IEEE Potentials Magazine - May/June 2018 - 18
You can see that one doesn't have
to operate a multibillion dollar
company to showcase creativity.
operator find the amounts of materi-
al that had to be removed. This could
be as simple as grinding of a millime-
ter at one position on the blade and,
perhaps, a couple of millimeters at
another position. Often this operator
would use a large part of a working
day to find the right combinations of
grinding (i.e., those that would offer a
blade that fulfilled all of the require-
ments). While an earlier spreadsheet
solution checked only a part of the
control variables, the task was to in-
clude the full set.
We then found that with all con-
trol variables, in practice, finding the
right amount of material to remove at
a tentative 35 positions on the blade
would be a nearly impossible task to
perform manually, even for an expe-
rienced operator. Brute force was the
answer. Instead of asking the user to
find the grinding spots, the program
ran through all of the possible combi-
nations. In a couple of seconds, we not
only had a solution but were also able
to present the answer that required a
minimum amount of grinding. With
this simple approach, the customer
got a full system for US$10,000. After
three weeks of use, its development
costs had been covered. This was
20 years ago, and, since then, the sys-
tem has produced the same amount
of savings every three weeks. In ad-
dition, the company has been able to
handle more complex orders.
It is important to notice that the
customer had no idea that this was
possible; they had never heard about
brute force algorithms. This is the
part where the experienced program-
mer sees which tools can be used to
solve the customer's real problems.
In this case, brute force (i.e., the ap-
proach where we use the power of the
computer to run through all options)
was the answer. Brute force algo-
rithms are simple to implement and
are also very robust. For example,
our algorithm can work on any type
of propeller blade.
18
■
May/June 2018
After working with this company
for several years, we (the company
personnel involved in the system
development and myself) saw many
new possibilities for applying novel
solutions. An important project in-
cluded reducing the amount of grind-
ing that was needed on each blade.
The traditional process of making a
too-large model and then expending
a lot of effort to grind off the addi-
tional material from the cast clearly
offered an opportunity for improve-
ment. The idea was to develop a
model that was much larger, where
the shrinkage was the greatest (e.g.,
around the edges) and only slightly
larger where the shrinkage was less
(e.g., in the middle of the blade).
Working together with experienced
personnel from the company, I was
able to determine slim "shrink-to-fit"
models (those that produced casts
that were close to the requirements
and only needed a minimum amount
of grinding). The allegory to blue
jeans is not accidental.
The problem is that this, in con-
trast to just inflating the geometry
by 5%, creates quite a new geometry
for the blade. For example, the spline
curves that defined the geometry had
an inclination to go wild when we
made small adjustments to the con-
trolling points. We had to develop new
techniques to describe the geometry
and add routines that smoothed the
curves. Developing the program was
a major effort, but, in the end, we
were able to produce casts where the
grinding effort was reduced by 50%.
In addition, the system required less
material for each blade and, therefore,
also less energy to heat the metal.
Again, we see that when program-
mers have a deep understanding of the
processes that their customers per-
form, new possibilities emerge. A 50%
saving in one of the most labor-inten-
sive tasks for this company offered a
huge benefit, profit in good times, and
a way of survival in rough times.
IEEE PotEntIals
An app for plumbers
At one time, there was a possibility
for those that did not excel in school
to get a practical occupation, away
from having to write or perform com-
plex calculations. Not so today. We
work for a chain of plumbers. While
plumbers perform a practical job,
they are required to follow strict
health, safety, and environment pro-
cedures. In addition, many custom-
ers require extensive documentation.
These regulations also affect manag-
ers, who have to follow such guide-
lines for organizing work, sick leave,
and yearly employee conversations,
providing plumbers with the neces-
sary certificates, and much more.
Just to get an understanding of the
requirements is a huge task, both for
the plumber and the manager.
While an abundance of checklist
and field service systems exist, our
idea, developed in close cooperation
with the customer, was to implement
the concept of a process list. A pro-
cess list should lead the user through
a complex task, ensuring that all re-
gulations are followed. It would be
available on any mobile unit (e.g.,
smartphone) and work both online
and offline. Input should be limited
to a minimum: to hit buttons, choose
from predetermined answers, or take
a picture.
The process lists are developed by
the chain office for each different job
type. The plumber or manager who
follows the list is guaranteed that
all regulations are followed. Any
change in regulations would im-
mediately be handled in a new ver-
sion of the affected process list. That
is, neither plumbers nor managers
would need to read all the informa-
tion they receive from authorities.
All processes are broken down to
answering a question and then hit-
ing the next button.
The process list also handles all
communication with the customer,
head office, or authorities. When the
plumber starts working at a resi-
dential home, the customer, if not
present, will receive an automatic
text message. A similar message
will be generated when the plumber
leaves the premises. Applications
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Potentials Magazine - May/June 2018
Contents
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