Masters Degrees (Industrial Engineering)
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Browsing Masters Degrees (Industrial Engineering) by Author "Anderson, Anje Marjorie"
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- ItemTowards digital twinning for additive manufacturing of medical implants(2021-12) Anderson, Anje Marjorie; Van der Merwe, André Francois ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The level of complexity of a business increases as additive manufacturing (AM) is introduced into their process chains. As AM of medical implants is becoming more popular, more complexity within process chains arises. As more intricate technologies are used, more steps are added to the process chain, more workers and supervision are needed, and the flawless flow of the process chain becomes essential. As more activities occur within the business, time becomes an essential resource that needs to be allocated optimally. Finding a tool to help with the optimisation of resources can put a business on the right path. In this study, an intensive literature review was conducted to inform the researcher on the day-to- day operations at the Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM) and how it works. An in-depth investigation of the process chain at CRPM was furthermore done to identify problem areas. By studying the process chain thoroughly, it was possible to gain in-depth insight into what the as-is state and the desired to-be state were. The optimisation of time was identified as one desired goal for the to-be state. As time is a limiting factor that cannot be replaced or stored, finding a bridge to fill the gap between current and desired states becomes even more important. Hence this investigation into digital twinning. Digital twins are virtual replicas of businesses, processes, or systems. The steps needed to develop a digital twin were researched. Two basic digital twin examples were developed and illustrated how the user can adjust data and the process to solve problems. The digital twin examples include a basic costing system that can predict what the total cost of a certain product will be. Whether or not to use digital twin technology within a business can be a daunting decision; therefore, a decision- making tool was suggested to help the business decide when to use a digital twin and when other quality tools would be more appropriate. The decision-making tool was applied to CRPM and showed that a digital twin is a better fit than other quality tools in some instances. Digital twins are adaptable and can therefore be adjusted and changed to suit the needs of the business. They are also found to be valuable planning tools that can aid in the optimisation of time usage by ensuring that a business knows what will happen in each type of situation. Changes to the process chain can be made and the effects were seen without having to implement the changes physically, thereby optimising time usage at CRPM as no time is wasted with unnecessary processes or planning. This study concludes that a digital twin can act as a possible tool to aid in the optimisation of time usage in AM businesses.