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This paper describes a method together with an implementation for automating the detection, identification and configuration of newly added resources and parts in a Plug and Produce system using OPC UA. In a Plug and Produce system, resources and parts are usually controlled by agents, forming a multi-agent system of collaborating resources. Hence, when a resource or part is connected to the system, a corresponding agent must be instantiated and associated with that specific device. In order to automate this, the system needs information about newly connected devices. This information could, for example, be positional data describing where the device is connected. Some devices like tools and parts to be processed have no own network connection, but still, they should get an agent with correct configuration instantiated. In this work, OPC UA is used for communication between devices and the corresponding agents. All agents and their communication are handled by an Agent Handling System, consisting of an OPC UA HUB together with functions for device detection and agent instantiation. The HUB is used for transferring data between devices and their agents in the network by OPC UA protocols. When a device is connected to the network, it is detected, and a connection is automatically created to the HUB that becomes configured for transmitting data between the device and its corresponding agent. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
This paper presents a method for automating the generation, verification and deployment of robot programs used in prefabrication of walls for family houses. The making of robot programs is today performed manually by experts, i.e. implying high costs. This is a huge disadvantage since each wall can be unique. The work demonstrates, with implementation and testing, a method to automate the generation of robot programs for fabrication of walls made of wood. This includes the task of generating collision free paths, automatic verification of path performance and deploying to a real industrial robot with minimal human interaction. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Collaborative robotic systems where human(s) and robot(s) cooperate in performing a common task is an attractive solution to introduce automation combined with high flexibility for tasks that have a high complexity and characterized by low volume or down to one-off. By introducing collaboration in robotics systems, the operator can complement with cognitive capacity and skill in order to gain in flexibility and agility in the task operation. This paper describes on-going work related to work on collaboration between operator and robot. User scenarios are outlined together with methods, software components and hardware to support collaboration, where some of these are under development. As the standards related to collaborative robotic systems are soon to be completed, it is expected that this type of semi-automatic systems will be important for flexible and agile automation of production which otherwise cannot be automated.
The latest state-of-the-art Computer Aided Production Engineering (CAPE) simulation technology offers OPC integration for PLC verification. A critical drawback with this technology has been identified and described within this paper. A new time synchronisation method and a simulation architecture are therefore presented and proposed. The time synchronisation method together with the architecture can be used when verifying and developing real-time dependent control logic for industrial control system, e.g. PLC with CAPE tools. The method described in this paper is general and should work on any PLCs that are compatible with the IEC 61131-3 standard. A test case was also carried out, showing that by disregarding time synchronisation it is impossible to verify real-time dependent PLC functions together with CAPE tools in a reliable way. However, the test case also shows that by applying the proposed time synchronisation method together with the described simulation architecture a successful industrial verification method is achieved
Flexible automation cells with rapid product changes are an important competitive advantage for industries today. These cells can increase a company's productivity and thereby increase their profits. A flexible cell shall be able to handle different products with none or minimal changes to the cell itself. A powerful tool, which can be used to analyse and verify such cells, is discrete event system simulation. Problems such as potential bottlenecks, deadlocks, answers to "what-if" questions and the level of resource utilisation can be gathered. The drawback of discrete event system simulation is that the modelling task is both time consuming and difficult to accomplish. Furthermore, state-of-the-art discrete event system simulation tools that are used in the industry today are not suitable for flexible automation. If the production scenario is changed, e.g. introduction of a new product, the simulation and modelling has to be redone and this is both time consuming and tedious. In this paper a new approach will be presented that enables discrete event simulation models to be generated automatically. The models are generated from information retrieved from a PLM/PDM database system, which is shared among other engineering tools such as robot simulation, CAD and process planning. Hence, when the cell and the database are updated a new model can easily be generated. The database is also connected to the real cell so up-to-date data can be retrieved from the real cell. The model generator described in this paper was implemented and tested in a discrete event system simulation tool and showed promising results. With this approach it is possible to handle flexible automation cells more effectively in a process planning stage.
This paper describes a general virtual manufacturing concept for industrial control systems. Our virtual manufacturing concept provides a distinct advantage; programming, verification and optimisation of complex real-time dependent control functions described by real control code, which can be directly transferred to the real manufacturing system. To achieve this distinct advantage, a time synchronised virtual manufacturing system is a necessity. The aim of this paper is thus to present and to describe in detail, our proposed virtual manufacturing concept. To the authors' knowledge no such general virtual manufacturing concept, i.e. one that can correctly handle complex real-time dependent control functions, currently exists. To summarise previous work related to virtual manufacturing and industrial control systems, several critical issues have been identified. The virtual manufacturing concept proposed in this paper addresses these issues. To verify that our concept can manage these critical issues found and further is suitable in industrial applications a virtual manufacturing test case is also presented. The test case, that includes motion control (i.e. servo), complex control functions, real control systems etc., was carried out with success.
Simulation based PLC code verification is a part of virtual commissioning, where the control code is verified against a virtual prototype of an application. With today's general OPC interface it is easy to connect a PLC to a simulation tool for e.g. verification purposes. However, there are some problems with this approach that can lead to an unreliable verification result. In this paper, four major problems with the OPC interface are described, and two possible solutions to the problems are presented: a general IEC 61131-3 based software solution, and a new OPC standard solution
This paper presents a system for full automation of free-form-fabrication of fully dense metal structures using robotized laser melting of wire. The structure is built of beads of melted wire laid side by side and layer upon layer governed by synchronized robot motion. By full automation is here meant that the process starts with a product specification of a component, and ends in a geometrically validated dense metal component fulfilling industrial material requirements. Due to the complexity of this flexible manufacturing system, a number of different disciplines are involved. This paper discusses mainly the system design, which includes how off-line programming is used for automatic generation of code and how feedback control is used for on-line adjustment of parameters based on desired building properties. To meet industrial needs, the project is carried out in a close cooperation between research and development activities in academy and industry.
This study presents work in progress on how to develop a process-planning tool to handle interaction between human operators and robots within a robot cell. First, we introduce how to include human activities in the process flow; then, we turn to our ideas for communication and feedback systems inside a robot cell. A small example of how to design interactive and re-programmable screens is presented.
Holonic Manufacturing System (HMS) is an integrated multi-agent technology that represents the developing direction in the automation field. HMS can be represented as a non-hierarchical manufacturing architecture with no or limited supervision. However, it is a challenge for a single holon in a non-hierarchical system to make globally optimal decisions. This paper presents a simulation-based optimization method for HMS by introducing a new wizard holon. A wizard holon collects the necessary information from the entire HMS and uses Discrete Event System (DES) simulation to evaluate the cost of different decisions. Since a non-hierarchical approach is used the wizard input is only treated as an advice to achieve more globally optimal decisions. The decisions are still taken by the local holon. Even for an experienced operator it might be hard to predict the outcome of a decision in a critical situation. Hence, wizard advices are valuable for all types holons, including machines, robots, and operators.
This study is part of a research project aims at off-line programming and verification of industrial control systems. In this paper, an off-line method for press line throughput rate optimization and control system verification is proposed, implemented and evaluated. The main tool is a virtual press station, developed by the first author, consisting of an emulated control system for a feeder/extractor robot which communicates with 3D-simulated production equipment. Moreover, several virtual press stations have been coupled and synchronized in a virtual press line. An important feature of the system is that the virtual robot controller is emulated, yielding an exact representation of the control logic and the possibility to run the entire system in virtual real time. The application considered is a sheet metal forming process where it is difficult to achieve maximum capacity utilization. There is much to gain if the control logic is improved and the throughput rate is increased. For this purpose, an automated robot motion optimization method is implemented and evaluated, using the virtual press line.
This article proposes a classification of different methods for validation, off-line programming and optimisation of control logic. The classification is an overview of different methods available and includes advantages and disadvantages for each method. The method overview points out a superior method, control system emulation, which is the most cost-effective and flexible method. The control system emulation method is also general and may be applied to validate and optimise control logic in various applications. Further, the method is compared with several other methods for validation of industrial control systems. However the method requires a standardised system architecture. This article proposes such architecture for the control system emulation method. Here, a control system emulator has also been implemented with the specific system architecture described in this article. An application case is also provided to demonstrate an approach to the integration of a control system emulator into a virtual manufacturing system.
Due to constant changesin the market there is a need for low-cost and low-volume manufacturing.Usually this type of production is difficult to automate due to the time ittakes to become profitable and the inflexibility of such solutions. Therefore, flexible automation solutions needto be addressed together with cost effective aspects. In this paper, a newconcept for the design of a flexible, robotized solution based on leanautomation is presented and simulated. The proposed lean automation concept isformed of standardized robot stations, human-robot collaboration and costeffective level of automation. The main goals are flexible automated productionsystem and reduced production cost. This paper shows that the proposed flexiblelean automation concept has some key advantages compared to the traditionalrobot cells; a longer lifetime for the robot cell as well as being easier tore-balance, introduce new parts to and expand the cell. Further, it also showsthat the proposed concept reduces the cost for automation of products with low volume.
Due to constant changes in the market there is a need for low-cost and low-volume manufacturing. Usually this type of production is difficult to automate due to the time it takes to become profitable and the inflexibility of such solutions. Therefore, flexible automation solutions need to be addressed together with cost effective aspects. In this paper, a new concept for the design of a flexible, robotized solution based on lean automation is presented and simulated. The proposed lean automation concept is formed of standardized robot stations, human-robot collaboration and cost effective level of automation. The main goals are flexible automated production system and reduced production cost. This paper shows that the proposed flexible lean automation concept has some key advantages compared to the traditional robot cells; a longer lifetime for the robot cell as well as being easier to re-balance, introduce new parts to and expand the cell. Further, it also shows that the proposed concept reduces the cost for automation of products with low volume.
The aim of this paper is to describe on-going work in the integration of humans in automated manufacturing systems. The intention is to achieve a flexible manufacturing system to meet the rapid developing and changing of today's industry. The approach is based on a control concept with multi-agents. Humans, which are considered as a valuable factor in industrial production, are proposed as flexible agent resources for the automated manufacturing system.
A test case was performed on a manufacturing system where three different groups of humans where integrated in the system; inspection, carrier and recovery. The P-SOP agent generator was used to automatically generate IEC 61131-3 PLC control code for the system.
Job shop scheduling problems are computationally complex combinatorial optimization problems. Genetic algorithms have been used in various forms and in combination with other algorithms to solve job shop scheduling problems. A partially flexible job shop with precedence constraints increases this complex behaviour. There are two main parts to optimizing ajob shop, the routing and the scheduling. The objective here is to get consistent optimal makespan using a genetic algorithm. This paper firstly, presents a simulation approach for the considered partially flexible job shop scheduling problem. Which take into account the precedence constraints and reduce situations of deadlock. To solve the partially flexible job shop scheduling problem a genetic algorithm was used and improved. It utilise a genetic crossovers for routing and a new random shuffle feature is introduced for the scheduling. The computational results have shown that the algorithm performs well in terms of finding a consistent optimal schedule for the given problem
Metal Deposition (MD) is a rapid prototyping technique to build parts by depositing metal in a required fashion. When a complex-shaped part is to be built, a simulation tool is needed to define robot trajectories. Three different simulation-based methods for robot trajectory generation are introduced and compared in this study. The methods are; reversed milling, adapted rapid prototyping and application programming in a computer aided robotics software. All methods were shown capable of creating robot paths for complex shapes, with the CAR software approach being the most flexible. Using this method, the geometry to be built is automatically sliced into layers and a robot path is automatically generated. The method was tentatively evaluated and appears to provide a powerful technique in the design and optimisation of robot paths for MD. Experiments showed that it is possible to manufacture fully dense parts using an Nd-Yag laser.
Optimisation of the control function for multiple automated interacting production stations is a complex problem, even for skilled and experienced operators or process planners. When using mathematical optimisation techniques, it often becomes necessary to use simulation models to represent the problem because of the high complexity (i.e. simulation-based optimisation). Standard optimisation techniques are likely to either exceed the practical time frame or under-perform compared to the manual tuning by the operators or process planners. This paper presents the Constructive cooperative coevolutionary (C3) algorithm, which objective is to enable effective simulation-based optimisation for the control of automated interacting production stations within a practical time frame. C3 is inspired by an existing cooperative coevolutionary algorithm. Thereby, it embeds an algorithm that optimises subproblems separately. C3 also incorporates a novel constructive heuristic to find good initial solutions and thereby expedite the optimisation. In this work, two industrial optimisation problems, involving interaction production stations, with different sizes are used to evaluate C3. The results illustrate that with C3, it is possible to optimise these problems within a practical time frame and obtain a better solution compared to manual tuning.
Simulation-based optimisation carries the burden of computationally expensive fitness calculations. It is very often used to tackle large-scale optimisation problems with a relatively high level of complexity. Therefore, it is of interest to have optimisation techniques dedicated to simulation-based optimisation. This paper proposes a simulation-based optimisation approach, called Constructive Cooperative Coevolutionary (C3) search procedure, to optimise the control of interacting production stations. An optimisation algorithm is embedded in the C3 search procedure to optimise subproblems separately. It includes a novel constructive heuristic that creates a feasible solution for the considered problem efficiently. It also incorporates an extended version of the existing cooperative coevolutionary method that can handle large-scale optimisation problems. Furthermore, this paper presents a case study considering a sheet metal press line as an example of interacting production stations. In this case study, the performance of the proposedC3 search procedure is evaluated and compared with other optimisation algorithms. This shows that the C3 search procedure is able to successfully optimise the press line within a given number of fitness calculations, outperforming existing algorithms. Also, it is shown that C3 can be embedded with either stochastic or deterministic optimisation algorithms, without sacrificing performance.
Production that incorporates robotics consumes energy and the trend today is to reduce consumed energy not only to lower the cost but also to be a more energy efficient entity. Energy models can be used to predict the energy consumed by robot(s) for optimising the input parameters which determine robot motion and task execution. This paper presents an energy model to predict the energy consumption of 2D-belt robots used for press line tending. Based on the components' specifications and the trajectory, an estimation of the energy consumption is computed. The capabilities of the proposed energy model to predict the energy consumption during the planning-phase (i.e. before installation), avoiding the need for physical experiments, are demonstrated. This includes predicting potential energy reductions achieved by reducing the weight of the gripper tools. Additionally, it is also shown how to investigate the energy saving achieved by using mechanical brakes when the robot is idle. This effectively illustrates the purpose and usefulness of the proposed energy model.
A current trend in production is to reduce energy consumption where possible not only to lower the cost but also to be a more energy efficient entity. This paper presents an energy model to estimate the electrical energy consumption of 2D-belt robots used for material handling in multi-stage sheet metal press lines. An estimation of the energy consumption is computed by the proposed energy model based on the robot components' specifications, the robot path and trajectory. The proposed model can predict the energy consumption offline by simulation, and thus, before installation, avoiding the need for physical experiments. It is demonstrated that it can be used for predicting potential energy reductions achieved by optimising the motion planning. Additionally, it is also shown how to investigate the energy saving achieved by using mechanical brakes when the robot is idle. This effectively illustrates the usefulness of the proposed energy model. © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Simulation-based optimisation often considers computationally expensive problems. Successfully optimising such large scale and complex problems within a practical time frame is a challenging task. Optimisation techniques to fulfil this need to be developed. A technique to address this involves decomposing the considered problem into smaller subproblems. These subproblems are then optimised separately. In this paper, an efficient algorithm for simulation-based optimisation is proposed. The proposed algorithm extends the cooperative coevolutionary algorithm, which optimises subproblems separately. To optimise the subproblems, the proposed algorithm enables using a deterministic algorithm, next to stochastic genetic algorithms, getting the flexibility of using either type. It also includes a constructive heuristic that creates good initial feasible solutions to reduce the number of fitness calculations. The extension enables solving complex, computationally expensive problems efficiently. The proposed algorithm has been applied on automated sheet metal press lines from the automotive industry. This is a highly complex optimisation problem due to its non-linearity and high dimensionality. The optimisation problem is to find control parameters that maximises the line's production rate. These control parameters determine velocities, time constants, and cam values for critical interactions between components. A simulation model is used for the fitness calculation during the optimisation. The results show that the proposed algorithm manages to solve the press line optimisation problem efficiently. This is a step forward in press line optimisation since this is to the authors' knowledge the first time a press line has been optimised efficiently in this way.
This paper presents the Constructive Cooperative Coevolutionary ( C3C3 ) algorithm, applied to continuous large-scale global optimisation problems. The novelty of C3C3 is that it utilises a multi-start architecture and incorporates the Cooperative Coevolutionary algorithm. The considered optimisation problem is decomposed into subproblems. An embedded optimisation algorithm optimises the subproblems separately while exchanging information to co-adapt the solutions for the subproblems. Further, C3C3 includes a novel constructive heuristic that generates different feasible solutions for the entire problem and thereby expedites the search. In this work, two different versions of C3C3 are evaluated on high-dimensional benchmark problems, including the CEC'2013 test suite for large-scale global optimisation. C3C3 is compared with several state-of-the-art algorithms, which shows that C3C3 is among the most competitive algorithms. C3C3 outperforms the other algorithms for most partially separable functions and overlapping functions. This shows that C3C3 is an effective algorithm for large-scale global optimisation. This paper demonstrates the enhanced performance by using constructive heuristics for generating initial feasible solutions for Cooperative Coevolutionary algorithms in a multi-start framework.
The Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm is widely used for real-world global optimisation problems in many different domains. To improve DE's performance on large-scale optimisation problems, it has been combined with the Cooperative Coevolution (CCDE) algorithm. CCDE adopts a divide-and-conquer strategy to optimise smaller subcomponents separately instead of tackling the large-scale problem at once. DE then evolves a separate subpopulation for each subcomponent but there is cooperation between the subpopulations to co-adapt the individuals of the subpopulations with each other. The Constructive Cooperative Coevolution (C3DE) algorithm, previously proposed by the authors, is an extended version of CCDE that has a better performance on large-scale problems, interestingly also on non-separable problems. This paper proposes a new version, called the Improved Constructive Cooperative Coevolutionary Differential Evolution (C3iDE), which removes several limitations with the previous version. A novel element of C3iDE is the advanced initialisation of the subpopulations. C3iDE initially optimises the subpopulations in a partially co-adaptive fashion. During the initial optimisation of a subpopulation, only a subset of the other subcomponents is considered for the co-adaptation. This subset increases stepwise until all subcomponents are considered. The experimental evaluation of C3iDE on 36 high-dimensional benchmark functions (up to 1000 dimensions) shows an improved solution quality on large-scale global optimisation problems compared to CCDE and DE. The greediness of the co-adaptation with C3iDE is also investigated in this paper.
This article investigates multi-objective optimization of the robot trajectories and position-based operation-coordination of complex multi-robot systems, such as press lines, to improve the production rate and obtaining smooth motions to avoid excessive wear of the robots' components. Different functions for handling the multiple objectives are evaluated on realworld press lines, including both scalarizing single-objective functions and Pareto-based multi-objective functions. Additionally, the Multi-Objective Constructive Cooperative Coevolutionary (moC3) algorithm is proposed, for Pareto-based optimization, which uses a novel constructive initialization of the subpopulations in a co-adaptive fashion. It was found that Paretobased optimization performs better than the scalarizing single-objective functions. Furthermore, moC3 gives substantially better results compared to manual online tuning, as currently used in the industry. Optimizing robot trajectories and operation-coordination of complex multi-robot systems using the proposed method with moC3 significantly improves productivity and reduces maintenance. This article hereby addresses the lack of systematic methods for effectively improving the productivity of press lines.
Determining the control parameters for sheet metal press lines is a large scale and complex optimisation problem. These control parameters determine velocities, time constants, and cam values of critical interactions between the equipment. The complexity of this problem is due to the nonlinearities and high dimensionality. Classical optimisation techniques often underperform in solving this kind of problems within a practical timeframe. Therefore, specialised techniques need to be developed for these problems. An existing approach is simulation-based optimisation, which is to use a simulation model to evaluate the trial solutions during the optimisation. In this paper, an efficient simulation-based optimisation algorithm for large scale and complex problems is proposed. The proposed algorithm extends the cooperative coevolutionary algorithm, which optimises subproblems separately. Hence, the optimisation problem must be decomposed into subproblems that can be evaluated separately. To optimise the subproblems, the proposed algorithm allows using embedded deterministic algorithms, next to stochastic genetic algorithms, getting the flexibility of using either type. It also includes a constructive heuristic that creates good initial feasible solutions to expedite the optimisation. The extension enables solving complex, computationally expensive problems efficiently. The proposed algorithm has been applied on an automated sheet metal press line from the automotive industry. The objective is to find control parameters that maximise the line's production rate. The results show that the proposed algorithm manages to find optimal control parameters efficiently within the practical timeframe. This is a step forward in press line optimisation since to the authors' knowledge this is the first time a press line has been optimised efficiently in this way.
Increased production rate and robot motion smoothness in a sheet metal press line are essential. Smooth robot motions avoid unplanned production interruptions and excessive wear of the robots. Reaching high production rate and smooth motions requires tuning of the tending press robot control to minimise the cycle time and jerk. Doing this for a press line with multiple robots is a complex large-scale problem. To model such problems for the optimisation process, computer simulations become almost essential. This work presents simulation-based optimisation of the time and jerk of robotic press tending operations and investigates the importance of including the robot motion's smoothness. An optimiser works in concert with a simulation model of a sheet metal press line and its parametrised control system. The effect of including jerk minimisation in the objective function is tested on a real-world problem concerning a sheetmetal press line. The results illustrate the importance of including jerk-minimisation as an objective in the optimisation.Furthermore, the performance of this approach is compared with manual tuning by experienced operators. The results show that the proposed simulation-based optimisation approach outperforms manual tuning.
Today most industries aim at reducing energy consumption to become sustainable and environment-friendly. The automotive industry, with mass production and large volumes, is one such example. With many robots working round the clock, there is great potential to save energy. In this climate there is a need for robot simulation models that can be used for motion and task execution optimisation and which are aimed lowering energy consumption. This paper presents an energy consumption model for 2D-belt robots for press line tending in the automotive sector. The energy model is generic for 2D-belt robots and is entirely based on component specifications (e.g., dimensions, masses, inertia). An implementation and validation against a real 2D-belt tending robot used in the automotive industry is performed and presented. The purpose and usefulness of the energy model is also demonstrated by two application cases; the investigation of potential energy reductions achieved by reducing the weight of gripper tools, and by using mechanical brakes when the robot is idle.
Computer Aided Process Planning has received more attention recently due to considerable progress in the aspects of both technology and theory. Beside the traditional trends and efforts to integrate the product design and process planning activities usually referred to as concurrent engineering, virtual manufacturing tools have opened new horizons to this domain. This paper describes how to combine an existing modular fixture design with process planning and simulation tools. The proposed concurrent architecture consists of a functional model and an operational workflow for the design of modular fixtures within the process-planning phase. Two different paradigms, the Variant and the Generative, are discussed in relation to the proposed architecture. Fixtures for Body in White lines are a crucial design problem in the automotive industry. Therefore, the proposed architecture has been tested and investigated in such an environment.
Geometrical collision detection is a time and resource consuming simulation task. In order to decrease time and resources, a general method applicable for 2D motions has been developed. The method is useful in simulation cases where 3D CAD data is part of an iterative method, e.g. optimization. The method is based on a transformation of a general 3D problem to a 2D problem, eliminating the need of 3D CAD models. Press Line simulations during the last decade have been accepted as a quality improvement method. Today simulations of automated press lines are done for internal collision checks in dies and external collision checks against dies and material handling equipment. If these collisions are not detected in simulations, they result in delays, in introduction of a new product in the line, so called line tryout or later when the line is ramped up to decide rate. The results of these collisions are used for pre-die design, design of grippers, maintenance and production planning. In this paper a new method, based on 2D simplifications, is developed and tested successfully in a virtual model of a press line at Volvo Car Manufacturing. Die Uppers 2 917 708 triangles and Die Lowers 602 686 triangles where reduced to 58 and 90 points. The result of the method shows substantial reduction of geometry data and considerable improvement in collision detection evaluation time over general 3D algorithms in the tested case.
Geometrical collision detection is a time and resource consuming simulation task. In order to decrease time and resources, a general method has been developed. The method is useful in simulation cases where 3D CAD data is part of an iterative method, e.g. optimization. The method is based on a transformation of a general 3D problem to a 2D problem, eliminating the need of 3D CAD models. Press Line simulations during the last decade have been accepted as a quality improvement method. Today simulations of automated press lines are done for internal collision checks in dies and external collision checks against dies and material handling equipment. If these collisions are not detected in simulations, they result in delays, in introduction of a new product in the line, so called line tryout or later on when the line is ramped up to decided rate. The results of these collisions are used for pre-die design, design of grippers, maintenance and production planning. In this paper a new method, based on 2D simplifications, is developed and tested successfully in a virtual model of a press line at Volvo Car Manufacturing. Die Uppers 2 917 708 triangles and Die Lowers 602 686 triangles where reduced to 58 and 90 points. The result of the method shows substantial reduction of geometry data and a considerable improvement in collision detection evaluation time over general 3D algorithms in the tested case.
In order to perform efficient geometrical simulation and virtual commissioning in stamping, three fields are investigated namely: simulation building time, collision detection time and optimization time. Hence, reducing time is the main theme of this paper. To reduce simulation building time and optimization time, an efficient stamping simulation model is built and tested. Collision detection time is examined by a relative motion method based on 3D to 2D geometrical collision detection. The presented results mean that simulation and virtual commissioning can be performed at least ten times faster compared to standard approaches.
In this paper, a path planning algorithm is designed and tested with a real robot for a Plug & Produce demonstrator. The demonstrator is divided into modules that can be connected and removed. Modules are used for various processes like tool change and storage. This paper focuses on the process of cutting-tool change for the production industry. The Plug & Produce demonstrator uses a multi-agent system where parts and resources are agents. A part agent, e.g., a cutting-tool, can request a robot to perform skills like transportation. This requires the robot to be autonomous. The aim of this paper is to automate the path planning for industrial robotics in a Plug & Produce system. This is done by implementing a sampling based RRT algorithm combined with a collision detection function in RobotStudio. With various real time scenarios, the path planning execution time is observed and presented in the paper.
This paper shows how a new combined optimisation algorithm can improve the efficiency in simulation-based parameter tuning of sheet-metal press lines. In automotive tandem sheet-metal press lines there are a number of critical interactions between moving parts to consider during the loading and unloading motions. All these interactions, both within each station and between the stations, are time-critical and must be synchronised to reach high production rates and avoid collisions. This cause conditions such as a highly non-linear objective functions with multiple local optima, considerable number of parameters, and long evaluation times. It is a great challenge to obtain an efficient direct search algorithm for global multi-criteria optimisation fulfilling all these conditions.
The new combined algorithm starts with the Lipschitzian algorithm DIRECT as global search and then switches over to the Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm for local convergence. Furthermore, during the switch over, the algorithm determines all local candidates of the set of points evaluated by DIRECT, and starts multiple Nelder-Mead local searches in each of these.
This paper present a Part oriented Sequence of Operation (P-SOP) approach that address flexibility, robustness and deployment in manufacturing cells up to plant level. A P-SOP description language has been formulated where the control strategy based on actual circumstances easily can be defined. Furthermore, a P-SOP multi-agent generator has been created that compiles the strategy description to multi-agents that control the manufacturing. Deadlock free IEC 61131-3 PLC code are directly generated from the description language. The code is not optimised for a specific scenario since the general description contains all possible routing paths and all resources available.
Anautomotive sheet-metal press line is an excellent example of an automatedmanufacturing system with time dependent complex control functions. The PLCcontrol functions include not only discrete events and supervisory control, butalso analogue feedback and motion control. Furthermore, most press line tuningmethods today are on-line and highly empirical, depending on individualoperators. Thus, there is a need of an objective off-line parameter tuningmethod. This paper presents an off-line parameter tuning of an automotivesheet-metal press line. Improved production performances have been reached,both in terms of increased production rate and smoother robot motions, comparedto today's industrial on-line method. Two suitable optimisation algorithms havebeen implemented and evaluated. The challenge is to handle highly non-linearfunctions, considerable number of parameters, and long evaluation times in thesimulation. The utilised off-line method is a combination of simulation basedoptimisation and time synchronised hardware-in-the-loop simulation, i.e. avirtual manufacturing system including real PLCs. This method provides adistinct advantage, since it describes all complex control functions byexecuting the same PLC control code used in the manufacturing plant. A furtherbenefit is that all tuned process parameters can be directly transferred to themanufacturing plant.
In a truly flexible manufacturing system the description of the control strategy must be updated every day. Hence, a new way to handle changes in the environment down to control system deployment and production is required. This paper presents a novel approach, based on P-SOP, to handle multi-agent based control and verification. The P-SOP approach addresses flexibility, robustness and deployment in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort. P-SOP includes a description language where the control strategy based on actual circumstances easily can be defined. Based on the description multi-agents, to control the manufacturing, are automatically generated. An industrial advantage is that the multi-agent generator creates IEC 61131-3 PLC code that can be executed on standard PLC's. This feature eliminates the need for experts in PLC programming and reduce deployment time to become more efficient. Hence, this flexibility enables small series down to one off production in a competitive way. With multi-agent control it is also possible to handle rebalancing due to market changes, scheduling of available humans, introduction of new part types, and rerouting due to a machine break down or planned service. The generated agents are not optimised for a final solution with specific timings. All decisions are made on-line and the generated solution adapts to the circumstances that arise. With the P-SOP multi-agents it is easy to manually remove or introduce parts to the manufacturing cell without disturbing the system, e.g. for manually random inspections, removal of parts due to restart. The formulated description language and the multi-agent generator has been successfully tested and evaluated in an industrial environment.
Automated manufacturing processes such as automotive tandem press lines include time dependent complex control functions. All motions and critical interactions between moving parts must be synchronised to avoid collisions and reach high production rate. It is even for a skilled operator hard to optimise these processes on-line. Therefore, a hardware-in-the-loop simulation including real industrial control systems and its control code establish an essential tool for optimisation. Additionally, an efficient optimisation algorithm is required to reach a useful simulation-based optimisation method. This paper proposes a new optimisation algorithm starting with the Lipschitzian algorithm DIRECT as global search and then switches over to the Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm for local convergence. During the switch over, the new algorithm determines all local candidates of the set of points evaluated by DIRECT and starts multiple Nelder-Mead local searches in each of these. An optimisation study for an automotive press line shows that the proposed algorithm combines the benefits of the Lipschitzian and the simplex algorithms in an efficient way. The importance of multiple local searches from all local candidates found is also shown in the study. Based on the same number of function evaluations, it is also shown that this algorithm reaches improved press line performances compared to the stochastic differential evolution algorithm.
This paper presents a successful off-line
optimisation case study of a sheet-metal press line for the
automotive industry. The proposed off-line optimisation
method results not only in increased production rate but also in
obtaining smoother material handling motions. The off-line
optimisation method contains two parts. The first part is a
parameter study, combining factorial design with production
line simulation including emulated control systems and
resulting in a simplified performance model based on multiple
linear regression. The second part is an optimisation on the
simplified performance model using the Nelder Mead simplex
method aiming at production optimisation. Due to the
complexity in a modern production line, it is not possible to
create a useful model representation of the entire control
system code/function. Therefore, the proposed optimisation
method is based on using production line simulation including
emulated control systems with the real IEC 61131-3 control
code. Our approach in this work is a parameter variation
strategy for optimisation, i.e. adjusting the control system
parameters in the same way as the line operators do, and not
changing any control strategy.
An off-line optimization of a sheet-metal press line is performed with improved production performances, both in terms of increased production rate and smoother robot motions. Smooth motions prevent the sheet-metal to slide out of position or even fall out, thereby causing lengthy down times. The simulation based method use a process optimizer connected to a time synchronized virtual manufacturing model including real industrial control systems, e.g. PLC. The key benefit herein is that all tuned control system parameters can be directly downloaded to the real press line without any post-processing or transformations. The challenge to find suitable optimization algorithms for a press line that handle highly nonlinear, discontinuous functions; considerable number of parameters; and long evaluation times is reached.
This paper presents an off-line process parameter tuning method, focussing on complex control functions for automated manufacturing systems. The proposed method is based on a combination of simulation-based optimisation and time-synchronised hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Real indus- trial control systems, e.g., PLCs, are included in the simulation, executing the unchanged control code from the manufacturing plant. This approach allows all plant control functions to be included, even time-critical feedback loops and vendor secret blocks such as motion control. Consequently, the method suggested manages the problems identified in previously presented simulation-based approaches. Furthermore, a case study of an automotive sheet-metal press line has been performed to verify the proposed method, with successful results.
Increasing the total number of produced components in a pre-existing production line, which is a large-scale mechatronic system, is a continuous and never-ending story in industry. There is a need for tools and methods to develop the control software off-line, i.e. to manage programming, verification, validation, optimisation, training new operators, etc. without using the real production line. Therefore a general Virtual Real-Time Model, VRTM, for simulating industrial production lines is proposed. The VRTM is intended to be used for off-line control software development and is aimed at increase the throughput in highly automated production lines. The main features of the VRTM are that the same control software is used as in the real production line and that virtual real-time is used, implying that everything is time-synchronised and works in the same way as in the real production line (including security functions). An applied VRTM simulating a sheet-metal press line is implemented and validated. A comparison test with the press line at Volvo Car Manufacturing in Göteborg is performed with a satisfactory agreement. This shows that the VRTM can be used for off-line control software development.
It is a great challenge to obtain an efficient algorithm for global optimisation of nonlinear, nonconvex and high dimensional objective functions. This paper shows how the combination of DIRECT and Nelder-Mead algorithms can improve the efficiency in the parameter tuning of a sheet-metal press line. A combined optimisation algorithm is proposed that determines and utilises all local optimal points from DIRECT algorithm as Nelder-Mead starting points. To reduce the total optimisation time, all Nelder-Mead optimisations can be executed in parallel. Additionally, a Collision Inspection Method is implemented in the simulation model to reduce the evaluation time. Altogether, this results in an industrially useful parameter tuning method. Improvements of an increased production rate of 7% and 40% smoother robot motions have been achieved.
In a flexible manufacturing industry the production planner may need to make an updated description of the control strategy every day. The description contains all possible routing paths and is based on actual circumstances. It varies depending on, e.g., rebalancing due to market changes, scheduling of available operators, introduction of new parts, and rerouting due to a machine break down or planned service. A Part oriented Sequence of Operation (P-SOP) description language has been formulated to assist the production planner to be able to handle these flexible manufacturing scenarios. Multi-agents to control the manufacturing are automatically generated from the P-SOP description language. The P-SOP agent generator creates IEC 61131-3 PLC code that can be executed on standard PLC's. An agent consists of a head, a communicator and a body. The head and the communicator are the automatically generated part with a predefined interface against the physical body, e.g., the mechanical/electrical structure of a robot. This feature eliminates the need for an external expert in PLC programming. The head contains many small sub-sequences for all operations that are defined for the specific body. The purpose of the communicator is to communicate with surrounding neighbour agents to form a multi-agent system. The formulated language and the P-SOP agent generator has been successfully tested and evaluated in an industrial environment.


text:
Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)
(written from a Production point of view)
Wanda Roth is an actress who appeared as the female Monean in the Star Trek: Voyager fifth season episode "Thirty Days".
Her costume from this episode was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1] Roth filmed her scenes on Friday, 21 August 1998 on Paramount Stage 8 and 9.
Another costume worn by Roth, a Starfleet dress uniform, was also sold off and was worn by her in either Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek Nemesis or the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges". [2]
Community content is available under CC-BY-NC unless otherwise noted.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The upscale Munich Marriott Hotel evokes European charm and welcomes you with contemporary chic in a convenient location, in close proximity to the Munich city center, the Allianz Arena and the English Garden.
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Deluxe Rooms / Executive rooms
Each guest room features sleek yet comforting decor and amenities, including:
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text:
Check out my new vlog 🙂
Easter vlog #18
The vlog is back! 🙂
Check out my new video about the Easter weekend we spent in a super cosy cabin at the north coast of Denmark.
My natural prozac
I can't tell you how happy I am to live so close to the forest. The forest is my happy-pill. My therapist. My natural prozac.
When feeling grumpy, negative, depressed, sad or just plain old bored: if I'm smart I will make myself go for a walk in the forest. Honestly, it helps every time.
Not that I return hopping, skipping and full of happiness and joy every time, but at least feeling a lot better than when I started. It helps to get some fresh air, to clear the head, let the thoughts flow, and for me at least: to admire the beauty of nature.
My favorite time to go walking in the woods is just before the sun sets. I sometimes walk in awe of how beautiful everything is. Obviously not possible to catch all of this in photos, but still I try to capture some of it.
Here are some pictures from my last walk. Hope you like them! ❤
A weekend in Budapest
Budapest was the destination for the trip I got for Christmas from Chris. A country and city neither of us had visited before.
Perfectly timed, our trip started on the 3rd of March on Chris's birthday! Earlybirds as we are (ehh…. maybe not so much me), we had the alarm set for 5:30 am, just enough time to brush our teeth, close the suitcase and make our way to the train station. Our way to the airport is fairly easy, but does take about 1h 15min. One good thing about Denmark is that public transport is cheap! We only pay around 50 DKK for the whole journey.
We had a quick breakfast from Joe & The Juice (looove the Tunacado!) at the airport, before our flight to Budapest. The flight was only 1:50, so it went quick! And the good thing about getting the early flight is that you arrive in daylight, and you have the whole day ahead to explore a new place.
Unlike me, Chris likes to plan things for a trip. Something that does come in handy at times. For example we didn't have to pay a fortune for a taxi to get us into town, or to cue up at the ticket office. Thanks to Chris's research, we just bought two bus tickets at the little kiosk, and had a very simple and cheap journey into Budapest city center. A bus straight outside the airport took us half the way, then changed to a metro that took us right to town. Easy as!
It was a lovely surprise to find Budapest bathing in sunshine when we arrived, and it was actually to warm to wear our coats! What a treat! And a thankful escape from scandinavian winter.
Our hotel was located on the east side of the river Donau, and on the side called Pest.It was very central, and only a street away from the square outside St. Stephen's Basilica. We stayed at Hotel SasOne. The entrance to the hotel is actually in a residential building, and the reception isn't much to brag about. But the hotel has great location, lovely big rooms and nice breakfast. For the price we paid, it was perfect.
Since it was Chris's birthday, I had contacted the hotel in advance to ask for a surprise bottle of champagne to be in our room when we arrived! I had also brought presents, balloons etc to make it festive! But, my disappointment was rather big when I discovered only a warm bottle of white wine sitting at the desk, and nothing more. Not even a happy birthday from the receptionist. Oh well, the thought was good…
We spent the Friday wandering around, and admiring all the old beautiful buildings that are everywhere in Budapest. We stumbled across a small street food market outside and decided to have some local bulgarian food for lunch. We tried the famous Lángos, which is fried dough with toppings. Like a type of pizza. A plate-sized sheet of fried dough that is usually smothered with sour cream and cheese. We had one with sour cream, grilled paprika and roccet. I thought is was delicious!
Friday night was the big birthday night, and we got dressed up and ready for the town! Chris had found us a great restaurant using Tripadvisor, and booked us a table. Before dinner we wanted a quick drink, and randomly found a wonderful winebar serving hundreds of kinds of hungarian wine. They even had a two-man jazz band playing, and the atmosphere was really great. We would have stayed a lot longer, if it wasn't for our table reservation. The place was called ETAP deli & night.
(We did try to go back to this place on sunday, but unfortunately it was closed! 😦 )
We had dinner at Konvy Bar & Restaurant. A small and cosy placed looking more like library than a restaurant. Great atmosphere, great service and lots of nice food on the menu. Unfortunately I managed to chose the wrong dish, and ended up with a meal completely over salted – what a disappointment! Chris's duck was amazing, and so was our Creme brulee for dessert. Too bad the waiter did not give us any discount on the bill after our complaint, and sort of ruined our experience. Shame on you!
We had an early start on Saturday, so no time for a lie in. Bud we managed to stuff our faces pretty well with the hotel breakfast. You know, when it's free….
And then we were off for the Spa!! You know, Budapest is known for all of its baths and spas. It was horribly difficult to chose one actually. We ended up going to Gellért Thermal Baths. One of the biggest and oldest in town.
We took the tram just accross to the other side of the Donau, and there it was. Connected to Gellért Hotel. The buildings are huge and old and beautiful. After reading a lot of reviews about this place, some of them said that the staff was unfriendly and unhelpful, and that the baths were smelly and dirty. Luckily we found that none of this is true! The staff was very friendly and helpful actually, and it smelled like any bath I been to. We had booked our entrance tickets as well as a massage in advance. We used this site: http://gellertspa.com/
The bath is quite big, so you actually get a map when you go in. As it was a lovely sunny day, we started off with a splash in the outside pool! They have two pools outside, but only the smaller one was open. But it was really nice with 36 degrees in the water, and with the sun on our face it was really enjoyable.
After this it was time for our treatment, 50 minutes of the Royal Thermal Massage. Two nice ladies treated us, and it was great. Mine was a little bit disappointing, since I was expecting a proper rub, but it was more relaxing really. Chris was very happy with his. But for the prices it is all worth it.
We then set out to explore the rest of the thermal baths. It was one big swimming pool in the middle, and here you have to wear a swimming cap to go in. We weren't here to do laps, so we didn't bother with this. On each side of the pool you find the thermal pools. There are two on each side, as well as saunas, steam rooms and small cold plunge pools. The rooms are beautiful in art nouveau style, and it's a very relaxed atmosphere.
My favourite bit, besides from the outdoor pool, was to have a quick dip in the cold plunge pool, before going into the hot thermal pools. What a refreshing feeling! The coldest one was just 10 degrees!
We finished the spa-experience off by a cold beer outside on the sun deck. Two thumbs up for Gellért Thermal Baths! 🙂
All the bathing made us hungry – and the next plan was to find the best pizza in Budapest!
Its no secret I am a big fan of pizza. But I am also quite fuzzy, and I like it the italian style with a proper crispy crust. Chris had found a place on TripAdvisor, and it is actually number 4 out of 2457 restaurants in Budapest. (But as we all know, Tripadvisor can be pretty deceiving, so never trust it completely!) Local Korner was our destination, and it is located in a…what can I say.. different part of town, compared to what we've seen so far. The area was a little dodgy, and I wouldn't want to walk these streets on my own in the dark… BUT! It was day time, the sun was shining, and our bellies were hungry! We found the place eventually, and it is actually nothing more than a tiny take away place not looking anything special. But, as soon as we walked in the doors we could tell we were in good hands. The two guys working there were super friendly, and the place had a cool atmosphere. It only had one small table, but thats all we needed! 🙂 Let me just say that it was one of the best pizza's I've had, along with a really yummy cherry beer, it was a great lunch! We even got to taste a local hungarian brandy of some sort..haha.
Would defo reccomend the Local Korner!:)
After a long day of exploring, we needed a few hours rest in our hotel room, and it was hard to get back out! We ended up just going to a close by italian place for some pasta, not worth saying anything else about. An early night it was, and some well needed hours of sleep so we could get the most out of our last day in Budapest.
Not so lucky with the weather this day, with grey clouds and a bit of rain we headed for the shopping streets! Quite successful for the both of us. They have all the normal high street shops, as well as some of the more expensive fashion boutiques. But luckily I also found some new shops I've never seen before, with a bit more different clothes.
We were determined to try out some more hungarian food before we left, so Goulash was our goal for lunch today. Yet again Chris had found the most popular local cafe to have goulash, and we found our way there. Surprisingly it was actually a small queue outside! Definitely a popular spot! A tiny two story place called Drum Cafe. Famous for their simple hungarian food.
We only waited about 5 minutes before we were seated at a tiny table in the corner. The place was packed to the rim with tables and guest. Not the place to go if you want to have a personal conversation 🙂 But, the food was cheap and tasty, and so was their cherry beer on draft. Goulash soup for me, and regular beef goulash with rice for Chris. Both very happy!
The rest of the day we spent looking around the other side of Donau. The Buda side. We saw the Buda Castle, and just wandered the streets. This part of Budapest is quite different from the Pest side. ALOT less people, and not as much life. Lots of hills and great views over Pest.
For our last dinner we meant to go back to the fantastic winebar we stumbled upon on friday, but as mentioned it was closed. That meant we had to find a place on the wim, and from saturday night's experience we were a bit sceptical. But, we were in luck! On our way we had walked past a restaurant that looked very busy and cosy, so we went in there. They managed to squeeze us in on a table in the window, but it was perfect for us. A bit out of the way, but still nice. Két Szerecsen was the name of the place, and it was the best food of the weekend. Chris had another duck, while I had beef cheeks! It was just delicious! Good service, good food and good wine. We really enjoyed it.
Since it was our last night, we treated ourselves to a drink at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on our way home. Very fancy hotel! And a nice ending to our evening.
Monday our flight was early, so only had time for breakfast and to get ourselves to the airport. Budapest has quite a nice airport by the way. A few shops and lots of restaurants.
I am glad we had almost 3 full days to spend in Budapest. It is quite a big city, and there is lots to do and see here. We could easily have spent another few days to really get to know the city and to see some more of the sights. I am very pleasantly surprised about the city. It is very beautifull, has lots to offer, friendly people and loads and loads of cool places to eat and drink. Would definitely come back here one day, to try some more of the spas, eat more hungarian food and explore more of the city.
Thanks Budapest! ❤
Monday got me like…
Why are Mondays so horrible?? No matter how happy I am on a sunday night, pleased about a nice weekend, and forcing my brain to think: I-will-jump-out-of-bed-when-my-alarm-rings-and-be-so-freakin-happy, Mondays are still just CRAPPY.
It is SO hard to get out of bed on Mondays. And the day is just extra long, extra boring, and extra crap so to speak.
Actually there might be some scientific reasons for this..hmm…
They say our minds are slaves to our body clocks. So if you like me, like to "catch up" on sleep on weekends – you just confuse your body clock and mess you up! The extra sleep you get on weekends makes you more tired at the start of the week, because it can throw your body clock off, and this makes it even harder to get up on a Monday.
(Will this news make me give up on my lie in's in the weekend? Heeell no! )
Scientists have found that when you ask people to record their emotions at regular intervals, it turns out that Mondays are no more stressful or depressing than Tuesdays or Wednesdays. But switching from 'happy-go-lucky'-Sunday to 'work-day'-Monday is apparently a larger emotional shift, and will therefore feel a lot worse than for example from a monday to a tuesday. Fridays come out as "the best day" because we are anticipating the weekend, but other than that – all workdays are actually equally terrible..haha.
For most people, including myself, an average weekend might include more eating and drinking than normal. Which leads to feeling guilty and bad about yourself. Which again leads you to consider starting a diet or something like that. While that is a positive change, it isn't fun to actually do, and it comes from a place of feeling bad about yourself and your health, which contributes to that blah Monday feeling.
I also read somewhere that Mondays are the most common day for people to suffer heart attacks and strokes!! And also they say that your blood pressure is higher on Mondays, as is your chance of getting sick in general.
No wonder we hate mondays!!
According to a huge american Gallup poll, 70 percent of people hate or, don't like their job. This contributes to what psychiatrists and career coaches call the "Monday Blues." Feelings of depression and anxiety can start on Sunday night, leading to an unproductive Monday. I for one recognise that feeling.
But for me – I actually quite like my job, but I dislike working in general..haha. If I could retire today, I probably would! I am and will always be – pretty darn lazy! So if I could have 7 Sundays in a row every week, I wouldn't mind it!
Super Successful Saturday
So, it's one of those days where my own tips to a happy life goes down the drain. Positive thinking can go to hell.
I've had a boring and shitty day, and I'm not afraid to say it. It's my Saturday and I'll cry if I want to!
It started after 12 hours of solid sleep (which is what happens when I don't have an alarm clock on), and I woke up stressed about how far the day had already gone without me.
Determined to do something with this day, I skipped my normal breakfast and coffee in bed (how stupid was I), jumped out of bed and into some clothes. Even put some makeup on, as a first this week! But no matter how quick I was, I still ended up having to ride my bike like a madman to catch the train. Almost had a heart attack!
For the first time since coming to Denmark, I took the train south, heading for the wonderful (?) town of Næstved. In Næstved they actually have a shopping mall! So I thought it was worth a visit, and worth the effort of getting out of bed this Saturday.
Would I come to regret this decision? Perhaps…
I managed to get off at the wrong train station. So that was funny! I then had to take a bus to get to the mall. Another half hour wasted… and guess what, shopping malls close at 4 on a Saturday in Denmark! Arriving at the mall, it was ok. Ok size, ok shops. Wandering around, looking here and there, and I didn't buy a thing. After an hour or so I sort of had enough. Checked the trains home.. only one every hour.. hmmm… should I just leave now? Or, should I take the next train and spend an hour in Bilka (which is a HUGE grocery store with everything from tv's to clothes to fresh food)? Bilka it is then!
But first, let's have a Starbuck coffee while I'm here! Awesome I thought… except it took about 20 minutes to get my coffee, so when I finished drinking it, and started looking in Bilka I suddenly found out I only had 10 minutes before I had to walk to the train! What?! Oh jesus…. now what… should I just go home without any groceries, or spend another hour ++ in here??!
So I ended up staying even longer, just because I tempted myself with sushi for dinner. Which they normally have at these humongous Bilka shops.
Mark the word 'normally'… today they were sold out!
How nice! That made my mood so much better I can assure you. So, I walked around grumpy grumps for an hour, bought only a hairbrush and a Camembert cheese (sounds like a great dinner?!), and then walked to the train in fog and rain.
Got to the right train station, and of course, the train was delayed…… ahhh… could this saturday be any better?
So, now I am finally home. It is 7pm, and I have completely wasted this day. Determined now to drink a bottle of wine, and have a full camembert for dinner.
Happy Saturday everyone!
7 ways to a happier and healthier life
How I can give advice on a happy life, who is such a negative and miserable person, you ask? Well, I have done my fair share of research about the subject, and I am pretty confident that these things can make your life a little better (or at least not worse!). These are the things that I am working on to try and have the best life I can right now.
It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do something! Did you know that sitting still is worse than smoking? As for myself, I work from home and if I am not aware, I can sit still for most of the day without moving at all. This does not make me feel good, and if I have a day like that I feel rotten inside. But, it is easy to avoid! Take a walk, do some Yoga, or just some stretching, go for a run, or go to the gym. I have never in my whole life regretted a workout, and I don't think I have ever been in a bad mood after an exercise. For real!! Give it a try, and see how it makes you feel. For me exercise is natural antidepressants.
Good sleep is essential to feeling good, at least in my book. A bad nights sleep can ruin my day. And a few nights in a row – even worse. For the most part of my adult life I have had some issues with sleeping. I take forever to fall asleep. I can be dread tired all day long, and as soon as its bed time I am wide awake! As soon as I turn the lights off, my brain switches on full speed. Extremely annoying, and really hard to turn around. Believe me I have tried!! But, there are a lot of advice out there on how to switch off your brain for bedtime, and how to sleep better. I recommend a google search, and try out what works for you.
As for me I have found a temporary solution that actually works for the time being (hurray!). I found it in the book 'The power of now' by Eckhart Tolle. Recommended!
Logging off
This is something I need to get better at myself. I spend way too much time in front of a screen, either being my computer, Ipad or phone. I stare at the screen for about 8 hours everyday for work, and then I spend a lot of my spare time doing the same. Like writing this blog, reading other blogs, watching tv-series, or just scrolling through social media. I am used to constant stimulation from electric devices, and as soon as I have 5 seconds to spare, I grab my phone to "check if something's happened". I try to force myself off this habit, and I have for example deleted the Facebook app from my phone. Instead of spending time on the internet, I think it's good to log off and do other stuff. Like just listening to some music while reading, drawing or writing (with an actual pen on an actual piece of paper!). Colouring books for adults is a great way to log off and take a timeout. Or go for a walk. Call a friend. Maybe some meditation? I'm not very experienced on this, but sometimes I test some guided meditation sessions that I find with my good friend Google. This one I tried the other day, and it made me feel pretty good. Why don't you give it a go: 10 Minutes To Positive Thinking: Guided Meditation
As an introvert, talking is not my strong suite. I like listening more than talking, and I can find it hard to communicate in words. That's why I like to write instead, and always used to write long letters and emails to friends/boyfriends/family if there was something I needed to say. But… I do like to have conversations about deeper things, although it happens rarely. To talk about the universe, the meaning of life, love, feelings, the world, religion or what not, is something that I enjoy. But only if I feel safe and confident, and with the right person in the right setting. But, I want to try to do it more often, and become more comfortable with it. Its great to open your mind as you think, talk and discuss. I think it can give you great pleasure at a deeper level.
Beeing social
Puuuh… this is also a hard one for me at times. I am very happy in my own company, and would much rather be on my own that with people I don't know very well. You can read more about my social awkwardness in my earlier blogpost here. But, it's no secret that near relations does a lot for one's happiness. This I realise. And there is no better thing than to enjoy time in company of good friends or family with good food and wine. That is definitely one of my favorite things to do.
Hugs and kisses
Research actually shows that hugging is extremely effective at healing sickness, disease, loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress. How wonderful is that! Me for one loves hugs and cuddles. One of my favorite thing is to go to bed snuggling up to my boyfriend, and waking up in the same way. I have recently read that hugs are a lot like meditation and laughter. They all help us to be present in the moment, to get you out of circular thinking patterns and connect with your heart and your feelings.
Positive thinking
This might sound as a bit of a cliche, but I can only speak for myself, and this has helped me alot. I'm naturally quite a negative person, and it is so easy for me to go on a downward spiral of negative thoughts. To dig myself a big hole, crawl into it and bade in my own misery. But to identify your negative thoughts is the first step towards letting it go, so that is step one. I try to be a lot more aware of my own thoughts, and if I find myself being negative I try to turn it around, or think about something else. To be grateful is also a good help to overcome negative thoughts. Every night I try to think about what I am grateful for from that day, and what I have to look forward to the next day. Or, if nothing else works; Fake it 'til you make it!
Vlog #17: Up Bergens highest mountain!
Better late, than never..
Here is my video from when me and Chris hiked to the top of Ulriken (the highest mountain in Bergen, Norway) in October 🙂
Its not the highest mountain in the world, but it is 643 m!
The sun was shining, and we had a fab day.
The year of 2016 (part II)
In July me and Chris travelled to the UK for a big family get together. We stayed a few days in the amazing countryside where we camped and enjoyed some great times with the Risbeys!
We also spent time with my family. Later in the month we went to the Norwegian mountains, and spend a weekend in a cabin to celebrate my mums 60th birthday. It was just amazing with perfect weather, happy family members and good food and wine!
In August we had pretty good weather, and continued to enjoy our new local area. Took the train to Køge, went to the beach. Had lots of BBQ's on our patio. Went for runs and walks in the forrest. Drank wine and enjoyed the sun as much as we could.
Finally it was time for a proper holiday! Chris and me were invited to Spain with Pia, to stay in her mums house in Villajoyosa. I longed for this holiday with all my heart and body, and it turned out to be the perfect trip.
We lived right on the beach, and the town was so charming and nice. The weather was great, and we couldn't have asked for anything better. We even rented a car so we could go down south to visit Chris's dad! Nice food, lots of beer & wine, long days on the beach, nights with chatting and Yatzi 🙂
After our holiday I went back to Norway for some time back at the office, and to catch up with family and friends.
It was also the month of my 32nd birthday! Chris had planned a whole weekend for me. We had a night in Copenhagen, and a night in a cosy cottage on the coast. I am one lucky girl!
This month we finally made it to Bergen to visit my good friend Hege and her lovely family. We had such a great weekend! Me and Chris hiked to the top of Bergens biggest mountain; Ulriken. We all had a day in Bergen walking around, played with the kids, had a great BBQ in the garden, enjoyed some home cooked dinners and drank some wine! I hope we can go back again very soon.
October also gave us a great cabin trip to the mountains. We were invited with my brother and his girlfriend to go to Rauland for a weekend. Its quite a long drive up there, and the roads are extremely winding. Driving up in the dark is not to recommend – especially not for an amateur driver like my self!
But, getting up there it was worth it. A cosy fireplace, red wine, good food and board games. And on saturday we had a great hike. I really really like walking in the mountains. It has become one of my favourite things to do.
Also celebrated my oldest nephews 18th birthday in October, with a great day out in Oslo. Isn't it weird how everyone grows up, but you stay exactly the same young age???? 🙂
November got kicked off properly with the annual Christmas-party with work! If it is one thing that is great about working at Lillelam, it is that we have the best "julebord" ever (as we call it in Norway). They have each year since I started been truly been amazing.
This year our super-team of amazing girls came to Copenhagen! We enjoyed some proper amazing food experiences, shopping, drinks, a guided tour around Louisiana. (If you ever come to CPH I can really recommend a trip to Louisiana – Museum of modern art. It is a 30 min train ride away, and is such a wonderful place with an incredible location. So even if you are not an artsy-fartsy person, it is still worth a visit. Including their awesome giftshop! 🙂 )
The highlight of the two-day session was definitely our dinner at Clou. Clou is a gourmet Michelin star restaurant in the centre of Copenhagen. I must admit I am not the biggest fan of gourmet food….I think most things are gross and weird..haha. But, the whole experience of that dinner was just… incredible! Even if I didn't like all of the food 🙂 But our 7 course meal (which turned out to be more like 12) including wine was fantastic. Just fan-freakin-tastic.
PS: I also have to mention that me and my colleage Janicke got our selves a proper laugh when we managed to experience a "real" Thai massage in something that couldn't have been anything else than a brothel!!
In the end of November we were in for another treat! Our friends Anette & Henrik came over from Oslo, and joined us in Copenhagen for a weekend! We rented a cool apartment on AirBnb, and had a great time together. We did ALOT of waking around, had quite a few drinks, ate some nice food (including finding the BEST pizza in Copenhagen! I kid you not!) and even went to Tivoli in the dark and freezing cold! We wormed up on some gløgg and Irish coffee, so it was worth it 🙂
One of the nicest months of the year – counting down till Christmas! I spent most of this in Norway, and one of the highlights except for Christmas, was the Christmas party with the best girls in the world – The Fetsund girls!
Thats the girls I have grown up with, and even though we dont see each other very often, we try to get together all of us at least once a year. Everyone wasn't able to join, but the ones that did had a great time that night. Love you girls! ❤
Then of course there was lots of Christmas shopping, baking, and other preparations. And then there was Xmas! We spent a lovely Christmas Eve at my brothers house with all the family. It was great! Then there were lots of other family dinners and social get togethers, as well as a lot of lounging around in my new PJ's eating Xmas cookies and watching movies. I got the whole week off work, and enjoyed every minute.
Then….. the year of 2016 ended with a cosy night with our friends Anette & Henrik at Anettes parents house. We had some seriously awesome food, and a few drinks. We got a spectacular show of fire works to send us in to 2017.
And that my friends, was the quick summary of my experiences of 2016. Looking back at this, I have to admit it was a pretty good year with lots of great memories made.
I have lots of hopes for this new year, and lots of new years resolutions. But back to that in another post!
Thanks for reading my blog! 🙂
Vlog #16 – Happy birthday to me!
#TB to my birthday in September! 🙂


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http://working.planctx.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/PLANCTXLogo.jpg 0 0 FireFeather http://working.planctx.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/PLANCTXLogo.jpg FireFeather2018-04-17 18:10:492019-07-21 00:42:29Michelle Zadrozny, LCSW-S
Michelle Zadrozny, LCSW-S
Geriatric Consultant
Michelle is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and brings over 15 years of social work, community health, and innovative partnership-building expertise to her role at PLANCTX. She has worked in a variety of clinical, program development, and leadership roles in both the non-profit and private sector. Michelle has a passion for holistic care management, with a focus on helping people and their families cope with severe mental illness, aging and associated medical issues, and addressing complex barriers to self-efficacy and independence. She also has a private consulting and counseling practice, designing and implementing employee assistance programs (EAP) for small businesses and non-profit employers. Michelle holds a Masters of Science Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.


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Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP was speaking in the European Parliament, Strasbourg this week on the Audy report on the Seventh EU programme for research, technological development and demonstration.
The report was carried out by the French centre-right MEP Jean-Pierre Audy. The report is a mid term evaluation of the FP7 programme, which is under the responsibility of the Irish Commissioner, Máire Geoghegan Quinn. Over the next three years, over 28.8 billion Euro will be allocated under the FP7 programme to companies and universities within the European Union.
Speaking in the European Parliament on Monday 06 June, Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP stated "Irish based companies and universities have drawn down over 270 million Euro to-date under the FP7 programme. I understand from the European Commission that Ireland is expected to be allocated in the region of 600 million Euro before the programme concludes in 2014."
"The key element of this report is that the European Union must stay to the forefront in the area of research, innovation and science. This is important because without research, we cannot become the innovators of tomorrow. We need research, if we are to create and to maintain employment in the EU and to remain competitive against the emerging economies. We also need the public and private sectors to work together in a spirit of partnership."
Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP outlined several areas where the European Commission needed to introduce measures in order to improve the implementation of the FP7 programme.
He stated that "Efforts to encourage greater SME participation must also be encouraged at the highest level. Cutting red tape in the context of FP7 applications is another important challenge for the Commission. It is essential that when businesses and in particular SME's are applying for funding that the process is as simple and straightforward as possible. Research and innovation are key tools that are at our disposal to help pull Europe out of the economic crisis that we currently face."
MEP Gallagher – Research and development are key tools for Irish economic recovery
07/06/2011 in Archive Press Releases
Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP was speaking in the European Parliament, Strasbourg this week on the Audy report on the Seventh EU programme for research, technological development and demonstration.


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Volume 57, Number 22 February 15, 2010
Proposals can range from brief suggestions to more rigorously supported initiatives and they may be submitted anonymously or with the author identified. UPAC hopes to draw from the tremendous insight and creativity of our campus community and seeks proposals from students, staff and faculty. The proposal form along with UPAC's charge, membership and helpful resources can be found at: www.sfsu.edu/~upac UPAC is accepting proposals immediately and on a rolling basis through at least the fall 2010 semester. To submit a proposal, visit the UPAC Web page: www.sfsu.edu/~upac/rfp.html
Vice President of University Advancement (VPUA) search underway
The committee welcomes nominations. Submissions by March 1 are encouraged. Applications will be accepted and evaluated until the position is filled. Visit www.sfsu.edu/~news/vpuasearch/ for the job posting and application details.
Porth joins President's Office staff
"Jason has exhibited great vision and organization in representing the University's interests among its neighbors and the various city of San Francisco entities with whom he has worked," President Robert A. Corrigan said. "I look forward to working closely with him in this expanded role."
Prior to working at SF State, Porth worked as a civil rights attorney, representing plaintiffs in employment matters. He received his B.A. from Brandeis University and J.D. from Northeastern University.
CSU to add classes to fall 2010 schedule
"We previously provided campuses with an initial $25.6 million from one-time federal stimulus money to add approximately 4,000 classes for this spring, but we were waiting until the Governor announced his proposed 2010-11 budget to move forward with the remaining funds," CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed said. "The CSU has a strong starting point in what we know will be a long and uncertain budget process, and we want to provide students with as many courses as possible. Hopefully, this will help to alleviate some of the shortages in classes, and students will be able to make faster progress toward their degree."
These university funds are available thanks to an additional $76.5 million one-time federal allocation that has helped CSU to meet its payroll. In turn, CSU will be able to use monies from state support and student fee revenues previously set aside for payroll to add the course sections. However, the federal stimulus funds and associated CSU funds are one-time only, and must be used on a limited-term basis and not create ongoing spending.
Systemwide, CSU campuses will add up to approximately 8,100 additional course sections and retain additional lecturers for the fall 2010 term. SF State's share of this additional funding will be approximately $3,155,800. The campus will develop plans for how these funds will be spent once the full budget picture for 2010-11 is final. The University will keep faculty, staff and students apprised of developments regarding next year's budget as information becomes available.
H1N1 flu vaccines available at SF State Feb. 18 and 23
Nominate student leaders and organizations for fifth annual Leadership in Action Awards
Community engagement awards announced
The Institute for Civic and Community Engagement will honor the award recipients at a ceremony in April. The Institute for Civic and Community Engagement aims to encourage and support faculty, staff, students and the community in their support of academic excellence through involvement in meaningful community service.
For more information about ICCE, visit www.sfsu.edu/~icce/programs.html or contact Perla Barrientos at ext. 8-3282
Second Comedy Night show added
Conference on community-based research
Academic Senate
The deadline for nominations for faculty honors and awards in the areas of teaching, professional achievement and service has been extended to Feb. 15. Visit the Academic Senate Web site at www.sfsu.edu/~senate to nominate yourself or a colleague. Contact the senate office at ext. 8-1264 or email@example.com with questions. These awards, which include a stipend, a commemorative plaque and certificate, are designed to highlight the accomplishments of individual faculty members and to showcase a few examples of the consistently exceptional work of the SF State faculty.
Read Insiders: www.sfsu.edu/~news/cmemo/spring10/feb15insiders.htm
Read Newsmakers: www.sfsu.edu/~news/cmemo/spring10/feb15news.htm
New way to submit events to CampusMemo
Workshop: Foreign travel insurance: 2 p.m.
Lecture: Assessment of Marine Mammals Along the Eastern Gulf Coast of Thailand: 5:30 p.m.
Theatre: High Fidelity the Musical: 7 p.m.
Coming Up
Feb. 21: Theatre: High Fidelity the Musical: 2 p.m.
Feb. 23: Free H1N1 flu vaccinations: 8:30 a.m.
Feb. 23: Workshop: Foreign travel insurance: 10 a.m.
Feb. 24: Recital: Student Dance Showcase: 1 p.m.
Feb. 24: Workshop: Foreign travel insurance: 2 p.m.
Feb. 25: Faculty workshop: Your writing assignments: noon
Feb. 25: Defensive Driver Training: 1 p.m.
Feb. 26: Workshop: Social science databases applications for teaching and research: 9 a.m.
Feb. 26: Weekly Group: Anger Management: 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 26: Recital: Gold Coast Trio: 1 p.m.
Feb. 26: Labor Archives and Research Center 24th Anniversary Celebration: 6 p.m.
Feb. 26: Tenth Annual Comedy Night: 7:30 p.m.
For more upcoming events, see the University Calendar
Need Help?
1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco,


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Gift Wrapping Services in Fort Worth
Convenient For You and Special For Them
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You could look in the closet and dig out a roll of paper, hope there's enough and that it hasn't been crushed under the other stuff. Or you could just find a gift bag you kept and recycle it. Convenient for you…not very special for your gift recipient!
Well, that's where we come in. Our gift wrapping services are here for you. Even if you didn't buy it here, we'll wrap it for you. It's super convenient for you…and they'll love it!
But it's more than just convenience. Giving your gift the finishing touch is as important as buying the gift itself. Make it look beautiful, like you didn't just do it as an after thought, as many people do, and you will make them feel very special. And that's the point, right?
Our customers love buying wedding and baby shower gifts, birthday presents and gifts for other occasions here at our gift shop in Fort Worth, and they really appreciate our gift wrapping services to make their present something their friend will never forget.
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PS: You can bring in a gift you bought somewhere else, too. We'll custom gift wrap it for you…and won't even make you feel bad for not getting it here! 🙂


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The Kokomo meal that bowled us over.
A new year means a new opportunity to lie to yourself about all the good habits you're definitely going to start. But new plant-based eatery Kokomo offers better incentive to actually follow through than the changing of a calendar page ever could. The Tropicana-cool Chinatown room serves up nutritionally dense vegan fare—like this Coastal Macro bowl, which layers roasted squash, ginger-pickled cabbage, edamame hummus and marinated tempeh onto brown rice and smothers the whole thing with punchy Thai ginger dressing. (Of course, if you decide to indulge in a bowl of frozen cocowhip after you've eaten your veggies, we won't judge.)
611 Gore Ave. heykokomo.ca


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Mission Statement
"by utilizing our creativity and global sourcing capabilities, we shall continue to provide innovative products and programs with a value proposition to North America."
Énoncé de Mission
"en utilisant notre créativité et à l'étranger capacités , nous continuerons à fournir des produits innovants et des programmes avec une proposition de valeur en Amérique du Nord."
Counseltron is a product development and distribution company that takes pride in bringing the highest quality offerings to the North American market. Celebrating over 30 years in business Counseltron has developed an array of products focused in various areas, synonymous with superiority and service, as well as solidified strong partnerships with well known household brands.
Counseltron has several divisions with a product focus in the following areas:
- Kitchenware and Housewares
- Storage and Organization
- Cleaning Seasonal
- Home
- Home Health- Footcare
Counseltron's management team brings many years of experience in sales and customer service to our specialty and multiple store accounts. Our National Sales team works closely with our clients to build strong relationships with a focus on satisfying our clients' needs.
Counseltron's facilities comprise of 50,000 square feet, with distribution facilities and our Head Office in Toronto, as well as China. We look forward to being of service to you and working out a successful partnership to grow our business together.
Brian Schachter
President & CEO