A typical example of the benefits and challenges of miniaturization is the ABS(anti-blocking system) in modern cars. Whilst the weight could be decreased toapprox. 10% of the weight of thefirst system, the part complexity has significantlyincreased. This is indicated by the decrease in the number of parts by approx. 90%in current systems, compared to thefirst versions [Nos14], even though addit…
This book is the outcome of a joint experiment—an experimental exercise in university–industry relationship building between our institutions: BMW and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU). To be sure, our institutions have always had good and trusting relationships between individual experts—long before our time in leadership roles. People at BMW and FAU have been in…
There has been signifi cant progress in the reduction of poverty in the developing world over the past few decades. The prevalence of income poverty defi ned at US$1.25/day per capita declined from 43 to 22 % from 1990 to 2008 according to information presented in Ahmed et al. (Chap. 6 this volume). This progress is the result of various factors, including economic growth reac…
Where phase I of the food redistribution project aimed at gaining a first view into the food redistribution activities and potentials in the Nor-dic countries,1 phase II aims at addressing some of the practical issues raised during phase I. The continuation of the project via a phase II was decided in October 2014 by the steering committee on the Nordic Food …
A productive manufacturing engineering sector comes from making the best use of our manufacturing processes – understanding and utilising their technological capabilities and the economic opportunities they can offer. If we can get the quality and cost of our products right for our customers, then our businesses will reap the financial rewards. It is often thought that selecting manufacturing…
Making things has been an essential activity of human civilizations since before recorded history. Today, the term manufacturing is used for this activity. For technological and economic reasons, manufacturing is important to the welfare of the United States and most other developed and developing nations. Technology can be defined as the application of science to provide society and its member…
Properties of materials include mechanical properties (such as strength, hardness, toughness), thermal properties (conductivity), optical properties (refractive index), electrical properties (resistance) etc. Here, however, we shall concentrate only on mechanical properties which are most important in manufacturing processes and also in everyday life and we use these terms quite often. To under…