MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURING USING INDUSTRY 4.0 TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

This thesis explores and proposes various frameworks that involve the application of Industry 4.0 technologies for medical devices (MD) fabrication. The objective of the thesis is to effectively enhance current MD manufacturing methods through the use of technologies such as Cyber Physical System (CPS), Internet-of-Things (IoT) and advanced man-machine interfaces.

The review of literature concluded that more research, related to the application of Industry 4.0 technologies in the field of MD manufacturing and especially hybrid MDs that comprise biological elements, is required as current research studies on this specific topic are scarce despite its increasing importance.

The following four models were proposed in this thesis: (a) A novel architecture for CPS-based manufacturing workcell systems, (b) A Virtual Reality-based assembly guidance training framework (the VRAGTS), (c) A computational optimization model that utilizes multi-objective combinatorial optimization (MOCO) concepts to optimize manufacturing workcell layouts, and (d) A cell seeding distribution technique that aims to minimize production cost and time and maximize cell growth.

The advantages and potential of utilizing the Industry 4.0 technologies were investigated and demonstrated in experiments and computer simulations.