Saturday, January 25, 2020

Using a 3D Printer in Engineering

Using a 3D Printer in Engineering CE 2.2 Background Digitality is increasing each day. Very less people use 3D printers due to its high cost. And moreover, they are not portable as its calibration of stepper motors could be damaged. And small scale industries cannot afford them. So, my project is about making 3D printers that are size oriented, portable and cost effective. It will a project that would be hassle less and easy to understand and operate. It could be extremely useful to small scale industries, dental manufacture, scientific labs, toy companies and many more. CE 2.3 The reason behind choosing this project was to give a boost to small scale industries and make it easy to use. 3D printing is the technology of creating three-dimensional real time objects that has a nozzle which oozes out melted plastic element and is attached to a stepper motor which works as an axis that has two stepper motors working as two axis. The idea and objective was to build a 3D printer under 500-1000$ with compact size for easy handling. Its aims to print a real-time three-dimensional object with the help of CAD file (computer aided design file). It focuses on building a small sized, easy to use and accessible 3D printer. It is also a kind that has low maintenance. It is a kind of printer that was made with the help of regularly used electronics devices which would ultimately reflect on its cost price in the market. Also, other major thing is its size as it is compact compared to other available printers. CE 2.4 I had planned all the work that was required to do on this project that includes all the pre-study work before the commencement of the project and post-work that is required after finishing the project. I listed out things to do first and then assigned its priority. I started with doing research on selecting the topic for my project and after its approval from the faculty, and then I went on doing literature surveys with the help of IEEE papers, research papers etc. in the later stage I began learning basics of CNC machine and designing of its hardware structure. Which was then implemented along with its software part and was made a portable one. At last stage, it involved final changes on the project and making a report on it. CE 2.5 Personal Engineering Activity I started with literature survey and then made up a block diagram for my project as shown under. It explains the complete flow of my project. I divided the entire process of 3D printing into two parts. CE 2.6 This project makes use of many components and each component was selected considering its cost and its potential value in the market as well as its ability to withstand the project. The important parts are: For CNC Machine: 1. Stepper motor it is a kind of electric motor that is widely used in the industries of robotics. With each step of the motor, it makes it handy for repeatable positioning. 2. Stepper motor driver A4988 they are kind of drivers with microcontroller and that can be used to attain high rotation speeds in stepper motors. 3. CNC shield 4. Arduino Uno Microcontroller it is used for digital devices and interactive objects which can control and sense the objects in physical world. It makes use of open-source hardware and software. 5. SMPS power supply this is used to drive and supply power to the whole circuit 6. MDF/Acrylic for the body structure -it is used for outer covering or the hardware structure of the body. For 3D Printing Setup 1. 0.75mm Nozzle it is cylindrical kind of a pipe or tube which controls the liquid. 2. Ceramic heater 3. DC fan as a cooling device 4. PLA element CE 2.7 For the 3D printer, a structure had to be made from either MDF, acrylic or fiber that would form the outer body. It also requires 4 stepper motor and its driver ICs along with providing a power supply. The stepper motor moves as per the GCODE which controls it. A software is used to generate the GCODE that is indirectly connected and formed from CAD file. CE 2.8 The working of my software part can be described as below: 1. Computer part: Here, using different software like AUTOCAD, RHINO, CAD360, a CAD file is generated. The interpreter receives the CAD file formed and then converts it into GCODE file. For interpreting software like MERLIN, CURA, POLULU was been used. Then via serial port the GCODE file is sent to the other part i.e. the printing part. 2. 3D printer part: Stepper drivers and HotEnd drivers receive the GCODE file from the GCODE interpreter. The HotEnd has a nozzle, DC fan and a ceramic heater and the stepper motor makes the moves as per the GCODE. Into the nozzle, a PLA plastic element is entered and with the help of ceramic heater it melts that plastic element into very small sized threads and is constantly cooled with the help of DC fan. As the HotEnd and stepper motor moves, the PLA comes out through it giving a 3D printed object. The object is made layer by layer and the stepper motor sets itself to initial stage after the completion of the object CE 2.9 During this project, I faced many challenges as my project is a very complex topic. It started with doing research on the topic. It was a new technology in the market and I had to collect as much information available. Deciding of hardware components was also a major task I had a pre-defined project cost that I had to maintain so that the final costing of the product doesnt increase beyond the limit. I took help from the experts from the field of electronics and tried to follow their footsteps whenever problem occurred. The part of software was quite easy than I thought as I had already planned the flow of the work so I just had to follow that pattern to accomplish my microcontroller programming. CE 2.10 Summary In 3D printing, whole process takes place in tiny little slices, it divides the whole project into tiny pieces which are made in the reverse order while printing. They stick together to form a solid object slice by slice. All the parts made from 3D printing can be complex like hinges, wheels etc. as a part of the printed object. It is a kind of technology which is very useful in current world. It makes the object feel like a real one. My project required great knowledge while implementing. It was a great platform for me to learn new technology and to help small scale industry with my project. My creativity skills were expanded and with the help of my project guide I could overcome all the challenges that came on the way. I kept my guide and supervisors updated with my position of the project. And meeting were kept fortnightly to show my status on my project and to discuss further possibility of the project expansion.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Duckweed

Feed Industry Overview: Duckweed feed has been found to be a very nutritious feed source for many types of livestock. The fact that duckweed can be fed to animals in its wet form or dried for a more concentrated food source make an efficient, cost effective, harvester a possible attractive product for this market. Traditional Harvesters are economically unfeasible and manual harvesting is very labor intensive for medium to large scale operations. Feed prices can vary drastically due to crop yields, gas prices, and product demand. After the initial investment of the Proskimmer the costs for producing this feed additive would be minimal. There is opportunity for duckweed to be used more as a feed source in coming years to alleviate increasing demand on corn and soy yields. Analysis According to North Carolina Reasearchers: â€Å"Duckweed holds great promise as an alternative feed supplement. One of the smallest plants known to man could help us produce cleaner water while at the same time providing a high quality feed for domestic stock animals (poultry, swine, and cattle). The nutrient uptake ability possessed by duckweed along with its fast reproductive rate and environmental requirements make it easy to manage. The problem with duckweed is in the harvesting of the small plants and removing the excess water. Assuming that can be done efficiently, we will be well on our way to making new strides in the supplemental feeding of duckweed. † These statements are made by some of the leading duckweed researchers in the feed/fuel/watstewater. A duckweed harvester is a natural fit to solve the harvesting needs of the market. Recent studies have confirmed duckweed’s potential as a valuable high-protein, vitamin-rich feed supplement. A two acre pond surface with duckweed yields as much as 30 tons of dry matter or approximately 12 tons of protein per year. This protein is of very high quality for feeding to animals (or human beings). Experiments show that the quality of this protein for ducks and hens is similar to that in soybean meal. As protein is currently priced at approx $500 per ton as a stock-feed ingredient, the protein yield of a hectare of duckweed is worth in the order of $6,000 per year. Although inexpensive to produce, duckweed contains a range of vitamins, pigments and minerals. These include those normally added to dietary formulations for livestock such as poultry and pigs in the form of commercial mineral-vitamin premixes. Duckweed has particular value as a poultry feed. It typically contains high concentrations of calcium (which is required in the diet of laying hens) equal to 10-25 g/kg dry matter. Duckweed contains relatively large amounts of xanthophylls and carotene, which result in a rich yellow/orange color to the egg yolks. In comparison, the synthetic yolk pigments usually included in mineral-vitamin premixes for layers are a costly component of commercial poultry diets. Dried excess duckweed can be pelletised and sold as animal feed. At approx $6000 dollars the Proskimmer would be economically viable in this arena. Feeding trials reported in the literature and carried out recently in Peru have demonstrated that duckweed can be substituted for soy and fish meals in prepared rations for several types of poultry: broilers, layers, and chicks. Cultured duckweed can be used as the protein component in poultry diets. Acceptable levels of duckweed meal in the diets of layers range up to 40 percent of total feed. Duckweed-fed layers produce more eggs of the same or higher quality as control birds fed the recommended formulated diets. Levels of up to 15 percent duckweed meal produce growth rates in broilers which are equal to those produced by control feeds. Diets for chicks, consisting of up to 15 percent duckweed meal, are suitable for birds under three weeks of age. Duckweed meal will almost certainly find as large a range of animal feed applications as soybean meal. Duckweed meal may also have great potential to blend with non- conventional diets based on inexpensive carbohydrate sources that can be used by poultry and hogs. Today pork production offers perhaps an unprecedented opportunity. Due to economic expansion and population growth in Asia, demand for pork is increasing like never before. In fact, experts predict that in the next 35 to 40 years, we’ll have to quadruple, or more, the approximately 875 million hogs now on Earth. That’s why new and expanded hog production facilities are being built in Australia, Canada, Mexico, South America, and, when opposition is overcome, in the U. S. And as they’re built, new jobs and economic growth are being created. A major limitation to fish farming is that meals high in protein with high biological value are expensive and often locally unavailable. Supplementary feeds can take up to 60% of fish production costs. Duckweeds have a high protein content (around 40%) of high biological value. Fresh duckweed is highly suited to intensive fish farming systems and duckweed is converted efficiently to liveweight by certain fish including carp and tilapia. Drying duckweed presents the largest current challenge to the plant being traded as a commodity. No conventional drying technology has been able to produce dried material without incurring signifigant loss. Several solar methods are showing promise however we feel they would be for large scale operations and not relevant to our market. The leading researchers in North Carolina have paired with a company called Aeroglide who makes industrial drying technologies for the feed industry. We feel Proskim should focus on the wet applications for land livestock and fish farming opporunities. http://www. lib. ncsu. edu/theses/available/etd-05242004-103543/unrestricted/etd. df Institute of Animal Nutrition, University of Hohenheim, Emil-Wolff-Str. 10, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany 24 February 2010; http://www. aeroglide. com/aquafeed-dryers-coolers. php SWOT Analysis Feed: Strengths: Low cost in relation to other mechanical harvesters/low labor intensity when compared to manual techniques. Currently manufactured product with little to no customization for many harvesting needs. Duckweed has be en proven to be a breakthrough feed alternative to corn and soy based feeds. Weaknesses: Little to no current marketing strategy in the Bio arena. Lack of marketing material directed to Bio arena. Less developed nations will use manual techniques. Company physical location is not in areas which promote rapid duckweed growth. Opportunities: Feed supplement for fish, swine, poultry needing effective harvesting techniques. Market directly to these farmers. Academic researchers using grants to study duckweed in the Bio arena. Government grants and foundations in the Bio arena. Threats: Other harvester inventions and trial inventions to harvest duckweed. Less demand for corn ethanol due to regulations or opportunity costs could lower prices and in turn corn feed prices.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Días feriados federales y estatales en EE.UU. en 2019

En Estados Unidos hay 10 dà ­as feriados federales, es decir, aplican en todo el paà ­s y tambià ©n en los territorios como, por ejemplo, Puerto Rico. En los feriados federales por ley tienen dà ­a libre y se les paga a todos los trabajadores no esenciales del gobierno federal. Tambià ©n cierran bancos y escuelas. Sin embargo, las empresas privadas no està ¡n obligadas a brindar el dà ­a libre a sus empleados pero lo habitual es que sà ­ lo hagan y, ademà ¡s, les paguen el salario del dà ­a feriado como si lo hubieran trabajado, si bien hay importantes excepciones como, por ejemplo, el caso de comercios o restaurantes. Dà ­as feriados federales en Estados Unidos en 2019 1 de enero, lunes, Aà ±o Nuevo21 de enero, lunes, Dà ­a de Martin Luther King18 de febrero, lunes, Dà ­a del Presidente27 de mayo, lunes, Dà ­a de la Recordacià ³n4 de julio, jueves, Dà ­a de la Independencia2 de septiembre, lunes, Dà ­a del Trabajo14 de octubre, lunes, Dà ­a de Cristà ³bal Colà ³n11 de noviembre, lunes, Dà ­a de los Veteranos28 de noviembre, jueves, Accià ³n de Gracias.25 de diciembre, mià ©rcoles, Dà ­a de Navidad El feriado del Dà ­a del Presidente no se celebra en todos los estados y el Dà ­a de los Veteranos no es feriado pà ºblico en Wisconsin. Los dà ­as feriados en EE.UU. como regla general son un lunes, si bien hay excepciones a esta regla. Asà ­, el Dà ­a de Navidad, Aà ±o Nuevo, Independencia o el de Accià ³n de Gracias se celebran el dà ­a de la semana que coincida con el dà ­a del mes de su celebracià ³n. Sin embargo, en esos dà ­as, si el feriado es un dà ­a sà ¡bado, el dà ­a libre se adelanta a viernes. Por el contrario, si es un dà ­a domingo, el dà ­a libre se retrasa al lunes siguiente. Dà ­as feriados en los estados en 2019 Los estados pueden establecer dà ­as de observancia pà ºblica de acuerdo a su historia o a sus intereses. Las oficinas estatales cierran y los trabajadores cobran por ese dà ­a, sin embargo, las empresas privadas no està ¡n obligadas a seguir esa norma y deciden segà ºn sus propias reglas. Entre los dà ­as feriados los mà ¡s comunes en los estados destacan: El viernes siguiente a Accià ³n de Gracias que, con carà ¡cter general, es feriado en los siguientes estados: Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Nuevo Hampshire, Nuevo Mà ©xico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Carolina del Sur, Texas, Washington y Virginia Occidental. El 31 de marzo, Dà ­a de de Cà ©sar Chà ¡vez.  Esta conmemoracià ³n es uno de los festivos opcionales y se celebra en Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Nuevo Mà ©xico, Texas, Rhode Island, Utah y Wisconsin. El 24 de diciembre, Nochebuena, que es feriado en Carolina del Sur, Dakota del Norte, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia y Wisconsin. El 26 de diciembre, dà ­a siguiente al de Navidad, es feriado en Carolina del Norte, Carolina del Sur, Texas y Virginia. Cabe destacar que Texas es uno de los estados con mà ¡s dà ­as feriados. Ademà ¡s de los federales y de celebrar el Dà ­a de Cà ©sar Chà ¡vez, Nochebuena, Dà ­a despuà ©s de Accià ³n de Gracias y de Navidad, son feriados pà ºblicos las siguientes fechas: 19 de enero: Dà ­a de los hà ©roes confederados.2 de marzo: Dà ­a de la Independencia de Texas21 de abril: San Jacinto19 de junio: Dà ­a de la Emancipacià ³n27 de agosto: Dà ­a de Lyndon B. Johnson Dà ­as no feriados pero celebrados en EE.UU. Estos dà ­as reciben gran atencià ³n en los medios de comunicacià ³n y, en muchos casos, las tiendas y las escuelas està ¡n muy involucradas en las celebraciones. Sin embargo, ni las empresas privadas y las oficinas federales y estatales no està ¡n obligadas ni a dar el dà ­a libre a los trabajadores ni a compensarlos econà ³micamente si no trabajan. 2 de febrero, sà ¡bado, Dà ­a de la Marmota14 de febrero, jueves, Dà ­a de San Valentà ­n17 de marzo, domingo, San Patricio19 de abril,Viernes Santo21 de abril, domingo, PascuaCinco de mayo, domingo.12 de mayo, domingo, Dà ­a de la madre.16 de mayo, domingo, Dà ­a del padre.31 de octubre, Halloween Dà ­as feriados y compras En Estados Unidos es habitual que los dà ­as feriados coincidan con grandes rebajas. Sin embargo, no debe confundirse con los los dà ­as conocidos como feriados de impuestos y que se celebran en algunos estados y que implica que en determinados dà ­as no se cobran impuestos a las ventas en determinados artà ­culos. Puntos claves: Dà ­as feriados en EE.UU. Nà ºmero de dà ­as feriados federales en EE.UU.: 10. Los estados pueden decidir no observar algà ºn dà ­a en especà ­fico.Dà ­as feriados que no son siempre un dà ­a lunes, sino que se observan en su fecha: Aà ±o Nuevo, Independencia, Veteranos, Navidad. Ademà ¡s, el Dà ­a de Accià ³n de Gracias es siempre el cuarto jueves del mes de noviembre.Dà ­as feriados mà ¡s comunes en los estados: Cà ©sar Chà ¡vez (31 de marzo), viernes despuà ©s de Accià ³n de Gracias, Nochebuena y dà ­a despuà ©s de Navidad. Este artà ­culo es informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Artificial Neural Networks ( Anns ) - 1749 Words

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are computational algorithms loosely based on the human biological nervous system which work to model statistical data. An ANN â€Å"consists of processing elements known as neurons that are interconnected to each other and work in unison to answer a particular problem [, and] can be used in places where detecting trends and extracting patterns are too complex to be detected by either humans or other computer techniques.† Although recent in their explosion in popularity, the underlying logic behind ANNs have existed for â€Å"nearly a half-century†, however due to the pervasive and ubiquitous adoption of powerful computational tools in our contemporary society, ANNs have had a sort of renaissance, much to the avail of scientists, engineers, and consumers. The current cutting-edge in deep-learning and ANNs focuses highly on both their ability to model and interpret complex data, and their ability to be put to scale due through optimization and parallelization. The current framework for designing ANNs is one that is widely available, with a myriad of tools facilitating their development. Python, C++, Google’s Tensorflow, Theano, Matlab, and Spark all contain a robust set of mathematical operations which necessitate ANNs. Due to the algorithm behind ANNs, the models are inherently apt in â€Å"extract[ing] meaning from imprecise or intricate problems†. Speaking reductively, ANNs are data modeling tools which are trained on a given dataset, and canShow MoreRelatedArtificial Neural Networks ( Ann )2161 Words   |  9 PagesCHAPTER 5 Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) 5.1 Machine Learning In machine learning, systems are trained to infer patterns from observational data. 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