This research aims to develop a system which detects equipment failure even in the absence of a worker and resumes production within minutes. The proposed system generates alternative production process plans in advance according to the failure mode. When the failure is detected in the production, the selection method provides the emergency stop, the evacuation operation, and the alternative plan selection based on the facility data. As a result of the verification of this system, continued production was realized with 54% of the production capacity, whereas 0% of the production capacity when the system is not used. The proposal system made it possible to resume production by executing an alternative in 13.9 seconds from equipment failure.

The narrow inner geometry of machine parts requires high-precision machining and geometric inspection for high-performance products such as hydraulic components. However, it has been difficult to measure 3D inner surface geometry with conventional measurement methods. It is also difficult to measure the reference or datum surface and the narrow inner surface profile by the same measuring tool. Therefore, a novel optical measuring probe that can measure both the narrow profile and the datum surface by a thin probe that can be inserted into the narrow space and measuring the distance in the radial and depth directions was developed. To realize this measuring method, a distance measurement probe based on FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Waves) method and a novel measurement direction switching technology using polarization direction control were developed. Experimental results show that the dimensional measurement accuracy by each measurement direction is micrometer order. The measurement results of a test piece with complex geometries showed good agreement with those obtained by CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine).

Snap-fit is one of the most important joining methods for plastic products. Since the function and performance of snap-fit often require sensitivity evaluation, prototyping before mass production is important. FDM is one of Additive Manufacturing, and FDM is considered to be suitable for snap-fit prototyping. On the other hand, since the mechanical properties of FDM vary depending on the processing conditions, it is important to verify the relationship between the processing conditions and snap-fit mechanical properties. In addition, in recent years, plastic products have become smaller in some areas. In the case of cantilever-type snap-fit, it is necessary to evaluate the effect of shear deformation as the aspect ratio decreases. In this study, the effect of processing conditions on mechanical properties of snap-fit with different aspect ratios fabricated by FDM were investigated.