Title: Zipping and re-zipping methods to improve the precision and accuracy of manufacturing processes

Authors: Russell Krenek; Jinho Cha; Byung Rae Cho

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA

Abstract: The concept of minimising waste in manufacturing processes is paramount in promoting sustainability and saving companies' time, money and physical resources in the process. This can be particularly useful in many common manufacturing processes which involve casting, moulding, forming, machining, joining or other additive manufacturing processes such as stereo lithography, which produce products in multiple steps, one layer at a time. Accurate screening inspections may also contribute to a more efficient use of resources in the production process. Scraping and reuse of wasted raw materials as part of a production process can be analysed more precisely through truncated normal distributions, and their associated convolutions. This manuscript explores the mathematical foundations of various truncated normal distributions and the convolutions of these distributions in order to offer insights into noteworthy methods used to meticulously account for material use.

Keywords: truncated normal distribution; manufacturing precision; resource efficiency; waste reduction; zipping; re-zipping; manufacturing accuracy; manufacturing processes; sustainability; sustainable manufacturing; material scraping; material reuse; raw materials.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEDPO.2015.072828

International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimisation, 2015 Vol.4 No.3/4, pp.256 - 289

Received: 08 May 2015
Accepted: 06 Sep 2015
Published online: 03 Nov 2015 *

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