Most companies have a bottleneck in their production, that is a constraining re-source. When the demand is higher than the capacity in the constraining resource it is impossible to produce the demanded output. This problem leads to delayed deliveries, unhappy customers and ultimately to decreased revenue. Bottlenecks therefore has a significant role in production and must be handled thereof.MW Power in Sävsjö, Sweden designs and manufactures water and steam boilers for the customer's unique needs. MW Power invested in a new plasma cutting ma-chine but the machine has not reached the expected capacity.

The thesis that follows is performed in collaboration with Nitator in Oskarström.The factory in Oskarström focuses on Laser Cutting, robotic welding and surfacetreatment of steel for the automotive industry.The project aims to streamline the flow of materials in production by automatingthe movements of the forklifts, running to and from the interlayer, and betweenworkstations.The project started with a systematic literature search. The literature searchshowed the research position around the AGV-system. Also a review of studentliterature was made, so that a suitable method for practical implementation couldbe developed and applied. Selected method uses both quantitative and qualitativeapproaches, which is analyzed by using triangulation.The work has resulted in a modified layout of the current facility in Oskarströmthat can be used for the implementation of the AGV-system. It has also resulted inthe tender documents and profitability calculation from several of AGV-suppliers..

Test bench for air bearingsThis thesis work consisted of bringing forward and defining the test parameters relevant for a test bench and constructing a test bench that can test and verify the largest existing air bearings that are of use in Micronic Laser Systems AB machines. Because the knowledge about air bearings is limited it is thought that with the help of the test bench the knowledge would increase and in that way improve the air bearings.After learning more about air bearings and their purpose at Micronic Laser Systems AB, I started the concept phase for the test bench. For each part in the test bench I consulted my two tutors, Torbjörn Hedevärn and Johan Bergqvist, at Micronic Laser Systems AB. The final concepts where documented as 3D-modells in Solidworks and some of them have been tested in Solidworks FEM-program.The test bench is designed so that, with the help of a pneumatic cylinder, 25 kilo weights are placed on the air bearing to test its stiffness, damping and the pressure performance under its surface area. To test these parameters the test bench has to have a pressure meter, accelerometer and a microcator.

Forestry affects most of the forest-covered land in Sweden. In the landscape, the most common stream type is headwaters, which are important sites for many processes and organisms in both the terrestrial and the aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to investigate how the abundance of benthic invertebrate functional feeding groups in headwater streams develops after clear-cutting and if it also is possible to detect a change in the composition of feeding groups. The study also attempts to determine what factors have an effect on temporal changes in abundance of these groups. For the study, 11 sites in northern Sweden were sampled for benthic invertebrates using a Surber-sampler, and for each site canopy-cover and pH was obtained.

Laser scanning is a method of surveying that has evolved rapidly in recentyears. The technique is based on a laser scanner set up, which can document a structureusing pulsed laser beams. Each time the laser hits a surface it is partly reflectedback to the scanner that stores the point. By using strategically placed targets, storedpoints from different scans can be merged into a point cloud. A point cloud is avisualization of the scanned object with a very high accuracy.

The requirements for operative planning activities are increasing. The forest industry wants to gain better control over wood flow. A felling that is more market adjusted is desirable. However, this causes problems in the operative planning process because of the data collection methods used today. Data about timber assortments and data about the distribution of the tree diameter, etc., are often lacking. Airborne laser scanning is used to a greater extent than before for estimation of forest variables and should perhaps be used to the same extent in operative planning activities as well.

Lantmäteriet (the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority) has been laser scanning Sweden since 2009. From the laser scanned data a digital elevation model (DEM) in grid format, with a resolution of 2 m, is produced. This DEM is called GSD-Höjddata, grid 2+ and from its data and the laser point cloud itself (in the form of a las-file) contour lines can be extracted. Lantmäteriet has not yet done this, but plans to update the contour lines in their cartographic products exist. If this is to be done in a satisfactory way an evaluation of different methods for it is needed.

The purpose of this study is to explain how the value of sawn wood changes when sawn wood are cut in 30 respective 60 cm lengths. The raw material into the saw mill will mainly be bucked in 30cm and 60 cm modules. There will also be two alternatives where the timber will be bucked special lengths, 370, 490 and 550 cm but also in 490 and 550 cm.The method used for the study is to simulate both cutting and sawing the woods. For cutting the simulator Timan is used and for sawing the simulator Timberopt is used. When data is generatedfrom the simulators, calculations of some key figures is done and also how much the revenue need to be increased for the sawn wood in order to cover for the increased costs of changing sawn woodfrom 30 cm to 60 cm modulesThe conclusion is that the single biggest reason, impacting the value of the sawn wood is the cutting at the saw mill.When going from 30 to 60 cm modules, the impact will be that the customers to the saw mill must pay more to increase the revenue by at least 10% for the sawn wood in order to justifice the changein production.It is also possible to increase the value of the products further by bucking the timber in three lengths, 370, 490 and 550 cm, in order to get 12 % increase of the share of longer sawn wood (>= 480 cm)..

This thesis work is made by Torbjörn Johansson on Karlstad University for Uddeholms AB. The assignment in this thesis work was to investigate tough cutting in three different tool steels: Vanadis 4 Extra, Vancron 40 and Sverker 21. The research was to compare the wear of the tool after cutting in each one of the tool steel alloys. The research was also made to see if the tool cutting in Vancron 40 has a better wear than the tool cutting in Vanadis 4 Extra and also compare the results with Sverker 21. All three of these alloys are a part of Uddeholms AB:s range of products, and is used in applications like forming tools and knife tools. Vancron 40 is a powder steel with a very good combination of mechanical properties like ductility, adhesive strength and hardness.

Sweden?s forestry legislation was updated in 2010 and a new definition of forest land was introduced. This definition was adapted to the one used by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for international statistics on the state of the world's forests. It is in short based on the lands ability to grow forest that reaches 5 meters, 10 % canopy closure and has a continuous distribution, according to FAO at least 0.5 hectares. A country-wide laser scanning is now carried out for the production of a new national elevation model; the laser data also provides information on forest height and density.

Husqvarna is a world leading producer of chainsaws with a well-established brand name. Husqvarna now has an interest in investigating the possibiltiy to expand their production of chains and guide bars to include cutting equipment for timber-harvesters.This project is a technical study which aims to answer questions about cutting equipment for timber-harvesters that have been decided in cooperation with Husqvarna. The questions have mainly been focused on forces, cutting speeds, service and maintenance -as well as general questions regarding the size of the Swedish market.Two methods have been applied to answer the questions. Interviews with retailers of harvesters, producers of harvester heads and harvester drivers.The main findings in this project show that there is a relatively small selection of harvester chains on the Swedish market. In contrast to the selection of harvester chains the selection of guide bars is quite large.

Our Bachelor´s Thesis has been performed in co-operation with Bors Automation & Tool AB.Our task was to develop a servomotor powered tube cutting-machine with initial point fromtoday's hydraulic driven tube cutting machine Bors HYD 23. The purpose with the newconstruction was to achieve a more power-efficient tube cutting machine which could lowerthe power consumption, and also meet the market continued growing demand forenvironmental-conscious production.Bors Automation & Tool gave us relatively free hands in order to enable new thinking ideaswithout following their traditional constructional solutions.Our solution resulted in a construction based on a power source existing of a servomotordrivenrollerscrew, witch provides a more rational use of energy compared with the currentmethod.Bors Automation & Tool AB has decided to fabricate a prototype of Bors E 23 during theautumn of 2007, which they are planning to revile at the Tube 2008 exhibition in Düsseldorf,Germany.NOTE:Due to an agreement signed by the authors in the beginning of this project, no appendix is published at this time.If you want to wiew these documents, please contact the authors..

Active Vibration Control of a Laser PatternGenerator in Microlithography.

This master thesis investigates quality procedures and measuring of solid carbide end mills, with the main focus on measuring equipment. The thesis has been written in collaboration with a special production department for solid carbide end mills at Sandvik Coromant in Gimo. The department?s needs and constraints have been the foundation of the project and the main research question is: how to measure end mills in order to ensure good quality of the produced end mills. The project has contained both a theoretical study consisting of a literature review and practical studies in the workshop with the objective to identify an end mill?s main parameters and the relationship between an end mill?s geometry and the manufacturing processes.

The aim for this study where to investigate the frequency of cutting cracks in saw timber harvested in the storm-damaged forests in regions where the storms Hilde and Ivar hit. The idea for this work came from one of the region?s biggest actors, SCA Skog and Jämtlands district. The purpose where to find out how big proportion of the saw timber that contains cutting cracks, their financial cost in lost wood value and also give advice and suggestions on how to work against the frequency of cutting cracks. For the field-study some guidelines where used to make sure that the samples were taken under the same conditions, they were: ? The field-study must be performed under harvesting of storm-felled forest, which are horizontal/inclined trunks. ? The averaged sized tree will make it possible to harvest saw timber. ? The trunks can?t be root cut. A methodology called in Swedish ?Trissmetoden? was used because it is the most frequent used methodology in earlier performed studies and the only one that can be used I field. Under the field-study data were collected from 570 saw timber logs, 30 logs from each one of the tested harvesters.