articles+ search results

Rapid prototyping, Rotational motion, Detectors, Dielectric materials, Microwaves, and Proximity detectors

This article presents a novel sensor for detecting and measuring angular rotation and proximity, intended for rapid prototyping machines. The sensor is based on a complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) driven by a conductor-backed coplanar waveguide (CBCPW). The sensor has a planar topology, which makes it simple and cost-effective to produce and accurate in measuring both physical quantities. The sensor has two components, a rotor and a stator: the first of these (the CSRR) can rotate around its axis and translate along the plane normal to the ground of the CBCPW. A detailed theoretical and numerical analysis, along with a circuit model, of the unique sensor design is presented. The proposed sensor exhibits linear response for measuring angular rotation and proximity in the range of 30°–60° and 0–200 μm, respectively. Another distinctive feature of the rotation and proximity sensor is the wide frequency band of applicability, which is an integral part of its novel design and is implemented through various dielectric material loadings on the CSRR. In the prototype of the proposed device, the stator (CBCPW) is fabricated on a 0.508-mm-thick RF-35 substrate, whereas the CSRR-based rotor is fabricated on TLY-5 and RF-35 substrates. The angular rotation, proximity, operating band selection, and sensitivity are measured using a vector network analyzer and are found to be good matches to the simulated and theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid prototyping, Decision making, Analytic hierarchy process, Grey relational analysis, Fuzzy numbers, and Strength of materials

A multitude of rapid prototyping (RP) systems and technologies have come up since the introduction of additive process. Owing to the enlarging number of these systems with distinctive efficacy, the problem of selecting an appropriate system for a particular requirement is a cumbersome task. Henceforth, this work comes up with a strategy based on multi-attribute decision making to select a most suitable RP system. The presence of subjectivity in decision making as well as the existence of imprecision from various sources emphasize the methods which must consider uncertainty and vagueness. A decision advisor based on uncertainty theories, including fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and grey relational analysis (GRA) has been introduced. It provides a comprehensive database comprising thirty nine commercially available RP systems. The evaluation attributes consisting of machine cost, accuracy, layer thickness, machine speed, material cost, net build size volume, machine weight, surface roughness, and material strength were utilized to characterize the different machines. The FAHP based on trapezoidal fuzzy number was implemented to determine the priority weights of various attributes, while the GRA was employed to realize the best RP system and technology. The authors believe that this system has the potential to transform into a fully developed RP selection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information storage & retrieval systems, User interfaces, Human-computer interaction, System analysis, Software engineering, Design students, Active learning, and Education software

Given the ubiquity of interfaces on computing devices, it is essential for future Information Systems (IS) professionals to understand the ramifications of good user interface (UI) design. This article provides instructions on how to efficiently and effectively teach IS students about "fit," a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) concept, through a paper prototyping activity. Although easy to explain, the concept of "fit" can be difficult to understand without repeated practice. Practically, designing "fit" into UIs can be cost-prohibitive because working prototypes are often beyond students' technical skillset. Accordingly, based on principles of active learning, we show how to use paper prototyping to demonstrate "fit" in a hands-on class exercise. We provide detailed step-by-step instructions to plan, setup, and present the exercise to guide students through the process of "fit" in UI design. As a result of this activity, students are better able to employ both theoretical and practical applications of "fit" in UI design and implementation. This exercise is applicable in any course that includes UI design, such as principles of HCI, systems analysis and design, software engineering, and project management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid prototyping, Technology, Semiconductor devices, and Interpolation

In this paper, a new look-up table (LUT) method is proposed to reduce the simulation time and the run time memory requirement for large logic and mixed signal simulations. In the proposed method, for the first time, circuit with multiple devices is replaced by one LUT model, called circuit LUT. The replacement results in significant reduction of the run time memory requirement. The replacement also reduces the number of interpolation steps to be performed at every Newton–Raphson iteration during the simulation that results in significant reduction of simulation time. With the proposed method, the simulation speed is improved by two times over the conventional LUT models developed for devices. In addition, 25% reduction in the run time memory requirement is also achieved by the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New product development, Systems design, Systems theory, Computer graphics, Computer simulation, Human anatomical models, and Psychophysics

In almost all areas of the industry and more generally in the sector of development of manufacturing products, the realization of the product passes through several successive stages going from the design to the realization of the product. The most critical phase is prototyping because it is at this point that usually the most important decisions are made. In several sectors this step is very expensive, and in any case, the prototype undergoes several modifications and requires several validations before it is definitive for the transition to production. The prototype must generally constitute a model of the product that has all or part of the technical qualities and operating characteristics that must appear in the final product, to demonstrate or affirm the validity of the concept and thus its final validation, which increases the overall cost of the prototyping phase. In the vast majority of prototyping devices available for the moment, be it by additive or subtractive process, the realization of the prototype requires a lot of time, and once the prototype is made, it can only be modified by destructive techniques because the materials used are frozen and do not allow easy reuse. This study proposes a device for the prototyping of product, allowing a modification of the geometry of the prototype by means of a deformable composite membrane with shape memory, reusable and programmable. The device in question consists of a flexible composite membrane whose matrix is a flexible polymer, and the reinforcement is a shape‐memory alloy fibre and rubber effect, having a given electrical resistance. These shape memory fibres are woven in such a way as to ensure deformations in the direction normal to the plane of the membrane by injecting the current into each fibre. This is ensured by a cross weave allowing the control of the direction of the overall deformation through the deformation specific to each fibre. In this research work, we present the results of the modelling and simulation of the behaviour of a composite membrane with shape memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship marketing, Marketing research, Customer relations, Customer loyalty, Database marketing, and Commercial products

As relationship marketing research evolved, a number of key constructs emerged. Some scholars have argued that these constructs are not conceptually or empirically distinct. We investigate this phenomenon based on the premise that sustained research effort towards studying conceptually overlapping/redundant constructs, while treating them as independent, can hamper the development of the field. We use prototyping, a method adopted from psychology, to examine consumers’ views of these constructs, and then identify relationship contexts where constructs are distinct or redundant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid prototyping, User interfaces, Wireless communications, Rapid tooling, Toys, Acquisition of data, and Modular construction

• Compares two manufacturing strategies for Rapid Prototyping Tools. • One tool is a single board, while the other combines modular and plug-and-play strategies. • We embedded both tools into smart toy components of different shapes and sizes. • Modular approach offers better adaptability for different setups. • Technical assessment supports to list improvements for future versions of the tool. A Toy User Interface (ToyUI) is a setup that combines smart toy components with other hardware and software components to enhance the player's experience. We propose a novel Rapid Prototyping Tool to facilitate the development of smart toy components so that creative teams can focus on design improvements. IoT4Fun is a hardware toolkit that supports distributed data collection through wireless communication and contactless identification. It can support a range of play and interface features and limit personal data acquisition by collecting motion tracking information. We compare IoT4Fun single and modular toolkits by embedding them into ToyUI prototypes. The modular toolkit demonstrates more appropriate than the single-board version to design a variety of smart toy components when embedded into different shapes and sizes. A technical assessment compares battery consumption and identifies vulnerabilities of the modular toolkit. Ongoing improvements cover miniaturization, robustness, and designing a secure Application Programming Interface for easier development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information resources management, Rapid prototyping, Industrial surveys, Computer software developers, Systems design, Organization, Contingency theory (Management), Management science, Systems development, Empirical research, Prototypes, and Computer systems

Many proposed contingencies regarding the conditions when the use of prototyping will lead to successful system development appear in the literature. Using an industry survey, this exploratory study empirically investigates the effect of certain contingencies on system success. Overall, results indicate that five variables, when combined with prototyping, affect system success (as indicated by user satisfaction): innovativeness of the project, impact of the system on the organization, user participation, number of users, and developer experience with prototyping. These results provide some insight into the proper uses of prototyping to improve system success. The results also indicate that several of the current contingencies, if followed, do not ensure high levels of system success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: curatorial interventions; public frictions; smart city; urban laboratory; urban prototyping Abstract The use of prototypes as testing instruments has become a common strategy in the innovation of services and products and increasingly in the implementation of 'smart' urban policies through living labs or pilots. As a technique for validating hypotheses about the future performance of products or policies, prototyping is based on the idea of generating original knowledge through the failures produced during the testing process. Through the study of an experimentation and prototyping project developed in Santiago de Chile called 'Shared Streets for a Low-Carbon District,' I analyse the technique of prototyping as a political device that can make visible (or invisible) certain entities and issues, determining what the experimental entities can do and say. I will show how the technique of prototyping defines modes of participation, what is visible and thinkable, what can be spoken and what is unspeakable. In this sense, I examine two ambivalent capacities of prototyping: as a mechanism of management and enrolment that seeks to prescribe normativities (problem-validating prototype) and as an event that can make frictions tangible, articulating matters of concern and ways to open up alternative scenarios (problem-making prototype). Byline: Martin Tironi

Systems engineering, Rapid prototyping, Defense industries, Manufacturing processes, and Likelihood ratio tests

In 2007, John Young, then-Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, mandated the use of "competitive prototyping" strategies in defense acquisition. Further, Department of Defense Instruction 5000.02 includes considerations for prototyping in the acquisition strategy. A 2017 memorandum circulated by Young lists five prototyping benefits, which are expected to "reduce technical risk, validate designs, validate cost estimates, evaluate manufacturing processes, and refine requirements." However, a process to assess whether, and to what extent, a prototype will be or has been successful in achieving these benefits is not currently in use by the Department of Defense. Because cost increases and schedule extension downsides are inherent in prototyping, such an assessment is critical. This research proposes an approach for assessing the likelihood of achieving expected prototyping benefits based on identifying the factors yielding these benefits as well as their relative weights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design

Recently, multi-FPGA platforms have become a popular choice to prototype complex digital systems. This is because of unique advantages such as high frequency and real world testing experience that are offered when compared to other pre-silicon testing techniques. However, one of several challenges faced by multi-FPGA prototyping is the requirement of an efficient back end flow. Partitioning is a key part of the back end flow of multi-FPGA systems and it directly affects the quality of final prototyped design. In this work, we explore two different partitioning approaches: one is multilevel; while the other is hierarchical partitioning approach. For experimentation, we use a suite of fourteen large benchmarks. Experimental results reveal that the multilevel approach gives 12.5% better frequency results for mono-cluster benchmarks while the hierarchical approach gives 13% better results for multi-cluster benchmarks. Furthermore, the hierarchical approach requires, on average, 60% less execution time when compared to the multilevel partitioning approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dealers (Retail trade), Purchasing agents, Affect (Psychology), Year, and Suspicion

This paper contributes to our understanding of xinren within buyer-seller relationships. Xinren is often translated to trust and is critical for the development of strong business relationships. Previous conceptualizations and measurements of xinren have been inconsistent and questionable. Through a novel methodology, prototyping analysis, this research outlines a foundational structure for xinren. A series of 4 studies were conducted on xinren in buyer-seller relationships in China involving a total of 311 participants who were employed in sourcing and procurement (33.23%) or marketing and sales (31.29%), and had spent less than one year working outside China. Central prototypical features include high arousal emotions highlighting the importance of affect-based aspects when developing xinren. Negative features indicate that both trust and distrust may be synergistically operating within xinren. Contributions are also made by outlining both universal trust features and more culturally-nuanced trust features. Suggestions for managers indicate how both Eastern and Western partners may use these results to build deeper trust within their relationships. Future research includes undertaking further prototyping analysis on trust within other cultures to develop foundational structures that may include both universal and culturally-nuanced trust features. • Xinren consists of affective, negative, connections and integrity features • 5 strongest features: Honesty, communication, cooperation, liar and reliability • Affective features are high arousal features: happiness, love, joy • Negative features include liar, betray and cheat • Connection features include friends and families [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power electronics, Atmospheric temperature, Heat transfer coefficient, Computational fluid dynamics, Virtual prototypes, and Heat transfer

To develop a thermal model for air-cooled plate–fin heatsink and evaluate its thermal performance, empirical equations are available to rapidly calculate the pressure drop and heat transfer coefficients for the fins. Besides the heat transfer coefficients, the local air temperature also affects the heat transfer of the fins, which rises along the channel by absorbing the released heat from the fins. In this article, a heatsink model to account for the air temperature rise is proposed, and a thermal circuit model is used to correlate the increased air temperature and the absorbed heat at the fin boundary. With this convective boundary, the temperature distribution for the base plate of the heatsink is calculated by adopting finite-difference method (FDM), which analyzes the conductive heat transfer for the base plate. Both of them have been programed in MATLAB software, and the calculated temperature by the proposed models is compared with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. A fan-cooled plate–fin heatsink for a half-bridge power electronics inverter is tested in the laboratory as an example, and the thermal results obtained from the proposed models are within 10% of error with respect to the CFD simulation results and experimental results. The proposed method is also faster than the CFD simulation. The proposed accurate and rapid thermal modeling method will be essential for virtual prototyping and layout/geometry optimization of power electronics systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless power transmission, Rapid prototyping, Radio frequency, Gold coatings, and Stainless steel

This article presents an electromagnetically powered stent designed for hyperthermia treatment of in-stent restenosis. The stent device based on medical-grade stainless steel serves as a radio frequency (RF) inductive receiver to produce mild heating wirelessly through resonant-coupling power transfer, while acting as a mechanical scaffold inside an artery similar to commercial stents. The device and its custom transmitter are prototyped and optimized to show efficient wireless power transfer and stent heating through in vitro tests. The inductive stent with its helical pattern is gold coated to achieve a $3.5\times $ higher quality ($Q$) factor, improving heating performance of the device. The combinational use of independent resonant antennas with the power antenna is found to significantly boost stent temperature by up to 96% with an intermediate tissue layer. Upon matching the frequencies at which the $Q$ factors of the inductive stent, power antenna, and booster antenna are peaked, the stent excited through 10 mm-thick tissue exhibits a temperature increase of 18 °C, well over a necessary level for targeted hyperthermia treatment. The prototype achieves heating efficiencies (HEs) of 15.5–3.2 °C/W with a tissue thickness of 5–15 mm. These results indicate that the proposed resonant-heating stent system with the prototyped transmitter is promising for further development toward its clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market trend/market analysis, 3D printing -- Innovations, 3D printing -- Forecasts and trends, Prototypes, Engineering -- Design and construction, Prototypes, Engineering -- Forecasts and trends, Thermoforming -- Forecasts and trends, and Engineering firms -- Innovations

The use of 3D-printed tooling for thermoformed parts is an emerging development in additive manufacturing that is paying significant dividends in terms of reduced tooling cost and time for prototype [...]

RAPID prototyping, LASER welding, POLYMERS, DEGREES of freedom, and MICROMACHINING

We report on a novel rapid prototyping approach for the manufacturing of highly individualized lab-on-chip (LoC) cartridges from generic polymer parts by laser micromachining and laser welding. The approach allows an immediate implementation of microfluidic networks, components, and functionalities into an existing LoC platform without the need for an expensive and time-consuming fabrication of production tools like molds or masks. We comprehensively describe the individual process steps of the rapid prototyping procedure including a wet-chemical treatment for an easy and effective surface polishing of laser micromachined polymer parts. For laying out, we introduce a generalized diagrammatic description of microfluidic functional units in order to design application-specific cartridges for molecular diagnostic workflows. We demonstrate the usability of our prototyped cartridges by performing microfluidic experiments within. Due to the use of generic polymer parts, our rapid prototyping approach combines a high degree of freedom with an intrinsic compatibility to an established and highly developed LoC system. By enabling an experimental testing within one day, the rapid prototyping procedure shortens development cycles and boosts the evolution of microfluidic networks as well as the implementation of novel microfluidic components and functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]