Sandip Kunar is a Senior Research Fellow in Production Engineering Department, Jadavpur University. He is a Senior Research Fellow in Production Engineering from Jadavpur University, India. He obtained his M. Tech. in Production Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata in 2014. His research interests include electrochemical Micromachining, unconventional machining processes and advanced manufacturing technology. He has three years of teaching experience. He has published about several research papers in peer reviewed international journals and conferences. He is a member of seventeen professional bodies including the Institution of Mechanical Engineers-UK, SCIEI-Hong Kong, ISSMO-Denmark, ICST-Belgium ESRInnov-France, IACSIT-Singapore etc. He has attended various seminars and workshops on micromanufacturing. He has got a number of scholarships like National Scholarship, College Scholarship, University State Fellowship, etc. Address: KOLKATA
A novel approach of Micro-electrochemical Texturing (MET) is a realistic substitute for generatin... more A novel approach of Micro-electrochemical Texturing (MET) is a realistic substitute for generating surface textures of machined surface. Several conventional and non-conventional techniques i.e., embossing, sand blasting, pinning, LBM, EDM etc. are available for generating microsurface textures, but creates several problems to generate microtextured surfaces which reduce the quality and lower the productivity. To overcome these limitations, this research proposes a unique microsurface texturing method namely, micro-electrochemical texturing, based on electrochemical reaction. Due to the high flexibility of the micro-electrochemical texturing system, micro-texturing features, surface roughness and its performance can be easily changed by varying the micro-electrochemical parameters. In this research paper, this process is developed to fabricate the microsurface textures on stainless steel specimens economically with less time. The experimental results of surface characteristics gener...
<jats:p>With the enhancement in science and technology, necessity of complex shapes in manu... more <jats:p>With the enhancement in science and technology, necessity of complex shapes in manufacturing industries becomes essential for more versatile applications. These lead to demand for light weight and durable materials for applications in aerospace, defence, automotive, as well as sports and thermal management. Due to its high-tech structural, functional applications like defence, automobile, aerospace, thermal sensitive materials. Al-Matrix composites are considered as one of those classes of advanced engineering materials. In the present study, Al-RHA (Rice Husk Ash) composites are prepared by powder metallurgy route using 10% and 15% RHA by weight as reinforcement. Presence of abrasive particles leads to difficulty of conventional machining on Al-RHA composites hence non-conventional machining WEDM (Wire-Electric Discharge Machining) has been investigated. Suitable machining parameters for composites using wire EDM have been tried to get maximum material removal rate and speed. Optimizations of experimental parameters have been studied using Taguchi and Anova to standardize the process parameters for machining. Prime process parameters like servo-voltage, pulse-on time and pulse-off-time have been taken into consideration to study cutting quality of Al-RHA Metal matrix Composite using cutting speed as response parameters while effect of RHA weight fraction addition is also considered for evaluation to understand its influence on affecting the response.</jats:p>
Micro-dimples are among the basic microfeatures that are indispensable in improving the tribologi... more Micro-dimples are among the basic microfeatures that are indispensable in improving the tribological performance and reliability of various mechanical components. Through mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) is a feasible process for fabricating micro-dimple arrays with controlled size, location and density by maintaining surface texture. However, “Island formation” is one of the major barriers which not only hampers the surface quality but, in turn, weakens the effect of micro dimples on tribological properties. In this paper, optimal machining parameters along with suitable electrolyte combination are utilized for achieving island-free micro dimple array. AZ-4903 PR is being introduced as a mask due to its availability, low cost, chemical resistance and high flexibility. Pattern of micro-dimples with an average diameter of 65μm imprinted on the mask are being replicated over SS 304 substrate with considerable repeatability. The effect of two major electrochemical micromachi...
Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering, 2019
Micro-dimple arrays are a common mechanical structure in engineering components. Surface texturin... more Micro-dimple arrays are a common mechanical structure in engineering components. Surface texturing is an attractive approach for improving the friction and tribological performance of mechanical components. Through-mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) has shown good feasibility in the field of machining difficult-to-cut metal parts with micro-patterned arrays. Experiments have been carried out utilizing mask thickness of 16 µm to search out for the respective contributions of principle input parameters, viz. input voltage, pulse frequency and duty ratio in controlling the machining performances, such as undercut (Uc) and dimple depth (Dd) of the fabricated micro-dimples. An experimental plan designed based on the standard L9 orthogonal array have been incorporated to recognize the best possible combination of machining parameters of TMEMM using Taguchi Methodology. By applying Taguchi design, the time required for experimental investigation can be significantly reduced, as it...
To fabricate various micro-surface textures at short time and low cost for modern industrial appl... more To fabricate various micro-surface textures at short time and low cost for modern industrial applications, a novel and substitute method of maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM) is exploited due to its multiple advantages such as higher machining rate, better surface quality, reusability of a single patterned tool, irrespective to material hardness, no thermal effect, and burr-free surface. One textured tool containing different masked micro-patterns of SU-8 2150 and PMMA masks can fabricate many different textured surfaces with higher machining efficiency. The indigenously developed EMM setup having maskless electrode fixtures, EMM cell, electrolyte guiding scheme, and power supply connections can produce high-quality micro-patterned workpieces. The research study investigates the influence of process variables including electrolyte flow rate and interelectrode gap (IEG) on depth and overcut of different textured surfaces produced by this technique. Various types of texture...
The first edition of this book “A Textbook of Outranking and Entropy Based GRA in Manufacturing E... more The first edition of this book “A Textbook of Outranking and Entropy Based GRA in Manufacturing Environment” contains five chapters. This edition has been thoroughly presented and made on robot selection and automated inspection system selection. Some MCDM methods such as Outranking, Preference Function Based Outranking, Entropy Based Grey Relation Analysis Methods and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient have been discussed for the solutions of some problems on robot selection and automated inspection system selection to choose the best alternative.
Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering, 2019
Microsurface textures, especially micro-circular patterns, have played a significant role in many... more Microsurface textures, especially micro-circular patterns, have played a significant role in many micromanufacturing applications, i.e., biomedical, aerospace, tribological, etc., for improving their functionality and service life. Micro-circular pattern enhances the product duration and functionalization of mechanical systems for enhancing machining efficiency. In this article, an alternative approach, i.e., maskless micro-electrochemical texturing process, namely maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM) method, is introduced for generation of microsurface textures. The developed micro-electrochemical texturing setup consisting of EMM cell, electrode fixtures, electrical connections, electrolyte flow guiding scheme, etc., has been utilized for experiments. One masked patterned tool can produce more than twenty-five samples. Effects of EMM process variables, i.e., voltage, inter-electrode gap, duty ratio, and pulse frequency on machined responses such as overcut and surface rou...
Generation of microsurface texture is an important technology for surface engineering that can pr... more Generation of microsurface texture is an important technology for surface engineering that can produce a significant improvement of engineering components in aspects to wear resistance, friction coefficient, load capacities, part lubrication, etc. This research proposes a novel approach of maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM), which is anodic dissolution based on electrochemical reaction. One reused textured cathode tool with patterned SU-8 2150 mask can fabricate many work samples economically with less time. Maskless EMM set-up with developed EMM cell and vertical crossflow electrolyte supply system is used to generate micro circular patterns on stainless steel (SUS 304) using three different types of electrolytes such as NaCl, NaNO3 and NaCl + NaNO3. The influences of major process parameters such as interelectrode gap (IEG), flow rate, machining time and electrolyte concentration on mean radial overcut and mean machining depth have been investigated using these electrol...
Surface geometrical features and their functionality depend on the manufacturing process employed... more Surface geometrical features and their functionality depend on the manufacturing process employed for fabrication of surface structures. A maskless electrochemical micromachining is utilized to generate numerous surface structures for diminishing and controlling the friction and wear to increase the lifetime, reliability and efficiency of mechanical systems. This paper presents the generation of structured surface on stainless steel (SS-304) surfaces using maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM). The micropatterned tool comprises of 800µm diameter circular holes in a 5 X 5 matrix form. The indigenously developed electrochemical micromachining set up consists of electrochemical micromachining cell, electrical power supply system and controlled vertical cross flow electrolyte circulation arrangement to control the influence of electrochemical micromachining (EMM) parameters during generation of micro features of structured surfaces. The single structured cathode tool is used for the mass production of structured surfaces with short fabrication time in industrial context by avoiding individual masking process of workpieces. The process has been characterized in terms of the effects of predominant process parameters such as machining voltage, electrolyte concentration, duty ratio, frequency and machining time on machined surface characteristics i.e. current efficiency, machining accuracy and depth of circular pattern on stainless steel surfaces. A mathematical model is also developed to determine the theoretical depth of dimple pattern and to correlate with experimental results. Moreover, an effort has been made to study the structuring characteristics on the basis of micrographs during EMM.
The textured surfaces improve the efficiency of engineering parts in different applications i.e. ... more The textured surfaces improve the efficiency of engineering parts in different applications i.e. tribology, aerospace, defence, biomedical etc. Maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM) is a promising method for micro dimple generation because no insulated mask is needed on every workpiece. The paper presents the systematic investigation of suitability of electrolytes for anodic dissolution of stainless steel (SUS-304) by maskless electrochemical micromachining. The dimple patterned tool having 600μm diameter is fabricated by UV lithography process on stainless steel wafer bonding with 230µm thick reusable SU-8 2150 negative photoresist. At a time, one dimple patterned tool with reusable mask can produce several samples with a short time and low cost. The set up consisted of EMM cell, power supply, vertical cross flow electrolyte system etc has been developed to study the performance of three different electrolytes i.e. NaCl (0.18M), NaNO 3 (0.26M) and NaCl (0.18M) + NaNO 3 (0.26M) in terms of the influence of process parameter i.e. voltage and inter electrode gap (IEG) on machined surface characteristics i.e. MRR and depth. Out of these three electrolytes, one electrolyte i.e. mixed electrolyte of NaCl+NaNO 3 has been selected as a better electrolyte based on the proper geometrical shape with controlled etching. The better mean depth of 53.5μm with proper geometrical shape has been achieved through the experimentations for NaCl+NaNO 3 electrolyte. Attempt has also been made for the analysis of SEM and atomic force microscopic images to study the micro-features of micro dimple pattern.
Micro-dimples are among the basic microfeatures that are indispensable in improving the tribologi... more Micro-dimples are among the basic microfeatures that are indispensable in improving the tribological performance and reliability of various mechanical components. Through mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) is a feasible process for fabricating micro-dimple arrays with controlled size, location and density by maintaining surface texture. However, " Island formation " is one of the major barriers which not only hampers the surface quality but, in turn, weakens the effect of micro dimples on tribological properties. In this paper, optimal machining parameters along with suitable electrolyte combination are utilized for achieving island-free micro dimple array. AZ-4903 PR is being introduced as a mask due to its availability, low cost, chemical resistance and high flexibility. Pattern of micro-dimples with an average diameter of 65µm imprinted on the mask are being replicated over SS 304 substrate with considerable repeatability. The effect of two major electrochemical micromachining parameters, pulsed duty cycle and machining time on the machining accuracy as well as surface properties of the micro-dimples is analyzed. It was experimentally established that formation of islands could be avoided even after using a thin mask of 20µm thickness and well controlled shapes with smooth surface geometry can be achieved by prolonging the machining time.
A novel approach of Micro-electrochemical Texturing (MET) is a realistic substitute for generatin... more A novel approach of Micro-electrochemical Texturing (MET) is a realistic substitute for generating surface textures of machined surface. Several conventional and non-conventional techniques i.e., embossing, sand blasting, pinning, LBM, EDM etc. are available for generating microsurface textures, but creates several problems to generate microtextured surfaces which reduce the quality and lower the productivity. To overcome these limitations, this research proposes a unique microsurface texturing method namely, micro-electrochemical texturing, based on electrochemical reaction. Due to the high flexibility of the micro-electrochemical texturing system, micro-texturing features, surface roughness and its performance can be easily changed by varying the micro-electrochemical parameters. In this research paper, this process is developed to fabricate the microsurface textures on stainless steel specimens economically with less time. The experimental results of surface characteristics gener...
<jats:p>With the enhancement in science and technology, necessity of complex shapes in manu... more <jats:p>With the enhancement in science and technology, necessity of complex shapes in manufacturing industries becomes essential for more versatile applications. These lead to demand for light weight and durable materials for applications in aerospace, defence, automotive, as well as sports and thermal management. Due to its high-tech structural, functional applications like defence, automobile, aerospace, thermal sensitive materials. Al-Matrix composites are considered as one of those classes of advanced engineering materials. In the present study, Al-RHA (Rice Husk Ash) composites are prepared by powder metallurgy route using 10% and 15% RHA by weight as reinforcement. Presence of abrasive particles leads to difficulty of conventional machining on Al-RHA composites hence non-conventional machining WEDM (Wire-Electric Discharge Machining) has been investigated. Suitable machining parameters for composites using wire EDM have been tried to get maximum material removal rate and speed. Optimizations of experimental parameters have been studied using Taguchi and Anova to standardize the process parameters for machining. Prime process parameters like servo-voltage, pulse-on time and pulse-off-time have been taken into consideration to study cutting quality of Al-RHA Metal matrix Composite using cutting speed as response parameters while effect of RHA weight fraction addition is also considered for evaluation to understand its influence on affecting the response.</jats:p>
Micro-dimples are among the basic microfeatures that are indispensable in improving the tribologi... more Micro-dimples are among the basic microfeatures that are indispensable in improving the tribological performance and reliability of various mechanical components. Through mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) is a feasible process for fabricating micro-dimple arrays with controlled size, location and density by maintaining surface texture. However, “Island formation” is one of the major barriers which not only hampers the surface quality but, in turn, weakens the effect of micro dimples on tribological properties. In this paper, optimal machining parameters along with suitable electrolyte combination are utilized for achieving island-free micro dimple array. AZ-4903 PR is being introduced as a mask due to its availability, low cost, chemical resistance and high flexibility. Pattern of micro-dimples with an average diameter of 65μm imprinted on the mask are being replicated over SS 304 substrate with considerable repeatability. The effect of two major electrochemical micromachi...
Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering, 2019
Micro-dimple arrays are a common mechanical structure in engineering components. Surface texturin... more Micro-dimple arrays are a common mechanical structure in engineering components. Surface texturing is an attractive approach for improving the friction and tribological performance of mechanical components. Through-mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) has shown good feasibility in the field of machining difficult-to-cut metal parts with micro-patterned arrays. Experiments have been carried out utilizing mask thickness of 16 µm to search out for the respective contributions of principle input parameters, viz. input voltage, pulse frequency and duty ratio in controlling the machining performances, such as undercut (Uc) and dimple depth (Dd) of the fabricated micro-dimples. An experimental plan designed based on the standard L9 orthogonal array have been incorporated to recognize the best possible combination of machining parameters of TMEMM using Taguchi Methodology. By applying Taguchi design, the time required for experimental investigation can be significantly reduced, as it...
To fabricate various micro-surface textures at short time and low cost for modern industrial appl... more To fabricate various micro-surface textures at short time and low cost for modern industrial applications, a novel and substitute method of maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM) is exploited due to its multiple advantages such as higher machining rate, better surface quality, reusability of a single patterned tool, irrespective to material hardness, no thermal effect, and burr-free surface. One textured tool containing different masked micro-patterns of SU-8 2150 and PMMA masks can fabricate many different textured surfaces with higher machining efficiency. The indigenously developed EMM setup having maskless electrode fixtures, EMM cell, electrolyte guiding scheme, and power supply connections can produce high-quality micro-patterned workpieces. The research study investigates the influence of process variables including electrolyte flow rate and interelectrode gap (IEG) on depth and overcut of different textured surfaces produced by this technique. Various types of texture...
The first edition of this book “A Textbook of Outranking and Entropy Based GRA in Manufacturing E... more The first edition of this book “A Textbook of Outranking and Entropy Based GRA in Manufacturing Environment” contains five chapters. This edition has been thoroughly presented and made on robot selection and automated inspection system selection. Some MCDM methods such as Outranking, Preference Function Based Outranking, Entropy Based Grey Relation Analysis Methods and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient have been discussed for the solutions of some problems on robot selection and automated inspection system selection to choose the best alternative.
Lecture Notes on Multidisciplinary Industrial Engineering, 2019
Microsurface textures, especially micro-circular patterns, have played a significant role in many... more Microsurface textures, especially micro-circular patterns, have played a significant role in many micromanufacturing applications, i.e., biomedical, aerospace, tribological, etc., for improving their functionality and service life. Micro-circular pattern enhances the product duration and functionalization of mechanical systems for enhancing machining efficiency. In this article, an alternative approach, i.e., maskless micro-electrochemical texturing process, namely maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM) method, is introduced for generation of microsurface textures. The developed micro-electrochemical texturing setup consisting of EMM cell, electrode fixtures, electrical connections, electrolyte flow guiding scheme, etc., has been utilized for experiments. One masked patterned tool can produce more than twenty-five samples. Effects of EMM process variables, i.e., voltage, inter-electrode gap, duty ratio, and pulse frequency on machined responses such as overcut and surface rou...
Generation of microsurface texture is an important technology for surface engineering that can pr... more Generation of microsurface texture is an important technology for surface engineering that can produce a significant improvement of engineering components in aspects to wear resistance, friction coefficient, load capacities, part lubrication, etc. This research proposes a novel approach of maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM), which is anodic dissolution based on electrochemical reaction. One reused textured cathode tool with patterned SU-8 2150 mask can fabricate many work samples economically with less time. Maskless EMM set-up with developed EMM cell and vertical crossflow electrolyte supply system is used to generate micro circular patterns on stainless steel (SUS 304) using three different types of electrolytes such as NaCl, NaNO3 and NaCl + NaNO3. The influences of major process parameters such as interelectrode gap (IEG), flow rate, machining time and electrolyte concentration on mean radial overcut and mean machining depth have been investigated using these electrol...
Surface geometrical features and their functionality depend on the manufacturing process employed... more Surface geometrical features and their functionality depend on the manufacturing process employed for fabrication of surface structures. A maskless electrochemical micromachining is utilized to generate numerous surface structures for diminishing and controlling the friction and wear to increase the lifetime, reliability and efficiency of mechanical systems. This paper presents the generation of structured surface on stainless steel (SS-304) surfaces using maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM). The micropatterned tool comprises of 800µm diameter circular holes in a 5 X 5 matrix form. The indigenously developed electrochemical micromachining set up consists of electrochemical micromachining cell, electrical power supply system and controlled vertical cross flow electrolyte circulation arrangement to control the influence of electrochemical micromachining (EMM) parameters during generation of micro features of structured surfaces. The single structured cathode tool is used for the mass production of structured surfaces with short fabrication time in industrial context by avoiding individual masking process of workpieces. The process has been characterized in terms of the effects of predominant process parameters such as machining voltage, electrolyte concentration, duty ratio, frequency and machining time on machined surface characteristics i.e. current efficiency, machining accuracy and depth of circular pattern on stainless steel surfaces. A mathematical model is also developed to determine the theoretical depth of dimple pattern and to correlate with experimental results. Moreover, an effort has been made to study the structuring characteristics on the basis of micrographs during EMM.
The textured surfaces improve the efficiency of engineering parts in different applications i.e. ... more The textured surfaces improve the efficiency of engineering parts in different applications i.e. tribology, aerospace, defence, biomedical etc. Maskless electrochemical micromachining (EMM) is a promising method for micro dimple generation because no insulated mask is needed on every workpiece. The paper presents the systematic investigation of suitability of electrolytes for anodic dissolution of stainless steel (SUS-304) by maskless electrochemical micromachining. The dimple patterned tool having 600μm diameter is fabricated by UV lithography process on stainless steel wafer bonding with 230µm thick reusable SU-8 2150 negative photoresist. At a time, one dimple patterned tool with reusable mask can produce several samples with a short time and low cost. The set up consisted of EMM cell, power supply, vertical cross flow electrolyte system etc has been developed to study the performance of three different electrolytes i.e. NaCl (0.18M), NaNO 3 (0.26M) and NaCl (0.18M) + NaNO 3 (0.26M) in terms of the influence of process parameter i.e. voltage and inter electrode gap (IEG) on machined surface characteristics i.e. MRR and depth. Out of these three electrolytes, one electrolyte i.e. mixed electrolyte of NaCl+NaNO 3 has been selected as a better electrolyte based on the proper geometrical shape with controlled etching. The better mean depth of 53.5μm with proper geometrical shape has been achieved through the experimentations for NaCl+NaNO 3 electrolyte. Attempt has also been made for the analysis of SEM and atomic force microscopic images to study the micro-features of micro dimple pattern.
Micro-dimples are among the basic microfeatures that are indispensable in improving the tribologi... more Micro-dimples are among the basic microfeatures that are indispensable in improving the tribological performance and reliability of various mechanical components. Through mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) is a feasible process for fabricating micro-dimple arrays with controlled size, location and density by maintaining surface texture. However, " Island formation " is one of the major barriers which not only hampers the surface quality but, in turn, weakens the effect of micro dimples on tribological properties. In this paper, optimal machining parameters along with suitable electrolyte combination are utilized for achieving island-free micro dimple array. AZ-4903 PR is being introduced as a mask due to its availability, low cost, chemical resistance and high flexibility. Pattern of micro-dimples with an average diameter of 65µm imprinted on the mask are being replicated over SS 304 substrate with considerable repeatability. The effect of two major electrochemical micromachining parameters, pulsed duty cycle and machining time on the machining accuracy as well as surface properties of the micro-dimples is analyzed. It was experimentally established that formation of islands could be avoided even after using a thin mask of 20µm thickness and well controlled shapes with smooth surface geometry can be achieved by prolonging the machining time.
Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is one of the earliest non-traditional machining processes u... more Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) is one of the earliest non-traditional machining processes used for finishing components used in manufacturing as well as automotive industry, aerospace, medical surgeries etc. EDM process is based on thermo-electric energy between the work piece and an electrode. A pulse discharge occurs in the small gap between work piece and electrode and removes the unwanted material from the parent metal through the simultaneous processes of melting and vaporizing. The electrode and the work piece must have electrical conductivity in order to generate the spark. The adequate selection of manufacturing conditions for machining of conductive materials becomes one of the most important aspects to take into consideration in the die-sinking EDM. Material Removal Rate (MRR) in EDM process is considered to be one of the most significant factors because of its vital effect on the industrial economy. In this paper, regression analysis of Material Removal Rate MRR is proposed for Sinker EDM operations. The experiments were carried out on Mild Steel with copper electrode. Experiments were conducted by varying the controllable parameters-machining voltage, peak current and pulse-on time. From experimental results, the MRR was determined for each machining performance criteria. The experimentally found MRR with machining parameters was then mathematically modeled by using the regression analysis method. The developed model was validated with a set of experimental data and appeared to be satisfactory.
Maskless Electrochemical Micromachining (EMM) is a promising micromachining technique which is ut... more Maskless Electrochemical Micromachining (EMM) is a promising micromachining technique which is utilized to fabricate numerous surface structures for many advance fields. EMM set up is developed with vertical cross flow electrolyte system to generate micro circular patterns on stainless steels (SS-304). A patterned copper disc coated with non-conductive photoresist film of prolite synthetic enamel having 40 μm thickness as a cathode is closely placed in front of workpiece plate being an anode in an electrochemical micromachining cell. A single cathode tool is used for many texturing operations and avoids the need of masking for individual workpiece. Here, developed vertical cross flow electrolyte system is utilized to achieve better surface structuring of workpieces. The influence of machining voltage and duty ratio on overcut and depth of generated pattern is investigated. The proposed method has some distinctive advantages such as short lead-time and low production cost. A mathematical model is developed for determining the theoretical depth of the circular impressions and correlated with experimental depth. An effort also has been made to demonstrate the best optical microscopic image by the analysis of experimental results during surface structuring experiments using EMM. From the experimental analysis, it can be concluded that parameter setting i.e. electrolyte concentration 2 %(wt/vol %), voltage 10V, frequency 100 KHz and duty ratio 30% fabricates the best array of circular pattern during surface structuring.
The micropattern generation plays a significant role in providing various functions to product su... more The micropattern generation plays a significant role in providing various functions to product surfaces. The functionality of a micropatterned device is dependent on the integrity and quality of the transferred pattern on to the device, which means that the pattern transfer is a crucial step in microfabrication. In this technique, a substrate is kept in close to a tool, which carrying the micropattern. In this paper, the fabricated micropattern of varactor is important for tuning microdevices used in Radio Frequency communication including voltage controlled oscillators and filters, microwave applications etc for the mass production of varactors with short time for industrial context and avoids the need of masks, which applied on individual workpiece. Varactor profile is used as a driving tool with PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) mask to develop the micropattern of varactor using electrochemical micromachining. This paper presents the micropattern generation of varactor on stainless steel (SS-304) workpiece with the help of developed electrochemical micromachining set up. A mathematical model is developed and also correlated to determine the length and width overcuts of varactor. The process has been characterized in terms of the effects of predominant process parameters i.e. applied voltage and duty ratio on machined surface characteristics i.e. machining accuracy and surface finish of generated micropattern of varactor. An attempt has also been made for the analysis of experimental results to get the best optical and atomic force microscopic images of the varactor.
Proper material selection plays an important and crucial role for an effective manufacturing syst... more Proper material selection plays an important and crucial role for an effective manufacturing system for quality production, cost effectiveness and better productivity. Selection of proper materials for diverse engineering applications is one of the most challenging and difficult tasks. Improper material selection can lead to misuse of resources and finally causes product failure. So the designers need to identify and select proper materials with specific functionalities in order to obtain the desired output with minimum cost involvement and specific functionalities. However, with the wide range of materials available in the market, selection of the best material for a particular phenomenon is not an easy task to perform. In choosing the proper material, there is not always a single definite selection criteria and decision maker needs to take into account a large number of material selection attributes. This paper attempts to solve the materials selection problem using Multiplicative PROMETHEE method, one of the most potential multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approaches, considering different material selection attributes and their relative importance for a given material selection application. The rankings of the alternative materials almost corroborate with those as obtained by the past researchers.
Multi-criteria equipment selection plays an important role for an effective manufacturing system ... more Multi-criteria equipment selection plays an important role for an effective manufacturing system for quality production, cost effectiveness and better productivity. The equipment selection process involves choosing an optimal option from many alternatives, which requires consideration of both technical and economic benefits. The improper equipment selection may affect productivity, precision, flexibility and quality of the products negatively. Selecting the proper equipment for a particular application is not only a time-consuming and difficult process, but also it requires deep knowledge and experience. For a proper and effective evaluation, the decision maker needs a large amount of data to be analyzed and many factors to be considered. However, selecting the best alternative among many under the consideration of various mutually conflicting criteria is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. This paper mainly focuses on solving the industrial equipment selection problem using two very potential MCDM tools, namely Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) and Multi-Objective Optimization on basis of Ratio Analysis (MOORA) Method.
Selection of an automated inspection device for a specific industrial application is one of the m... more Selection of an automated inspection device for a specific industrial application is one of the most challenging problems in real time manufacturing environment. It has become more and more complicated due to increasing complexity, advanced features and facilities that are continuously being incorporated into the devices by different manufacturers. This paper presents a selection methodology for the best suited automated inspection device used in flexible manufacturing systems based on The VIKOR method, a compromise ranking tool. Inspection devices play an important role for an effective manufacturing system for quality production, cost effectiveness and better productivity. At present, different types of inspection devices with diverse capabilities and features are available in the market. One real time example is cited in order to demonstrate and validate the applicability and potentiality of the proposed multi-criteria decision-making method. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 General Information In present day's global competitive manufacturing environment, the decision making for proper selection of the inspection system is one of the most challenging tasks. The decision maker has to select the best alternative, keeping in mind their relative performance characteristics and also the manufacturing goals and objectives. Increasing demand for large variety of quality products at lower costs and tough international competition has raised new responsibilities for the quality control engineers. Integrated quality control and flexible inspection system are considered as the most important for the integration of quality assurance with automated manufacturing. Golomski (1990) [1] has discussed that automated inspection system can reduce the indirect cost of inspection but increases the depreciation cost and the maintenance cost also. A methodology for the performance evaluation of coordinate measuring systems was proposed by Elshennawy (1989) [2]. Selection of an appropriate inspection device mainly depends on the characteristics of the manufacturing system and the quality control functions. This requires detailed study and evaluation of so many alternatives and the respective selection criteria. Decision analysis has been recognized as an important tool for the evaluation of major decisions among the scientific community and also in the public sector. Decision-making is the process of sufficiently reducing (rather than eliminating) uncertainty and doubt about the alternatives to allow a reasonable choice to be made. The branch of decision analysis which deals with this kind of problem is called as the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM). Multi-criteria decision-making looks at the paradigm in which an individual decision maker or a group of experts contemplate a choice of action in an uncertain environment. There are various mathematical tools for solving MCDM problems like simple additive weighting, analytic hierarchy process, weighted product method, TOPSIS, compromise ranking method (VIKOR), out ranking method (ELECTRE Series), the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE), analytical network process (ANP) and so on. In all these above MCDM methods, decision regarding the best alternative amongst the available ones is arrived by giving mathematical treatments to the
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