Research
The Manufacturing and Production Systems research line aims at designing and developing new technological solutions for future transformation processes. Several research topics are developed within this particular framework. The mechanical and technological characteristics of transformed materials and the relationships between material characteristics and transformation process parameters are investigated. This knowledge facilitates the setting-up of new production processes, the selection of technological variables for the running of cost-effective programs in changing environments and the development of physical prototypes based on innovative transformation processes, also considering the environmental impact: use of energy, materials, and process emissions.
The methodologies and tools for the design, management and control of production processes as well as components and systems for transformation activities are conceived, designed and developed using software tools. The use of these advanced tools will not only help industrial engineers to achieve optimum design of production systems but will also improve management and control procedures. The research line is organized into two main research groups, namely: