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Best product: has your product been thoroughly tested?
Setting up an
electronic European skills directory for product testing
A 'best' product
is a product that currently has to meet a wide range of requirements set by
the market and the legislature. They are not purely functional requirements
relating to the use and proper functioning of the product. It must be
possible to test the product quickly and efficiently on characteristics such
as low sound output, resistance to temperature, corrosion or shock and
whether the product is easy to recycle or even whether it is biodegradable.
Register free to
indicate your interest in the initiative by using a questionnaire (see
below).
Interaction between the product and its environment
Environmental engineering
A great deal of knowledge about
environmental engineering has been gained and all sorts of methods and test
infrastructure have been developed in research centres, universities and
companies since World War II. There is increasing market demand to test more
and newer characteristics: the UV resistance of plastics, how resistant a
lacquer is to corrosion, the wear and tear of a coating in an abrasive
movement, the sensitivity to vibrations of a printed circuit board, the
sound produced by a machine, electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones
and much more.
Eureka project
Agoria and CRIF/WTCM (Centre for Scientific and Technical Research in Metal
Manufacturing) are supporting this initiative, which dovetails with their
efforts to boost product-oriented research (cf. the Belgian Manufuture
Platform for example). In addition to Belgium, the
Confederation of European Environmental Engineering Societies (CEEES),
Germany, Finland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland are also
actively involved in the project. more information:
BESTPRODUCT - TENEEST
More than purely
functional aspects must be taken into account during the design stage to
ensure that a product is of the desired quality (i.e. the way in which it
must meet the stipulated criteria during its working life). The way in which
the product interacts with its surroundings must also be evaluated. This can
be assessed with accelerated or non-accelerated physical tests using
vibration tables, climate chambers, time-temperature conversions and so on,
or with virtual tests using simulation software. These two types of test may
be combined.
In
this way, the environmental impact – the impact the environment has on the
product and vice-versa – is already taken into account in the design stage.
This multi-disciplinary and integrated approach is known as environmental
engineering. Hence, the term 'environmental' refers to the impact on the
environment in the broad sense of the term and not primarily to the natural
environment, although it can also include the natural environment.
The Belgian
Society of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering (BSMEE) has taken the
initiative to set up a European network (with a website) about environmental
engineering with a view to mapping out European skills and requirements in
this area. This network will enable companies to see what test possibilities
are available (or what gaps exist) by consulting an inventory of current
infrastructure. Moreover, specific demands from the market will make it
possible to identify and set up (joint) research projects within the EUREKA
framework.
Companies interested in environmental engineering, either as users or as
service providers, are therefore asked to indicate whether they are
interested in participating in the initiative. You can indicate your
company's needs or what skills it offers as well as the relevant areas of
interest in the short
questionnaire
enclosed. This information will be
used to compile an electronic directory. During the second phase, interested
companies will receive a more detailed questionnaire.
| New Thermoplastic Honeycomb Sandwich Core Material for Structural Applications |
Development
of production machinery for the thermoplastic folded honeycomb "ThermHex"
Sandwich construction with honeycomb cores is mainly
used for lightweight structural parts. The main reason for not being used
widely in all fields of applications are the production cost. Usual
honeycomb cores are produced discontinuously in batch processes. To overcome
the high manual part of the sandwich production, ThermHex allows for
an endless and continuous production. The new concept for the production of
the thermoplastic honeycomb core "ThermHex" was developed at the K.U.Leuven
(Belgium) during the EUREKA project E!1929: “New Folded Honeycomb Cores
for Cardboard Packaging and Structural Applications”.
The task of the Department of Machine Design &
Automation (PMA), K.U.Leuven, Belgium, is to develop the basic production
steps to become an integrated ThermHex production line. The first production
step, thermoforming, has been developed to a lab scale facility that allows
for different sheet widths, different cell geometries and different foil
materials. It is feasible for accurate parameter studies as well as for
automation. The second step, web-folding, is developed as a small unit which
will be enlarged after further optimisation. The third step, bonding and
lamination, is in development using available machinery and self-designed
controller technology for optimal lab-scale integration. The lab facilities allow for studies on the material
relevant as on the process relevant aspects and are the basis of the
envisaged industrial use of ThermHex. The Department of Metallurgy and
Materials Engineering (MTM), K.U.Leuven, Belgium, investigates the material
choice and the mechanical properties and creates a knowledge base for future
production and use of this thermoplastic folded honeycomb core material and
for the technologies related to it.
The new folded honeycomb material is produced from a
single thermoplastic sheet by a series of successive in-line operations. The
basic production steps are:
1. Thermoforming a certain web with repeated
pattern from plain endless foil;
2. Folding the web for a honeycomb;
3.
Bonding the honeycomb for a core material and laminate it for a full -
thermoplastic sandwich. The corresponding facilities, realised as lab-scale
production units, are in development. This research will create a knowledge
base for future production and use of the thermoplastic folded honeycomb
core material and for the technologies related to it. While the ThermHex
production concept is a simple combination of known processes, it allows for
remarkably cost-efficient production of honeycomb core with excellent
mechanical properties.
Partners in the project are:
- Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering (MTM) and Department of Machine Design & Automation (PMA), K.U.Leuven, represented by K.U.LEUVEN RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, Belgium
- Frantschach Coating Belgium NV, Belgium
- Johnson Controls Gent NV, Belgium
- Libeltex NV, Belgium
- Polyvision NV, Belgium
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing Europe, Marketing and
- Engineering SA, Belgium
- DaimlerChrysler AG, Germany
- Kaysersberg Packaging SA, France
- Polynorm Automotive NV, The Netherlands
- Rieter Automotive Management AG, Switzerland
For further information please contact:
Bart
Vangrimde
K.U. Leuven, MTM composites group
Kasteelpark Arenberg 44
B-3001 Leuven (Heverlee)
Belgium
tel: +32.16.32.12.33
fax: +32.16.32.19.90
e-mail: bart.vangrimde@
mtm.kuleuven.ac.be
| DNA - Dynamic Novation of Artefacts |
New
products, processes, enterprises for competitiveness and sustainability
of European manufacturing industry towards globalisation and new economy
more information:
www.e-factory-dna.net
| New Folded Honeycomb Cores for Cardboard Packaging and Structural Applications |
Development of production machinery for the folded honeycomb "TorHex" from corrugated cardboard
Today, corrugated cardboard is an efficient and widely used packaging material, taken for any kind of box or container. It is produced in widths of more than 2,5 m and with speeds of more than 250 m/min. The newly developed TorHex material is a honeycomb type of core material that is made from corrugated cardboard. The idea of TorHex is to transform the cheap cardboard material to another lightweight sandwich material that can be used for advanced packaging as well as for low-cost structural applications. This becomes possible through a production process that is much like cardboard processing today but starts with already corrugated material.
"TorHex" was developed at the K.U. Leuven (Belgium) within the EUREKA project E!1929: “New Folded Honeycomb Cores for Cardboard Packaging and Structural Applications”.
During the first phase of the EUREKA project E!1929 on the feasibility and definition of folded honeycomb core materials, the improved folded honeycomb core material "TorHex" and its production process has been developed and proven feasible. In the ongoing second phase of the project, the Division of Production Engineering, Machine Design & Automation (PMA) at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven/BE is developing and optimising the production process.
TorHex is produced from single flute corrugated cardboard material by length wise slitting, three-step turning and gluing / laminating with skin liners. Final goal of the ongoing work is the integration of the developed units to a continuous lab-scale production set-up (500 mm width). The lab machinery is taken for sample production and to carry out experiments that show the potential of the newly developed concept for industrial production, reaching high speed and low production cost.
Partners in the project are:
- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven - Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering and Division of Machine Design & Automation/Belgium
- Agnati S.P.A. Corrugated Machinery/Italy
- Kappa Packaging/The Netherlands
- Kappa Turnhout/Belgium
- Johnson Controls GmbH & Co KG/Germany
 |
For
further information please contact: Bart
Vangrimde |
| Production of Micro-sensors |
The
use of micro-technological products, especially sensors, is gaining more
and more importance in industry. Apart from highly automated mass production
for the automobile and computer industry, a growing number of small and
medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe have been concentrating their
efforts on the development and production of small batches of micro-sensors
for highly specialised applications. In order to secure and enhance the
competitiveness of such SMEs, it is vital that sensors be developed and
produced within a short time span and according to processes displaying
a high degree of flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
Enterprises and research institutes from Germany, Spain, Lithuania and
Russia have recently decided to take up this challenge with the EUREKA
project E! 2309 FACTORY PAMIS (Production Techniques for Application of
Specific Micro-sensors). The ultimate goal of the project is to develop
new production techniques for the competitive marketing of innovative
micro-sensors and micro-sensor systems in small quantities.
The
project consortium includes partners from the entire value chain: technological
development, the supply industry and quality management. Parameters such
as organisation, equipment, and systems engineering are being taken into
account; requirements from users and clients will be integrated as well.
The aim is to develop prototypical methods and procedures which will enable:
- the manufacture of new products with modern and flexible production technologies supported by European-wide cooperation in R&D
- improvement of competitiveness by means of flexible manufacturing processes
- the opening up of new markets
- the cost-effective production of small outputs
The final project results will be available in October 2002. Application of the results is envisaged for the following product groups: acceleration sensors, sensors for determining electrical currents and magnetic fields, pressure sensors and capacitive strain sensors. The AMA Association for Sensor Technology (AMA Fachverband für Sensorik e.V., Göttingen) is organizing a seminar for late autumn 2001 to present initial results to a broader public. The German contribution to the project is being funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The BMBF project management organisation “Production and Manufacturing Technologies” is monitoring the project (www.fzk.de/pft/).
The project consortium is open for cooperation with further partners from other European countries. In October 2001 two partners from the United Kingdom officially joined the project.
Contact for further
information:
Dr. Thomas Schröter
Institut für Fügetechnik und Werkstofprüfung GmbH, Jena
Phone: +49/3641/20 41 13
e-mail: tschroeter@ifw-jena.de
PAMIS Website: www.sgt-sensor.de/Pamis/PAMIS-1.htm
| Aims to Heighten Performance of High-frequency Modules |
Innovative electronic products are distinguished by functions requiring ever higher clock frequencies. A decisive driving factor in this sector is the increasing demand for broadband multimedia applications and wireless transmission technologies in the gigahertz realm. This includes applications for satellite and terrestrial communications, Internet broadcasting, mobile communications, and the interactive distribution of information and video data. Further applications can be found in systems for vehicle communication and positioning which make use of multimedia and GPS technologies. Radar systems for aircraft and satellites as well as sensors used in industry and automobiles are also dependent on high-frequency technologies.
In order to help satisfy this ever increasing demand, the EUREKA project E!2448 FACTORY PROKOSMOS was launched in order to develop innovative ways of producing modules for such applications in a competitive manner. Project participants from Ireland, Austria and Germany decided to form a research consortium with the ultimate goal of safeguarding their existing competitive advantage in the production of microwave components and antennas. FACTORY PROKOSMOS received the EUREKA label in October 2000.
From the beginning, the partners were able to fill their consortium with a variety of organisations spanning the entire value chain in this sector – including suppliers, producers of components, systems manufacturers, and research institutes. Together, the project participants are pursuing the following objectives:
- the development of an innovative, standardised concept for high-frequency modules which will reduce the cost of serial production by 50 percent,
- the mastery of cost-effective techniques for the manufacturing and testing of large piece numbers, and
- improvement of assembly and connection techniques and the optimisation of testing procedures for higher frequencies of up to 100 GHz.
In
order to guarantee sustainable application of the project results, the
technologies developed by the consortium will be transferred to industry
– particularly to small and medium-sized enterprises – during the course
of the project. In their efforts to achieve this goal, the participants
will make use of the Competence Network for the Production of Microelectronics
(Kompetenznetzwerk ‘Mikrotechnische Produktion’ – http://www.mikrotechnische-produktion.de).
Relevant professional associations and centres for technology transfer
will participate in this process as well.
FACTORY PROKOSMOS is being funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The BMBF project management organisation “Production and Manufacturing Technologies” is monitoring the project (http://www.fzk.de/pft/). Further information about FACTORY PROKOSMOS can be found on the EUREKA website: http://www.eureka.be
Contact person in
Germany:
Herr Michael Jeremias
EADS Deutschland GmbH, Ulm
E-mail: michael.jeremias@vs.dasa.de
Tel.: +49 (0)731/ 39 2 55 33
