka antalet färdigmonterade produkter per timme för respektive monteringslina. För att besvara syftet formulerades tre frågeställningar; Hur kan monteringstakten öka genom kortare upptäcktstider vid larm? Vilka rutiner kan implementeras för att skapa förutsättningar till ökad monteringstakt? Finns det möjlighet till ytterligare ökad monteringstakt? För de båda linorna finns ett mål uppsatt om hur många paketerade kartonger (fyra produkter per kartong) som ska göras i timmen, 90 respektive 100 stycken.

För att besvarar frågeställningarna och på så vis uppfylla arbetets syfte har datainsamling i form av tidsstudier, observationer och samtal genomförts. Datainsamlingen har sedan analyserats för att skapa en bild av nuläget. Nulägesbeskrivningen ligger sedan till grund för förbättringsarbetet.

Gällande lina X ansågs den största förbättringspotentialen finnas i linans larmsystem. I dagsläget tar det drygt 20 sekunder för operatörerna att upptäcka larmen. Upptäcktstiden påverkar antalet färdiga kartonger i timmen genom att utrustningen står stilla på grund av att operatörerna är omedvetna om larmen. Upptäcktstiden går troligtvis att sänka genom investeringar i larmsystemet. Under förutsättning att upptäcktstiden sänks till noll sekunder ökar monteringstakten med nästan tio kartonger per timme. Med en upptäcktstid på noll sekunder samt andra förbättringar kan monteringstakten öka med totalt 14,3 kartonger per timme.

Lina Y:s larmsystem är annorlunda i jämförelse med det som finns på lina X. Upptäcktstiden vid lina Y är endast en sjättedel av upptäcktstiden för lina X, därför ansågs det viktigare att lägga större vikt vid att förbättra andra problemområden. För att förbättra en manuell monteringsstation gjordes en SAM-analys på en ny monteringsmetod. SAM-analysen visade att monteringstiden kan minskas från 8,45 sekunder till 7,37 sekunder. Det finns också en automatiserad station med 8,35 sekunders operationstid. Lyckas Thule reducera denna tid till en operationstid under 7,37 och att den nya monteringsmetoden implementeras kommer de få ut 15,6 fler kartonger per timme. Genomförs också övriga förbättringsförslag kommer monteringstakten öka med ytterligare 7,8 kartonger per timme.         

Slutsatsen för detta examensarbete är att det går att öka antalet färdigpaketerade kartonger med 14,3 respektive 23,4 kartonger i timmen. Detta förutsatt att Thule implementerar de förslag som tagits fram.

Hur kan två automatiserade monteringslinor effektiviseras för att öka antalet färdigmonterade produkter i timmen? Denna fråga ställdes inledandevis vid utformningen av detta examensarbete, som är gjort i samarbete med företaget Thule Sweden AB (Thule). Bakgrunden till detta examensarbete är att Thule anser att två av deras monteringslinor inte når sin fulla kapacitet. Utifrån bakgrunden kom syftet att öka antalet färdigmonterade produkter per timme för respektive monteringslina. För att besvara syftet formulerades tre frågeställningar; Hur kan monteringstakten öka genom kortare upptäcktstider vid larm? Vilka rutiner kan implementeras för att skapa förutsättningar till ökad monteringstakt? Finns det möjlighet till ytterligare ökad monteringstakt? För de båda linorna finns ett mål uppsatt om hur många paketerade kartonger (fyra produkter per kartong) som ska göras i timmen, 90 respektive 100 stycken.

För att besvarar frågeställningarna och på så vis uppfylla arbetets syfte har datainsamling i form av tidsstudier, observationer och samtal genomförts. Datainsamlingen har sedan analyserats för att skapa en bild av nuläget. Nulägesbeskrivningen ligger sedan till grund för förbättringsarbetet.

Gällande lina X ansågs den största förbättringspotentialen finnas i linans larmsystem. I dagsläget tar det drygt 20 sekunder för operatörerna att upptäcka larmen. Upptäcktstiden påverkar antalet färdiga kartonger i timmen genom att utrustningen står stilla på grund av att operatörerna är omedvetna om larmen. Upptäcktstiden går troligtvis att sänka genom investeringar i larmsystemet. Under förutsättning att upptäcktstiden sänks till noll sekunder ökar monteringstakten med nästan tio kartonger per timme. Med en upptäcktstid på noll sekunder samt andra förbättringar kan monteringstakten öka med totalt 14,3 kartonger per timme.

Lina Y:s larmsystem är annorlunda i jämförelse med det som finns på lina X. Upptäcktstiden vid lina Y är endast en sjättedel av upptäcktstiden för lina X, därför ansågs det viktigare att lägga större vikt vid att förbättra andra problemområden. För att förbättra en manuell monteringsstation gjordes en SAM-analys på en ny monteringsmetod. SAM-analysen visade att monteringstiden kan minskas från 8,45 sekunder till 7,37 sekunder. Det finns också en automatiserad station med 8,35 sekunders operationstid. Lyckas Thule reducera denna tid till en operationstid under 7,37 och att den nya monteringsmetoden implementeras kommer de få ut 15,6 fler kartonger per timme. Genomförs också övriga förbättringsförslag kommer monteringstakten öka med ytterligare 7,8 kartonger per timme.         

Slutsatsen för detta examensarbete är att det går att öka antalet färdigpaketerade kartonger med 14,3 respektive 23,4 kartonger i timmen. Detta förutsatt att Thule implementerar de förslag som tagits fram.

This paper examines the front-end process of inter-organizational IT innovation. In particular, it focuses on the nature and role of architectural knowledge. Such knowledge is important for development of architectures capable of serving the goals of heterogeneous actors and associated technologies. Yet, surprisingly little research has been done on how architectural knowledge may be developed through collective achievements. This paper presents a theoretical model of architectural knowledge development in inter-organizational IT innovation. Applying this model throughout an action research project within the Swedish transport industry, the paper identifies four dimensions of architectural knowledge that proved important for facilitating an industry-wide ubiquitous computing environment. The four dimensions are technology capability awareness, use context sensitivity, business model understanding, and boundary-spanning competence. We conclude the paper by outlining the theoretical and strategy implications of the model and the four dimensions of architectural knowledge.

Purpose – To come up with a new product within the category of mingling table that provides an expanded area of use. This to be better adapted to individuals and at a home environment. Through an innovative construction and a combination of modulated- and hand made parts is the purpose to create a unique product on the market.

Method – The first part of the life of a product: the product development process; identify the need, plan the process of the design, identify the customer demands, develop the concept and finally develop the product. 

Findings – A mingling table has been created and is presented in pictures. These pictures are computer aided visualized. By rending the images is a more realistic feeling given to the table.

Implications – The results of this thesis shows that tables within the category of mingling tables, through changes in its construction, could broaden its field of use. Through further development of the presented concept additional areas of usage  may be achieved.

Limitations – This thesis has its focus on the time before the actual manufacturing of the product. This project emphasizes the product development process only.  

Keywords – Home environment, customizable , functionality, product development, design, mingling table. 

The thesis was executed at Kynningsrud Prefab AB in Uddevalla. The company produces precast elements within the construction industry.  Currently, the company is not fully satisfied with the internal communication or the flow of material or finished products. Thus, Kynningsrud is planning to create a production system, KPS, in order to keep in pace with their current sales expansion.

Through deliberations and discussions regarding the issue together with the company, a decision was made to focus on the manufacturing of the concrete walls. The conclusion came down to the purpose of the thesis would be to analyze and identify opportunities of improvement and to develop proposals targeted lean production.

To eliminate non-value adding time as well as working to standardize operations and make the internal communication more efficient the two theories The seven wastes+one and the 5S tool was elected as theoretical framework. The necessary information about each step of the manufacturing process was collected by observing, interviewing and participation in the working process. The information was assembled to six current state descriptions of the production and describes every operation in each step of the processes. Finally, the description was analyzed according to the theoretical framework.

The analysis resulted in eight improvement proposals that together would eliminate waste with a total time of approximately 12 hours a day for all analyzed operations combined. It meant a cost reduction of about 3,500 Swedish crowns per day. The compilation of the information collected was illustrated through a gap analysis.

The time duration that was used for the saving calculations were estimated values ​​through observations and interviews with staff members. When calculating the time possible to save the lowest estimated time duration were used and the results may therefore contain numbers of unknown cases. It makes the calculations the theoretically lowest savings that can be made. In reality, the cost reduction could be greater if the improvement proposals were implemented.

This study is performed as a final thesis project at School of engineering, Jönköping University in collaboration with the Professional electric department at Husqvarna. The purpose of the study was to develop a concept proposal that improves the performance of a battery-powered handheld product by developing a new component.

By evaluating and analyzing the existing product and by discussions with the Husqvarna supervisors, a construction criteria list was created with the requirements to be met. A literature study was conducted to gather information, which gave a broader basis for further work.

To find a potential solution, a conceptual study was conducted in the form of a brainstorming process. This process resulted in a couple of concepts which were evaluated and screened by the methods "Go / No-Go" and "Pugh's matrix". After evaluation and by simpler tests, a concept was elaborated further and developed into a final prototype.

Hjälp snabbt och enkelt på distans.

In a global market, the competition is strong and companies are competing against each other all the time. By obtaining competitive advantages such as flexible production, short delivery times, quality and low prices, a company can attract major customers and create major advantages compared to their competatives.

Kongsberg Automotive AB is a global company operating in the automotive industry and distributing goods to several famous brands. Due to high demands from clients, Kongsberg is working with continuous improvement which helps the company to develop and improve their effectiveness. One problem the company has had under observation for a while is their setup process. The setup process has not had a major change since 1996 when the company introduced a workstation that prepares tools for the production. The company has decided to investigate further into the setup process to see which improvements are possible to carry out the setup process. The investigation covered the setup time reduction through an analysis made by using the SMED-method in the program AviX SMED.

AviX SMED uses video-recorded material were the most representative setup was used as an object. The program offers the possibility to analyze the video-recorded material using categorizations and by splitting up the various elements of the set of workers available. SMED is an elaborate method of setup time reduction which comes from Japan in the 1950´s and follows a number of different steps that should be taken in order to get the desired results.

The investigation resulted in several suggestions for improvement where two different proposals for action was developed. The proposed actions were developed with a main focus on "with investments" and "without investment". The proposal without invesments was used as suggested actions to Kongsberg because investments were not the focus. The ”non investment”-suggestion reduced setup time on average by 29 % in four of the analysed setups. Kongsberg can continue to reduce setup time by technical efficiency but that requires more profound analysis of how complex features work and interact with each other.

Proton Lighting is a producer of professional luminaires used in public areas, schools, industry etc. 400 000 luminaires are produced every year at Proton Lightings factory in Värnamo, Sweden. An increased presence by global competitors has induced pressure on prices in the market, while Proton Lighting still wants to offer its costumer a wide variety in products and short lead time delivery. To stay competitive in the luminaire market, Proton Lighting is looking to make their assembly process more cost effective.

Today’s assembly of luminaires is performed individually by operators at individual workstations. Each luminaire is assembled in one sequence by a single operator. There is a low presence of co-operation and interaction between operators with the present work procedure, and differences in performance and competence is evident. Operators is also responsible for supportive activities related to the assembling process. Material supply is largely handled by the operators themselves, from ordering material, gather material to returning old material. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of changing the current way of assembling luminaires and supplying material. This will be done to minimize the number of supporting activities connected to the assembling of luminaires, which will result in a more cost-effective assembly.

A case study was performed at Proton Lighting to shed light at the existing problems with today’s assembly process. Gathered data was analysed together with the available literature regarding assembly work, material supply and productivity. The analysis showed that the operators spent a lot of time performing supportive activities connected to the assembly work which creates losses in effectiveness. The result of the study shows that with changes to way of assembling luminaires and changing the way of supplying material an increase in effectiveness is generated. The study presents suggestions that addresses Proton Lightings problems related to existing assembly process. The suggestions focus on increasing the time that operators spend assembling luminaire.

This exam is done with the cooperation of Thorbjörn Birging. Birging does work with RFID[1] and he is also CEO at CombiQ at Science Park in Jönköping. For a long time he wanted to make an innovation to help people with sleeping problems, depression, anxiety and stress. The author’s role as an engineer student where to make his idea come true from scratch to prototype. Birging discovered after reading an article about sleeping problems that there were studies which showed that it is easier to sleep with a faint sound in the room so other people in the room does not get disturbed. Birging then focused to create a new pillow with sound integrated that should stand out from today’s pillows.

 The goal with this exam was to create a pillow with excellent stereo sound with amplifiers, which help peoples sleeping problems. Many people with these problems seek help at hospitals, but they only get prescriptions for tranquillizer and anti-depressive pills. Another issue with sleeping pills is the risk of getting addicted and long time use might disturb the normal sleeping function, which Anders Isaksson can confirm. Birging He runs a private clinic in Örebro and has helped Birging in a previous project. Birging has been in contact with Anders under this project and can confirm this statement.

 One way of relive sleeping problems might be to let the patient listen to calming music before the sleep period begins, which is the idea for this project. The author did an investigation to find any positives or negatives in today’s pillows with sound ability. Idea generating and require specification started soon after this with help of Birging. To know what the customers want with this new product a designbrief, function analytic and a QFD-matrix. The designbrief where made both verbal and visual to know how the product should look like as a customer. With the QFD-matrix we can rank the preferences with the competitors pillows in relation to Birgings requirements on the new prototype. The QFD doesn’t give any answers how the customer experience the product that the designbrief can accomplish. A prototype construction can only begin when the designbrief and function analytic are finished. The material selection was made by different test-phases with sound and comfort. Recticel AB in Gislaved has provided the author with different types of foam for the pillow and for this new product there is an interest to follow the development in the future. 

 The new developed product did manage to become better than the competitor’s pillows in many ways. The new product is pressure relieving, gives better sound which means the volume does not have to be high, and disturbance in the surroundings is minimized. The reason is that the material does spread the sound waves straight upwards the users ears. The pillows measurement are B50*H40*T5, that means you can have much space in bed and easy find a standard pillowcase. The user will get a comfortably sleeping period the entire night with this new product.

[1] Radio Frequency IDentification

The purpose of the project is to enable visualization, information retrieval, and various analyses in a parametrized CAD-model through the program CCM. The program will be used by the company VA-Automotive in their development of future car seats.

The method used to develop the parametric model is CAD-modelling in CATIA. To provide parameterization and to be able to activate and deactivate the components in the model, a method for using Boolean functions to control this by Excel was developed. The workbench Knowledge Advisor permits added functions to be controlled by the external Excel-sheet by the function Designtable.

The work resulted in a car seat with changeable length, height, width and activation of the components that can be controlled by an Excel-sheet. Depending on the seats use and price range, different combinations in size on the backrest and seat, components and versions of them may be compiled in Excel. This directly generates a live visualization of the seat in CATIA.

From CATIA, information regarding the seat's components, price, materials and construction may be downloaded. The model and the given information will be used primarily for client meetings. This gives a quick evaluation and visualization out of the customer's requirements. To enter the requirements in CCM and get a picture of the desired product results in greater efficiency, both in customer meetings and the subsequent product development process. Such efficiency can be seen as a highly competitive property by the customers.

The program CATIA is has restriction between its different versions. The model is created in CATIA V5-6R2014, which means that older versions can open the model, after conversion, but it cannot be changed or parameterized in a desirable manner.

The way the components are modulated required dimensioning and geometry that goes together with the parameterization and positioning in the space of the assembly. This causes all the components to be modelled in this way and no standard components can be used from other models. Therefore the final model is not viable as a basis for further construction. 

The company is currently in a stage of improvement and has therefore taken the help of students at School of Engineering, Jonkoping University. The current production is batch, production layout is fixed. A bottleneck is created after the first station which leads to large efficiency loss.  

The meaning of this report was to provide a layout suggestion with balanced workstations to a new production line. The conditions were that the production line would be one-way, driven by customers order and meet a demand of 40 products per week.  

In order to achieve a result, different methods and tools have been used, these have been time studies, video recording, case studies and interviews with assemblers and supervisor. Theoretical background has been helpful for the choice of methods and work implementation.  

The result of this work was a series of solutions based on the company’s strategy and the methods that has been used. Solution A uses three stations with the idea to create a suction through the flow and smooth line balancing. Solution B also had three stations with the basic concept to be able to adjust the number of stations. The number of stations can be selected when the demand change between two, three or six stations. The last Solution C meaning was to create a production line where the operations of the same character had their own place. This solution has five stations, creating a large efficiency loss.  

The conclusion is that Layout proposal B is best for the company. This is because it is the most flexible proposal when it is possible to adapt to a demand from 20- 100 products /week. Proposal for methods development and opportunities for improvement in production can be found in the conclusion and discussion. 

In a multi-year project at Swerea Swecast AB studies on influence of dissolved gas on inclusions have been made. The knowledge about these parameters could be used to increase the quality of the final steel casting. The purpose of this thesis was to closer examine the impact of the oxygen level on inclusions.

The questions asked were:

 What was the amount of inclusions at different levels of oxygen?

 What was the size of these inclusions at different levels of oxygen?

 What does the inclusions consist of at different levels of oxygen?

This was studied by measuring and sampling, sample preparation and microscopic analysis using an optical microscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Measurements and sampling was performed at Smålands Stålgjuteri AB in Eksjö and at Swerea Swecast AB in Jönköping. At Smålands Stålgjuteri AB the measurements were performed in production while at Swerea Swecast AB the measurements were made in a way that the oxygen levels were provoked.

The sample preparations were made at Swerea Swecast AB’s workshop and lab. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light optic microscopy was used for the analysis. The data from these analyses were processed and charts and tables were prepared.

The results from the light microscopy shows a difference in microstructure between the two samplings. The charts and tables that were obtained indicated that the number of inclusions correlated with the oxygen level. However, only to a certain extent because other parameters such as time and amount of deoxidizer have a greater effect. The size of the inclusions decreased with decreased oxygen level during deoxidation. As mentioned in the pre-study, oxides are the most common type of inclusions in steel. This was also the case in the current study.

The results showed that the oxygen level can be used as an indicator of the necessary addition of deoxidiser.

This report presents a bachelor thesis in Mechanical Engineering, Product development and design and has been carried out in collaboration with SAAB Training & Simulation in Huskvarna. The thesis project involved a product development process beginning with establishment of specifications and concept generation through 3D modelling which then resulted in a complete prototype. The task presented by SAAB Training & Simulation consisted of developing a portable combined target holder and transportation case for their current livescoring projectile monitoring system, the LOMAH 700.

A theoretical background was necessary to gain an understanding of the complex nature of a product development process and the stages involved. Different concept generation and evaluation methods were explored, including the Go/No-go and Vendor Evaluation Matrices, as well as engineering practices such as Design for Manufacturing and Design for Assembly. Various materials and production techniques were also investigated to optimize functionality of the product, as well as cost of production.

The methods researched in the theoretical background were then applied throughout the development process. Brainstorming was used to generate numerous different ideas which were then evaluated using three different matrices. This resulted in one leading concept which was further developed through detail work and review. The work continued with 3D-modelling and drawing using SolidWorks to ultimately produce the grounds for manufacturing.

The final concept consisted of a transportation case ordered from the case manufacturing company, SKB Cases. Custom-made components included legs with adjustable length and angle and a target holder used for fixing a target and the LOMAH 700 onto the transportation case. The custom-made parts were produced by SAAB, and the prototype was then assembled. The prototype was ultimately tested to ensure the fulfillment of the specifications defined by SAAB Training & Simulation.

This report is a candidate work carried out towards Jönköping University. The purpose of this paper is to examine and identify the difficulties experienced by the companies, certification bodies and standards developers SIS with the transition to the new revision of ISO 9001: 2015. The questions answered in this essay is, what differences can be seen between the large and small businesses as well as what kind of tools businesses need for an easier transition.

The work has been based on a qualitative research. The information collected is the basis for the analysis and conclusion. Main empirical data is collected in the form of a survey conducted with twenty respondents during a training day carried out by SIS. For deeper understanding has six open-structured interviews been conducted in both large and small companies. In addition, it also has an open interview conducted by the certification body Qvalify and the standard developers SIS. The individuals selected for interview were all responsible in any way in the transition to ISO 9001: 2015. Theoretical supplementation has been in the form of literature studies where the main field has been "quality". The analysis was a "triangulation" (figure 6), which means that the data collected from the companies, Qvalify and SIS was separated and analyzed iteratively. To get the multiple dimensions of the problem and be able to draw a conclusion was the processed information from the companies, Qvalify and SIS against each other to see if any patterns or connections could be discovered. It was discovered that the companies experienced other difficulties than SIS and Qvalify thought about the transition to ISO 9001: 2015.

The results of this study showed that the majority of the participating companies felt that it was difficult to interpret ISO 9001: 2015. The companies felt that the text of the requirements in the document is written in a way that it can be interpreted differently or misinterpreted. The clauses four and eight experienced the companies to be more difficult than the others. The small companies feel that it has more knowledge than lack of interpretation as opposed to the large, barely experience any lack of knowledge. To simplify the transition process the companies required a gap analysis tool that shows the requirements of ISO 9001: 2015 are added, the requirements that are new and what has been removed.