Quality Engineering and Management Group at XVI AITeM Conference
Last week, the Quality Engineering and Management Group made its mark at the XVI AITeM Conference hosted by the Federico II University in Naples.
Our group presented four scientific papers, each representing our continuous efforts in the realms of quality engineering and manufacturing research.
A bio-inspired reinterpretation of symbiotic human-robot collaboration in assembly processes 
(581.84 kB)
Federico Barravecchia, Mirco Bartolomei, Luca Mastrogiacomo, Fiorenzo Franceschini
The emergence of collaborative robotics allowed humans and robots to work closely together to perform manufacturing activities. By combining their distinctive strengths and abilities, humans and robots can support each other in completing complex tasks. The relationship between humans and robots is frequently described in the literature as symbiotic. However, the concept of symbiosis, originally conceived in natural science, is often oversimplified as the mere exchange of mutual benefits. In practice, the term ‘symbiosis’ encompasses a wide range of interactions, ranging from relationships with positive impacts to relationships with negative impacts. Understanding the foundation of Human-Robot Symbiosis is crucial for its management. Two are the primary aims of this paper: (i) reinterpreting the collaborative tasks in assembly processes according to the properties of symbiotic relationships; (ii) proposing a novel approach for evaluating assembly tasks based on the bio-inspired features of symbiotic Human-Robot collaborative systems.
Citation: Federico Barravecchia, Mirco Bartolomei, Luca Mastrogiacomo, Fiorenzo Franceschini, A bio-inspired reinterpretation of symbiotic human-robot collaboration in assembly processes, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 35, pp 2-9, 2023
The ranking-aggregation problem in manufacturing: potential, pitfalls, and good practices (543.77 kB)
Fiorenzo Franceschini, Domenico Augusto Maisano, Luca Mastrogiacomo
A number of experts, who individually rank a set of objects based on a certain attribute, and the need to aggregate the resulting (subjective) rankings into a collective judgement: these are the “ingredients” of the ranking-aggregation problem, which is typical of social choice, psychometrics and economics. This paper shows that the problem has many interesting applications even in manufacturing and must be approached with care, in order to avoid misleading results. Through a real-world case study concerning cobot-assisted manual (dis)assembly, the paper illustrates (i) a methodology to tackle the problem in a practical and effective way and (ii) various useful tools (e.g., for estimating the degree of concordance among experts, the consistency and robustness of collective judgment, etc.). The article is addressed to scientists and practitioners in the manufacturing field.
Citation: Fiorenzo Franceschini, Domenico Augusto Maisano, Luca Mastrogiacomo, The ranking-aggregation problem in manufacturing: potential, pitfalls, and good practices, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 35, pp 276-285, 2023
Augmented multi-scale instrumented indentation test characterization of complex multi-layered coatings for tribological application
Giacomo Maculotti, Gianfranco Genta, Maurizio Galetto
Multi-layer coatings for steel bushings consisting of an innermost layer of sintered bronze and an outermost composite layer of lead-reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE+Pb) have been used in several power transmission applications. The PTFE+Pb layer provides lubrication by material transfer on the counter-body reducing friction and smoothing motion. The mechanical characterization of such a complex system is challenging and essential to provide input data necessary to design and predict the service life of the components. This work innovatively mechanically characterizes the coating by augmented multi-scale Instrumented Indentation Test (IIT). Nano-IIT will evaluate the uniformity of the Pb particles’ dispersion. Dynamic nano-IIT will investigate the damping properties of the material as a function of load frequency. Micro-IIT will tackle the layer thickness evaluation and the gradient of mechanical properties through the layers, by continuous multi-cycle and by data augmentation provided by electric contact resistance.
Citation: Giacomo Maculotti, Gianfranco Genta, Maurizio Galetto, Augmented multi-scale instrumented indentation test characterization of complex multi-layered coatings for tribological application, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 35, pp 311-317, 2023
Elisa Verna, Stefano Puttero, Gianfranco Genta, Maurizio Galetto
Nowadays, companies are faced with demands for increasingly customised products, shifting from mass production to mass customisation. Thus, operators typically have to produce multiple product variants, often characterised by different complexity levels, while meeting quality standards. Companies, however, cannot only be concerned with production quality, but also with the quality and well-being of workers, as demanded by the human-centred paradigm of Industry 5.0. Therefore, this paper proposes a combined analysis of (i) production quality in terms of overall defects generated during product variants manufacturing and (ii) human well-being in terms of stress response. The combination of the two indicators results in a novel tool called “Quality Map”, which enables the evaluation and monitoring of quality systems during the production of product variants from a broad standpoint. To demonstrate the viability of the method, a collaborative human-robot assembly is used as a case study.
Citation: E. Verna, S. Puttero, G. Genta, M. Galetto, A novel quality map for monitoring human well-being and overall defectiveness in product variants manufacturing, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 35, pp 412-419, 2023