xvii
Introduction
Contemporary development of industrial technologies is possible not only due to
new processes and materials with new functional and technical characteristics but
also due to remanufacturing of end-of-life (EoL) products (Le et al., 2015) and surface engineering methods designed to protect components and to prevent surfaces
from degradation (Prashar et al., 2020). These measures increase the lifetime of
components and engineering systems and provide substantial savings of energy and
resources. Further energy savings are achieved through intelligent manufacturing
(Wang, Li et al., 2019) and optimal maintenance strategies focused on manufacturing sustainability (Huang et al., 2019). A trend can be observed toward coating technologies that restore the properties of used components and substantially improve
the quality and performance of a remanufactured product (Zheng et al., 2019).
Manufacturing processes are directly concerned with the change of form, dimensions, and certain properties of a part being produced. A wide spectrum of processes
can be applied to achieve the goal, such as cutting, grinding, bending, forging, heat
treatment, gluing, brazing, welding, bluing, diffusion welding, industrial etching,
electrolysis, deep and surface hardening, explosive welding, water-jet cutting, sandblasting, and treatment with high-frequency current. In the present book, the authors
attempted to focus primarily on the restoration techniques of EoL products and
some surface engineering processes that improve the wear resistance of the components. The reader will be able to familiarize himself with finding out relatively new
manufacturing processes and recent modifications to the conventional manufacturing processes. Thus, in the first chapter, machining processes for new materials are
described, such as lost foam casting, diamond and diamond spark grinding, ultrasonic machining methods, cutting and shaping of the materials with an ion beam,
waterjet, laser, and plasma. Additional attention is paid to the recent trends in material joining techniques and the methods increasing the accuracy of machining.
In the second chapter, the contemporary additive and hybrid methods of protection and restoration of components are presented in the context of the product life
cycle. Firstly, protective and technological coatings related to the initial stages of a
product life cycle, such as hot forming processes and heat treatment, are described.
Next, the methods aimed at prolonging working time such as thermal and vacuum
spraying or beam coating methods are characterized and described. Special attention
is paid to the hard alloy coatings and nanoceramic matrix composite coatings used
for the components that work in harsh conditions. Among remanufacturing methods
related to the EoL parts, the reader will find repairing and strengthening cladding
techniques aimed at restoring the dimensions and strength of a worn component.
The third chapter is dedicated to the recent trends in industrial enterprises in
the frames of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and the increasing application of the so-called smart machining processes aided with artificial intelligence
(AI). These techniques are supporting the intelligent utilization of manufacturing
resources and adaptive adjustment of production processes that support the level of
Introduction
Contemporary development of industrial technologies is possible not only due to
new processes and materials with new functional and technical characteristics but
also due to remanufacturing of end-of-life (EoL) products (Le et al., 2015) and surface engineering methods designed to protect components and to prevent surfaces
from degradation (Prashar et al., 2020). These measures increase the lifetime of
components and engineering systems and provide substantial savings of energy and
resources. Further energy savings are achieved through intelligent manufacturing
(Wang, Li et al., 2019) and optimal maintenance strategies focused on manufacturing sustainability (Huang et al., 2019). A trend can be observed toward coating technologies that restore the properties of used components and substantially improve
the quality and performance of a remanufactured product (Zheng et al., 2019).
Manufacturing processes are directly concerned with the change of form, dimensions, and certain properties of a part being produced. A wide spectrum of processes
can be applied to achieve the goal, such as cutting, grinding, bending, forging, heat
treatment, gluing, brazing, welding, bluing, diffusion welding, industrial etching,
electrolysis, deep and surface hardening, explosive welding, water-jet cutting, sandblasting, and treatment with high-frequency current. In the present book, the authors
attempted to focus primarily on the restoration techniques of EoL products and
some surface engineering processes that improve the wear resistance of the components. The reader will be able to familiarize himself with finding out relatively new
manufacturing processes and recent modifications to the conventional manufacturing processes. Thus, in the first chapter, machining processes for new materials are
described, such as lost foam casting, diamond and diamond spark grinding, ultrasonic machining methods, cutting and shaping of the materials with an ion beam,
waterjet, laser, and plasma. Additional attention is paid to the recent trends in material joining techniques and the methods increasing the accuracy of machining.
In the second chapter, the contemporary additive and hybrid methods of protection and restoration of components are presented in the context of the product life
cycle. Firstly, protective and technological coatings related to the initial stages of a
product life cycle, such as hot forming processes and heat treatment, are described.
Next, the methods aimed at prolonging working time such as thermal and vacuum
spraying or beam coating methods are characterized and described. Special attention
is paid to the hard alloy coatings and nanoceramic matrix composite coatings used
for the components that work in harsh conditions. Among remanufacturing methods
related to the EoL parts, the reader will find repairing and strengthening cladding
techniques aimed at restoring the dimensions and strength of a worn component.
The third chapter is dedicated to the recent trends in industrial enterprises in
the frames of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and the increasing application of the so-called smart machining processes aided with artificial intelligence
(AI). These techniques are supporting the intelligent utilization of manufacturing
resources and adaptive adjustment of production processes that support the level of