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This monograph examines research needs in computer aided production management (CAPM). Recommendations for future research and its organisation are made. The monograph is based on an in‐depth study of current CAPM practice in a varied sample of 33 companies. The study conclusions confirm many existing beliefs. Many companies are paying inadequate attention to the necessary prerequisites for successful CAPM implementation. The prerequisites change as the extent of CAPM system integration increases. Organisational rather than implementation issues dominate as integration increases. The proposed research would bring together existing knowledge of best CAPM practice to form methodologies for the audit, design and implementation of CAPM systems. The aim is to reduce the time‐span of the learning curve required for successful CAPM integration. The methodologies need to be specific to particular industrial sectors.

The aim of the applied systems analysis of scientific‐technological innovation is to identify the most effective innovation fields and to develop innovation strategies. This cannot be achieved without the development of theoretical foundations, practical methods and principles, a heuristic algorithm and a computer‐aided decision system. Such a system is described in this article, and represents, it is claimed, the first steps towards a computer‐aided decision system for innovation strategies.

Reports on the computer‐aided design (CAD) upgrade implementation process at PBR Automotive Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia. Views the implementation as successful since many of the desired outcomes have been achieved or surpassed. The key success factors were detailed planning, user involvement and vendor support. These combined to create an atmosphere of excitement in the project and success. Reports on the future plans that include the development of an integrated information system at PBR which will involve customers and suppliers in addition to internal personnel. The CAD system upgrade serves as a launching board for the development of such a system.

Despite the benefits of computer‐aided design (CAD), its uptake by the garment industry in the UK has been somewhat slow. Many reasons have been suggested for this, one of which is the lack of appropriately skilled designers and pattern cutters. Comments on this situation and describes a garment CAD‐training programme set up at De Montfort University, Leicester. This training programme was used as the basis of an attitude assessment. A questionnaire‐based survey was developed to quantify the designers’ opinions of CAD and specifically whether these opinions were influenced by the designer’s age or prior computing experience.

This paper details the derivation of the mathematical formulae of a novel system for designing and fabricating tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds.

This work combines the unique capability of rapid prototyping (RP) techniques with computer‐aided design (CAD) and imaging software to design and fabricate customised scaffolds that are not only consistent in microstructure but also readily reproducible. The prototype system, called the computer‐aided system for tissue scaffolds (CASTS), has a parametric library of design units which can be assembled into scaffold structures through an in‐house algorithm. An additional module, the slicing routine, has also been added to improve the functionality of the system. To validate the system, scaffolds designed were fabricated using a powder‐based RP technique called selective laser sintering (SLS).

It is shown that the CASTS can be used to exploit CAD and medical imaging techniques together with RP systems to produce viable scaffolds that can be customised for various applications to suit the needs of individual patients.

Further research is being done to examine the internal microstructure of the scaffolds and to determine the mechanical properties, as well as to study the inter‐relationship between cell proliferation and the pore shapes of the scaffolds.

The crucial role of scaffolds in TE has long been recognised. Successful TE scaffolds should have controllable characteristics such as pore size, porosity, and surface area to volume ratio as well as interconnectivity within the scaffolds. Much work has been carried out to produce such TE scaffolds with varying degrees of success. One major drawback is that the resultant TE scaffolds are not readily reproducible. The potential of CASTS lies in its ability to design and fabricate scaffolds with varying properties through the use of different unit cells and biomaterials to suit different applications.

Discusses the implementation of computer‐aided facilities management at US Bancorp, with particular emphasis on how this was justified by the facilities department to senior management. Examines system configuration and the productivity claims made by consultants and computer‐aided design database (CADD) vendors. Considers project management and asset management with CADD at the organisation.

In order to present a significant usage of the computer-aided design (CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems in the apparel and textile industry, the current literature has been observed. Although the CAD/CAM systems have also been increasingly applied to all fields apparel and textile manufacturing for the last few decades, improving the precision, productivity and the organization of the information flow, they have not been fully utilized in these industrial fields. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The paper is structured in three main sections showing the vast applicability of the CAD/CAM systems, the benefits provided by them and the future trend in their development.

Although the initial development of the CAD/CAM systems strived to completely eliminate manual and time-consuming operations, they have not been accepted in practice due to their inflexibility at making changes and the time needed for regenerating a complex parametric model. The textile and apparel industries show slow progress in acquiring the CAD/CAM systems.

This CAD/CAM technology enabled the customization in the design process according to individual needs and directed the textile and the apparel industry to moving into new directions such as the mass customization to personalization. The paper makes clear that although this technological concept is rather old, the use of the CAD/CAM systems will inevitably broaden in terms of applicability to new production stages.

Presents a review on implementing finite element methods on supercomputers, workstations and PCs and gives main trends in hardware and software developments. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on the subjects retrospectively to 1985 and approximately 1,100 references are listed.

The purpose of this paper is to present coordinate measuring system possibilities in the meaning of the geometric accuracy assessment of hot zone elements in aircraft engines. The aim of the paper is to prove that this method, which uses blue light and is most sufficient and cost-saving method, can to be used in the production line for serial manufacturing of elements, for which a high level of accuracy is required.

The analysis of the geometric accuracy of the blades was performed using non-contact optical coordinate scanner ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light, manufactured by GOM Company, at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rzeszów University of Technology. Geometric analysis was conducted for blades manufactured from different waxes (A7Fr/60 and RealWax VisiJet CPX200), thus comparing injection technique and rapid prototyping (RP) method, and for casting made of Inconel 713C nickel-based superalloy.

The analysis of the criteria for the method of blades’ measuring selection showed that the chosen system successfully met all criteria for the verification of blades’ geometry at the selected stages of the process. ATOS II optical scanner with blue light technology allows measurement almost regardless of daylight or artificial (white) light. This allows the application of the measurement system in the production cycle, thus eliminating the need to create special conditions for measurements.

Requirements related to the accuracy of measured values, diversity and allowable measurement time are linked with the methods of production. Modern manufacturing methods based on computer-aided design systems/manufacturing/engineering systems require a non-contact optical measurement method based on the computer-aided-based coordinate measuring technique. In case of the non-contact optical scanning method based on the ATOS GOM measuring system, time and measurement costs depend on the methodology of measurement and the possibility of its automation. This is why the presented paper has a practical impact on possibilities for the automation of geometric accuracy measurements of obtained elements in the series production line.

The use of ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light by GOM Company allows the reduction of cost and time of production because of the possibility of the introduction of this system in an automated production line. Additionally, the measurement of hot section blades of aircraft engines by using the blue light method is much more accurate and has implication as it impacts safety of further used manufactured elements.

This paper presents the possibility of using the ATOS Triple Scan II Blue Light measuring system for geometric accuracy measurements in case of hot section blades of aircraft engines. This research is original because it describes three model geometric accuracy measurements, wax model obtained using the injection technique, wax model obtained using the I RP process and casting made of Inconel 713C nickel-based superalloy.

New technology has revolutionised the office, making some buildings of the 1960s unsuitable for modern business. The implementation and benefits of a Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) system, in enabling facilities managers to manage change and assemble the background information necessary for arriving at the correct decisions, are examined. The CAFM system, combining a computer aided design system with a database, has been enhanced specifically for the use of space planners and structured to take input from drawings and generate output in formats that are directly useful to facilities managers. The need for CAFM and its potential are assessed in part one. In part two the implementation and use of CAFM are examined.