DMIE Annual Report 2020 - ac

https://eng.pdn.ac.lk/mie/

A Year Towards the Future

DMIE Annual Report 2020

Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering

Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya


Production: Department of Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Contact for the Annual Report: Dr. Asela K. Kulatunga, Phone: 081-2393658, e-mail: [email protected] Editor: Dr. Prasanna Illankoon Photos: Eng. Hasitha Deegoda

Contents

Foreword____________________________________________________________ 2

Message from the Department Head _________________________________________________________ 2

The DMIE ___________________________________________________________ 3

Our Team ______________________________________________________________________________ 3

Introduction ____________________________________________________________________________ 4

Vision _________________________________________________________________________________ 5

Mission ________________________________________________________________________________ 5

DMIE Strategy and Key Activities ___________________________________________________________ 6

Throughout the Years ____________________________________________________________________ 7

Academic Activities ____________________________________________________ 9

Undergraduate Programme ________________________________________________________________ 9

Graduate Courses and Programme __________________________________________________________ 9

Postgraduate Programs and Courses _______________________________________________________ 10

Futuristic Approach to Our Undergraduate Programme _________________________________________ 12

Research Activities ___________________________________________________ 13

Research Areas and Collaborations ________________________________________________________ 13

International Collaborations _______________________________________________________________ 21

Improvements of Practical Classes _________________________________________________________ 22

DMIE Webinar Series Launched in 2020 _____________________________________________________ 24

DMIE Workshops 2020 __________________________________________________________________ 25

Publications ___________________________________________________________________________ 26

Infrastructure Development ____________________________________________ 28

Technology in Move _____________________________________________________________________ 30

Upgrading the Automation and Robotics Labs ________________________________________________ 31

Student-Staff Liaison Activities __________________________________________ 33

Student Mentorship Programme ___________________________________________________________ 34

Human Resources ___________________________________________________ 35

Farewell to Professor Susantha Pathirana ___________________________________________________ 35

DMIE Staff Outreach Activities and Awards __________________________________________________ 35

New Staff from Diverse Backgrounds _______________________________________________________ 36

Our Future _________________________________________________________ 37

Increasing Our Visibility __________________________________________________________________ 37

Extension of the Department Building _______________________________________________________ 37

Improving the Degree Programmes _________________________________________________________ 37

Factories of the Future ___________________________________________________________________ 37

Partners & Sponsors__________________________________________________ 38

Foreword

Message from the Department Head

Dr Asela K. Kulatunga

“We want to lead

the future of Sri

Lankan Industries”

It is with great pleasure I write this note to the DMIE Annual Report 2020 which is published for the first time. Year 2020 was in a way very challenging and indeed created many opportunities for us at DMIE to think differently. From Academic arena, we regained the much-delayed Washington Accord through IESL accreditation along with the recommendations in February 2020. Conversely, 2020 was very much dynamic to the DMIE. There has been many changes in the academic staff of the department. While three of the senior lecturers left us for their career developments and on their personal grounds, the retirement of the long-standing icon of the DMIE Prof. S.D. Pathirana bought us many challenges to deliver the regular operations at DMIE. However, with outreached efforts, we managed to include fresh blood to our team with the joining of Dr. Dinesh Kodituwakku (PhD on Industrial Robotics from Yokohama City University Japan, Dr. Subodha Dharmapriya (PhD on Supply Chain Management from University of Wollongong, Australia) and Dr. Prasanna Illankoon (PhD on Human Factor Engineering from Lulea University Sweden) as senior Lecturers to DMIE. This new tread even gone into recruiting Junior staff with local and foreign industrial exposure to the DMIE family. On the other front, with the receiving of IESL accreditation recommendations, we had to take quick actions to realize their effects In order to fulfil some of the urgent requirements.

DMIE managed to establish many initiatives in 2020. These initiatives were launched in three folded manners: DMIE Internal Quality Assurance Mechanism and DMIE Management Information Systems were established to enhance the quality of the undergraduate programme, DMIE Lab Master Plan was developed to improve the practical component of the undergraduate programme and to enhance Overall Equipment Effectiveness. Outreach and recruit new academic staff from relevant postgraduate research backgrounds and granting opportunities to fresh graduates with good academic qualifications to join DMIE was promoted too in 2020.

I am very happy to experience how DMIE adjusted to the global crisis due to COVID 19 in 2020. Both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes were affected due to closure of the faculty in two instances. However, we were the first department to launch Postgraduate lectures online mode for M Eng/MSc Engineering Management and we successfully completed several semesters of the undergraduate programme including online project/research supervisions in line with faculty decisions. Though this was a significant challenge for my staff, all the members raised to the need of hour and delivered the contents without compromising the quality of the programme. DMIE - Alumni is always a key strength when need arises. This year, DMIE – Alumni launched a memorial fund named after Prof. Sanath Ranatunga known as the father of Production Engineering in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, many of them contributed by serving in the Industry Advisory Board of DMIE, volunteering to become Webinar Resource persons, and assisting with organizing workshops etc. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the members of DMIE Family for their untiring efforts during 2020 to develop DMIE activities and to set strong foundation to accelerate new journey in years to come.

The DMIE

Our Team

Senior Lecturers

Dr. Asela K. Kulatunga

Dr. Risheeka Ekanayake

Dr. Pramila Gamage

Dr. Prasanna Illankoon

Dr. Dinesh Kodithuwakku

Dr. U.S.S Dharmapriya

Lecturers

Mr. Mahanama Dharmawardhana

Mr. Dharshana Athauda

Mr. Malan Jayawickrama

Ms. Subhani Kumarasinghe

Temporary Lecturers

Mrs. Thilini Ranasinghe

Ms. Maheesha Amarasena

Mr. S.Kamalakkannan

Mr. Isuru Rathnasinghe

Research Assistants

Mr. W.A.A.S. Premarathna

Mr. J.L.Jayawardana

Ms. Nimasha Fernando

Ms. A.P.S.M.Amaraweera

Mr. Nuwan Dissanayaka

Temporary Instructors

Mr. Ruwan Hemachandra

Mr. Hasitha Deegoda

Mr. Madushan Jayawardane

Ms. Smirthya Somaskantha

Ms. H.M.H.E. Paranagama

Ms. Yoshika Alahakoon

Mr. Udara Osadith

Mr. N.L.G. Lakmal

Non-Academic Staff

Mr. H.A.A.R. Wijetissa

Mr. M.R.K.G. Piyatissa

Mr. R.M.A.P. Kumara

Mr. H.P.D.S. Niranj

Mr. P.I.N. Darmakeerithi

Ms. A. K. Basnayake

Mr. K.M.B. Banda

Introduction There is an increasing awareness among the industry and academia about Manufacturing and

Industrial Engineering as a multidisciplinary field that integrates exciting and diverse disciplines

such as design, robotics, systems engineering, automation, mechatronics, sustainable

engineering, operations management, human factors etc. With that, the department has been

successful in establishing close cooperation with local and international organizations. Our

industrial client list includes companies from manufacturing, logistics, Supply chain, and ERP

solution development.

With advent of industrial automation, implementation of novel manufacturing technologies such as

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has become a critical success factor in the world leading

industries. We are looking forward to leading this transformation in our country and expanding the

list of our industrial clients, academic and research partners. The activities of the department are

aligned towards finding synergies with other academic disciplines and building networks with many

active research groups, locally and worldwide. Despite the unfortunate fire accident in 2016, the

department has been successful in improving education and research quality such as getting

extended accreditation (Washington Accord) from the IESL in 2019. The department has

established several MoUs with leading foreign Universities, hold international conferences in

collaboration with global professional Societies and some staff and student mobility to world

leading Universities. The establishment of DMIE Research Strategy in 2020 has led to establishing

research clusters at DMIE and presently they are in operation with local and foreign collaborations.

The results can be seen in coming years.

With the introduction of DMIE Labs Master Plan (DMIE-LMP), significant improvements have been

made over 2020 in three folded benefits. First, much needed overhauling of maintenance and

repairing work were done to non-functional hardware such as CNC Lathe, CIM Centre, Injection

Moulding Machine, Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), and Stabuli Robot. As the second

step, standardization of lab equipment usage and maintenance has been started with the

introduction of Preventive Maintenance Schedules and Standard Operating Procedures for each

Hardware/Equipment. In the third stage, clustering of these hardware and introduction of new lab

setups were established. With these initiatives, DMIE operates several labs namely: Non-

Conventional /Modern Manufacturing Lab, Industrial Robotics and Computer Integrated

Manufacturing Lab, Manufacturing Automation lab, Innovation and Additive Manufacturing Lab,

Computing and Simulation Lab, Metrology Lab, Sustainable Design and Manufacturing Lab.

Furthermore, with the limited funding and donations, we managed to set up an Electro Hydraulic

Training kit and mini CNC trainer kit for Automation lab. In 2020, the Smart Lab concept was

introduced bringing internet connectivity to a selected set of machines. A number of Quality

Assurance and infrastructure improvement activities were carried out such as establishing the

Management Information System and the ERP system. The Department continues to be

competent and equipped technologically to undertake research work in the emerging areas of

Industrial Automation.

In the academic areas, DMIE managed to recruit 3 new senior lecturers who will add diversity to

the staff strength. Furthermore, junior staff strength was also enhanced by the recruiting the

recently passed out graduates and past graduates with heavy industrial experience. Quality of the

academic programme has been further enhanced with the introduction of Quality Assurance

Mechanism and new DMIE Management Information System (MIS)

The department aims to develop the profile of the graduate in two major complementary areas

1 2

Technological mastery highlighting the skills of harnessing technological resources at all levels, with greater emphasis on activities at the shop floor level with a clear awareness of the strategic management implications;

Mastery of the management of technological resources with a

greater emphasis on design and operation of manufacturing systems,

working in close liaison with strategic management and

enterprise management with a good knowledge of manufacturing

technology.

The students are free to make their choice by selecting the optional courses appropriately. The

core subjects are designed to suit both categories. To increase this flexibility, four new sub

streaming options were developed in 2020.

Vision To be a centre of excellence in higher education in the field of Manufacturing & Industrial

Engineering.

Mission To create an innovative, project-based-learning experience for students that is focused on

enhancing creative and analytical thinking, knowledge and skills in the manufacturing & industrial

engineering discipline, lifelong learning, communication, positive attitude and respect for

environment, ethics & sustainability.

To impact society in a positive and transformative manner by providing high quality services,

consultancy and capacity building programmes to enhance the local manufacturing and service

industry and improve lives and livelihood.

To create a work environment that can help cultivate a motivated, multidisciplinary group of

researchers who continuously produce research output with high impact and national relevance in

the field of manufacturing & industrial engineering.

DMIE Strategy and Key Activities

Increase the visibility of

DMIE and MIE program within

the industry

Enhancing collaborations with industries through projects, research, consultancy, and industrial labs

Contribute to the national

priorities

Completing DMIE CR 2020 curriculum revision

Enhance the educational

experience of students while

maintaining global

academic standards

Introducing sub streams: Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing Automation, Industrial Systems Engineering and Logistics and Supply Chain Engineering regularly

Take initiatives to set the tone for "Factories of the Future"

Collaborating with relevant stakeholders to introduce

futuristic technologies such as Customer focused, human centred digital/

smart manufacturing and to promote collaboration and

cooperation between the different supply chains

Attain and retain high quality and

diverse staff members and

students

Enhancing staff involvement in national and international bodies, scientific committees, editorial bodies as resource persons, members of the committees

Improve and maintain a

good teaching- research

nexus

Hosting international conferences/symposia such

as 1st International conference of IEOM, and

International Conference on LSE

Throughout the Years A brief history of how we evolved and how we continued to grow

1967 • Initial discussions to set up Production Engineering Department

1971 •Recruitment of staff to the Department

1976 •Students were selected to the Production Engineering stream

1978 •First batch of Production Engineering graduates passed out

2001

•Launching of two Master's Programmes in Engineering Management and Manufacturing Engineering with ADB funding.

2002 •Launching of the Semester System

2008

•Degree Programme was recognized under Washington Accord

• (First IESL Accreditation)

2015

•Establishment of the Industry Advisory Board (IAB)

•Relaunching of the Engineering Management Master's Programme

2016

•Department Lab destroyed due to fire

•Organize first ever IEEE MIES 2016 International Symposium

2017 •Department name and specialization changed to Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering

2018

•Production Engineering Department lab renovation completed

•Hosted POMS 2018 - IEEE International Conference

2019

•Extension of Wasington Accord for the Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Degree Programme

• (Second IESL accreditation)

2020

•Establishment of Prof. Sanath Ranatunga Memorial Fund

•Launching of the online mode delivery of Undergraduate and Postgraduate programme due to COVID 19 pandemic

Academic Activities

Undergraduate Programme The Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering programme aims to provide graduates with the

necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be able to effectively participate as leaders and

critical members of multidisciplinary teams with the ability to communicate technical concepts and

details to a diverse audience. Additionally, we want our graduates to engage in lifelong learning

to enhance personal skills, advance professionally, and to enhance the quality of personal life.

Programme Educational Objectives include,

● Effectively practice manufacturing and industrial engineering in a broad range of industries

● Pursue advanced education, research and development, and other creative and innovative

efforts in science, engineering, and technology, as well as other professional careers.

● Conduct themselves in a responsible, professional, and ethical manner.

● Participate in activities that support humanity, sustainability, and economic development

nationally and globally, developing as leaders in their fields of expertise.

● Engage in lifelong learning to enhance personal skills, advance professionally and to

enhance the quality of personal life.

We are motivated to grow DMIE resources by utilizing the funds available for state-of-the-art

technology. There has been a significant increase in commercial value of funds allocated for state-

of-the-art technology during the last few years. We also work on benchmarking our degree

programme and consider national and regional priorities in curriculum revisions. We use the Triple

helix innovation model to increase the interactions between academia, the Industry and the

Government to foster the national economy and society development. The benefits of increasing

collaborations with the Industry and government institutes have become evident as the

employability of our graduates is fast growing. We also believe that engineering education should

have a shift from content-based education to outcome-based education. We have taken a number

of initiatives to enforce outcome-based education by redefining the learning outcomes with obvious

knowledge and skill applications. We are laying the foundation to use the internationally

recognized Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) framework as a vehicle to transform to

more vigorous outcome-based curriculum.

Graduate Courses and Programme The Department of Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering currently offers the Postgraduate

Programme (PG) in Engineering Management, which was commenced in the year 2001. This

programme is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills required for graduate engineers to

successfully manage engineering operations and projects, work in multidisciplinary teams and

advance their careers to strategic management levels in Engineering Organizations. While

absorbing dynamic nature of global, industrial business environments and to cater to the

expectations of graduate engineers, the programme has been revised recently. This programme is

the first ever Engineering Management Degree programme of the country.

Progress

The programme has been gaining more attraction during the last few years.

Growth in the number of students participating in our graduate programme since 2015

We want to go beyond what we presently offer. Despite the increasing demand, we still see that

there is a vacuum for degrees in the specialisation of Industrial Engineering in Sri Lanka. We now

want to offer a programme with both Engineering and Management specializations also allowing

multi entry and multi exits. This will help students to continue their post graduate studies in a more

customisable manner. With this need, we are presently revising our PG program, so that the

same programme will cover both Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management. The

programme will become more attractive for students who want to develop as Operations or

Factory Managers as well as to the stands who want to pursue PhD in Engineering disciplines in

the future. We will also relaunch the Master‘s programme in Manufacturing Engineering in 2021.

Postgraduate Programs and Courses We presently have three PhD Candidates and 8 MPhil Candidates supported by six Research

Grants. These research programs collaborate with a number of foreign institutes that include.

● IIT – Guwahati, India ● University of Wollongong, Australia ● Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia

Completed MPhils

Name of the graduate

Title Funding

Mrs. Thilini Ranasinghe (2020)

Analysis & Modelling of the Learning Curve and its Effects on Manufacturing System Performance

Self-funded

Mr. M.P.R.L. Peiris (2020)

Enhance Competitiveness of Small and Medium scale local Manufacturing Sector with Sustainable Manufacturing Concepts

NRC funded Project Rs. 2.7 Million

2521 21

46

6662

1913

17

2530 32

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Number of Applicants Number of Selected Students

Ongoing Research (PhD)

Name of the candidate

Title Funding

Mr. Mahanama Dharmawardene (2016)

A Self Adaptive Operating Strategy for STEP-NC compliant CNC systems for Energy Efficient Machining

University of Peradeniya Research Grant 2016 Rs. 1.8 Million Collaborations with: Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania.

Mr. Namal Bandaranayake (2019)

A framework for optimizing cross border logistics in an industry 4.0 environment

University research Grant Applied for UGC funding for University Teachers Collaborations with: University of Wollongong, Australia.

Mrs. N.M.L. Fernando (2019)

Development and Characterization of Cassava Starch-Based Thermoplastics for Engineering Applications

The World Bank [under the Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Operation] Rs. 40 Million

Mr J.L. Jayawardhane (2021 - Immediately after completing his BSc)

Investigation of Environmental Sustainability of Modern construction Practises

Split PhD programme with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and University of Peradeniya.

Ongoing Research (MPhil)

Name of the candidate

Title Funding

Mr. M.L.R. Meragalge (2018)

Enhancing the formability property of sheet materials in manufacturing automotive panels.

Indo-Lanka research grant, Grant no: MSTR/TRD/AGR/3/02/16 Rs. 3.6 Million Collaboration with: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

Mr. W.A.A.S. Premarathna (2018)

Enhancing the Performance of Solid Resilience Tires Using Finite Element Analysis

Self-funded Collaborations with: Elastomeric Engineering Company Ltd, Horana.

Mr. S. Kamalakkannan (2018)

Design and Development of Decision Support System for Eco-Design Based on Life Cycle Management

Partial funding by NRC and UoP

Ms.A.P.S.M. Amaraweera (2019)

Development and Characterization of Cassava Starch-Based Thermoplastics for Engineering Applications

The World Bank [under the Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Operation] Rs. 40 Million

Futuristic Approach to Our Undergraduate Programme Furthermore, to our recent achievement in obtaining the IESL accreditation, we continue to

improve our programme.

Curriculum Revision 2020

Considering the growing demands and dynamics in the industry, we initiated a curriculum revision

in 2020. A number of changes was made to the existing courses addressing the knowledge and

skills enhancement. We also introduced a series of new core and elective courses covering the

emerging areas such as Industry 4.0, those will come to effect in the new curriculum.

Introduction of new sub streams

We are working on introducing four sub-streams to provide more flexibility to our students and

grow them as specialists for the sectors that are demanded by the future industry. The motivation

is to prepare our students to lead the upcoming industrial revolution as specialists in these

domains. We have now completed preparing the new structure and course outlines.

Enhancing Simulated Learning

With the challenges of ongoing Covid19 Pandemic, we foresee a number of potential applications

of simulated learning within the engineering education context. We aim to create a platform for the

staff members in the department to understand the importance of simulation-based education and

the mechanism that can be used to enrich the existing curriculum and teaching and assessment

on the particular aspect. We are expanding the simulated learning applications to teaching all the

courses. We also share our knowledge and experience with other faculties. During a recent

training session conducted by a team from DMIE to the faculty of management, we focused on the

importance and types of simulation-based education for undergraduate studies. A wealthy

discussion was held about the teaching methods that are available for simulation-based teaching,

research and assessment. The session identified a number of methods that can be used for the

operations management degree programme.

Manufacturing Engineering

Manufacturing

Automation

Industrial Systems

Engineering

Logistics & Supply Chain Engineering

Research Activities The scope of research activities of the department covers different areas of manufacturing

engineering, applied sciences and management leading to integrated manufacturing and Industrial

engineering solutions for industrial problems. We are motivated to use available funds to enhance

the teaching, design and research capabilities of DMIE by acquiring new hardware and software.

During the last 5 years, the numbers of sponsored research projects in different areas of

Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering have increased significantly. Additionally, the students

are guided for applying scholarships and placements and opportunities for higher education and

research. There has also been a significant increase in the number of postgraduate opportunities

obtained by our grades over last 5 years.

Research Areas and Collaborations We steer research to address national and global requirements in the scope of Manufacturing and

Industrial Engineering. Accordingly, we have been successful in developing four key research

areas. Our success lies in the number of industrial collaborations those became a reality during

the last few years. We also guide our undergraduate students to produce conference papers

based on their final year projects, and to publish articles in high impact factor peer reviewed

journals from the postgraduate research work.

Industry 4.0

Data is the new oil of the digital economy! ―Industry 4.0‖ refers to the fourth industrial revolution,

which affects every manufacturing domain by advancing the manufacturing technologies that

capture, optimize, and deploy data. Industry 4.0 makes factories ―smart‖ by using technologies

such as the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), artificial intelligence, and cyber-physical systems.

Giving a lead to the Industry 4.0 transformation in the Sri Lankan industries, we establish a

number of IIoT research in collaboration with the industry.

IIoT Based Smart DMIE

This ongoing project aims at connecting the resources at DMIE using IIoT to enhance remote

accessibility. This will enable students and academic staff to conduct academic activities online. A

web based dash board is provided to access the DMIE remotely. The dashboard shows the

energy consumption, environmental conditions, machine status, and calibration requirements.

Additionally, the continuous connectivity and conditional monitoring will ease and facilitate the

preventive maintenance activities of the machines at DMIE. Nuwan Dissanayaka, one of our

research assistants conducts the activities of this research under the supervision of Dr Asela K.

Kulatunga.

IIOT in the apparel industry

This project aims at developing a real time tracking

system of sewing operation in the apparel industry.

Apparel industry runs based on tight targets. Due to

the very fast dynamics, most updated data is vital

for proper planning. Real time performance

monitoring and analysis can provide information

required for efficient decision making. The tracking

system will evaluate real time performance of an

ongoing sewing operation at workstation level, of an

apparel plant, that belongs to one of the major

Appeal Manufacturer. With the ability to connect

things easily with IoT technologies, data from all the

workstations can bring together and access

remotely. The real time tracking system shows value added time and cycle time of each sewing

station. A web database and interface is used to record, analyze, and visualize data. Malan

Jayawickrama, one of our lecturers leads this project and most of the sub activities have been

assigned as students projects, making it a team effort.

Logistics and Supply Chain Engineering

The Logistics and Supply Chain Engineering research cluster at DMIE focuses on improving the

effectiveness and efficiency of Logistics and Supply Chains by optimizing various key aspects of

supply chain design and supply chain management.

Process Mapping of Cross Border Logistics in Sri Lanka

Preliminary investigations undertaken into the logistics sector in Sri Lanka revealed a dearth of

research in the broader area of logistics in general, and on cross-border logistics in particular,

highlighting an opportunity to make a worthwhile contribution through a comprehensive study. The

study consisted of a desk research component conducted to identify the most appropriate tools

and techniques for mapping cross-border logistics processes and an empirical component aimed

at capturing the end-to-end logistics processes at interface facilities. The empirical component

included in-depth interviews conducted with those who are directly involved in managing or

executing cross-border logistics processes on a daily basis. The process maps developed through

this study, along with accompanying narratives provide a holistic view of the cross-border logistics

processes in Sri Lanka. The agencies involved and the roles within those agencies along with the

detailed process steps at different stages are modelled using an easy- to-understand notation

selected specifically for modelling human-centric processes. This research project is jointly

conducted by DMIE of UoP and University of Wollongong, Australia. The research team consist of

Mr. Namal Bandaranayake, Dr. Asela K. Kulatunga of University of Peradeniya while Dr. Senavi

Kiridena is from University of Wollongong, Australia.

Big Data for Cross Border Logistics Analytics

Heavy traffic condition is one of the main hindering factors for efficient logistics handling of cargo

containers around the Colombo port. Analysis of the traffic conditions will lay the foundation for

optimized logistics handling. This project aims at identifying the traffic patterns affecting the cross-

border logistics in Colombo urban area by using Big Data Analytics. GPS coordinate data from

logistics handling vehicles are obtained, those are of huge amounts. Big Data analytics is used to

develop algorithms to identify main stops, and travelling paths. We collaborate with the

Department of Engineering Management, Sri Lanka Customs, and some of the key players in the

Logistics and Supply China industry in Sri Lanka. The project activities are handled by one of our

Lecturers, Isuru Rathnasinghe under the guidance of Mr. Namal Bandaranayake and Dr. Asela K.

Kulatunga

mailto:[email protected]

Manufacturing Automation and Robotics

Today, robots excel the operations such as repetitive and high-volume production activities. As the

cost and complexity of automation comparatively goes down, robots are been used even more

frequently and for diverse applications. We expect to set an example of this diversity and

applicability of Robots and Automation.

Autonomous Off-Road Mobile Robot

Outdoor navigation of autonomous vehicles, especially for rough-terrain driving, has already been

a new research focus as they have many applications. This project designs and validates an

Autonomous Off-Road Mobile Robot for the acquisition of environmental data such as humidity,

soil moisture and temperature in any location on a pre-defined path. For the environmental

measurements, suitable sensors will be used. Robot will have higher response rate as the

controller has high processing power. Motion will be precise as the DC servos provide accurate

movements. Motion accuracy will be further increased by rotary encoders. GPS module provides

the real time location. Robot will navigate and measure environmental values autonomously, using

only the pre-defined locations. Dr Dinesh Kodithuwakku supervises this project.

Smart Blind Stick

The main objective of this project is to provide an application for blind people to detect obstacles

such as pits, manholes and stair on the ground to make them free to walk. The conventional and

archaic navigation aids for persons with visual impairments are the walking cane (also called white

cane or stick) and guide dogs which are characterized by many imperfections. The most critical

shortcomings of these aids include: essential skills and training phase, range of motion, and very

insignificant information communicated been communicated. The Blind stick detects obstacles

using ultrasonic sensors and gives response to the blind person via vibratory sensation and

warning sounds. Bluetooth module which can connect to Bluetooth hearing system or smart phone

app can provide navigation aid. The Smart Blind Stick comprises of GPS/GSM modules providing

a facility to find the location of a blind person, who is carrying the smart stick. The project is

supervised by one of our Senior Lectures, Dr Dinesh Kodithuwakku, and the activities are

assigned as student projects.

Life Cycle Assessment and Management

Life Cycle Assessment and Management is one of our leading research groups which already has

its footprint in Manufacturing, Agriculture, construction sectors in Sri Lanka. The group has

widened its scope to Eco-design and Eco innovations, Development of Life Cycle Databases,

Design and Development of Decision Support Systems for LCM. Currently, LCAMRC collaborates

with UNEP SATEC Life Cycle Initiative, UKY-USA, RMIT Australia, IGS-Japan, MPI-New Zealand,

VIT-India. There are a number of on-going researches. The group is headed by Dr. Asela K.

Kulatunga

Sustainable Modular Construction

Using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, this project investigates environmental

sustainability of modern construction practices. With the ever-growing requirements in strict time

limitations and high process efficiencies, the construction industry is keen on adopting new

technologies and processes such as modular construction and 3D printing. These technologies

have evolved over the past years to provide huge cost and time saving and quality improvement.

Maintaining the right structural integrity is imperative to bear the exerting loads on the modular

building.

Despite many benefits, the environmental sustainability of these technologies has not been

thoroughly investigated. Underpinning these significance and research gaps, the current research

aims to develop life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies for modern construction practices,

focusing on modular construction and 3D printing technologies. As a deliverable, this project aims

to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) to evaluate environmental sustainability of modern

construction practices. The project is conducted by one our research assistants Janapriya

Jayawardana, as a full-time Ph.D. programme funded under the Royal Melbourne Institute of

Technology (RMIT) and University of Peradeniya (UOP). The project runs under the supervision of

Dr Asela K. Kulatunga, Dr. J.A.S.C. Jayasinghe of UoP and Prof. Guomin (Kevin) Zhang, School

of Engineering, RMIT and Dr. Malindu Sandanayake, Department of Built Environment, Victoria

University, Melbourne, Australia.

Sustainable New Material

This project aims at developing a biodegradable thermoplastic polymer using locally available

cassava starch sources for various applications. Use of biodegradable polymers in industrial

applications will reduce the usage of petroleum-based plastics. Petroleum-based plastics are non-

biodegradable and harmful to the environment. Starch is a natural polymer that can be used to

prepare biodegradable plastics. Low-maintenance, agricultural crops such as cassava is an

excellent source of starch even though properties of native cassava fail to meet process or product

requirements due to high water absorption and low tensile strength. In order to avoid these

drawbacks, starch can be modified. This project determines the most suitable starch modification

techniques for the preparation of the bioplastics. It will also identify the most appropriate cross

linkers, synthetic and bio-based polymers to improve the properties of cassava starch based

thermoplastics. This will lead to the production of bioplastics that are increasingly competitive and

comparable with petroleum-based plastics. The project is funded by the Accelerating Higher

Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) and the activities are handled by two of our

instructors, Sumedha Amaraweera and Nimesha Fernando. This project is done in collaboration

with the Department of Civil Engineering, UoP and supervised by Dr. W.A. Manamperi, Materials

Engineering Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo,California, USA,

Dr. A. Manipura, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UoP,

Dr. C.A Gunathilake, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,

UoP, and Dr Asela K Kulathunga.

Figures show cassava starch based foam material and thermoplastic pellets

Enhancing Water Efficiency

This project aims at enhancing the water efficiency of one of the main FMCG (Fast Moving

Consumer Goods) manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka by reducing the amount of groundwater

extraction. In order to enhance its environmental sustainability, the manufacturer has taken an

initiative to reduce its Water Footprint (WFP). Currently, its water footprint is significantly high and

this is predominantly contributed by the cleaning process. Groundwater extraction is the main

source of freshwater intake to the factory and this has significantly affected the water table of the

area. Also, water scarcity issues during the dry seasons have led to purchase water from outside

sources, badly affecting the operational cost. Therefore, it is important and timely move to reduce

the groundwater extraction to operate the factory in an environmentally friendly and sustainable

manner. The water consumption patterns have been identified, water audit has been conducted,

water saving options have been proposed, and their validation experiments were done. One of our

instructors Ruwan Hemachandra undertakes the project activities. Project consultants are Dr

Asela K. Kulatunga and Dr Shameen Jinadasa.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Cement Manufacturing

Construction industry in Sri Lanka shows a keen interest in finding greener materials, which is

essential for obtaining green building certification. In this respect, availability of information and

assessment of environmental performance of construction materials is a must. In general, cement

manufacturing involves consumption of high amount of minerals and energy. Also, approximately

5% of global CO2 emissions originates from cement manufacturing. LCA methodology is a

complex scientific methodology, which is to identify and evaluate the environmental impacts of

manufacturing processes. In a sustainability point of view, conducting a LCA for Sri Lankan

Cement Manufacturing is vital and it hasn‘t been done previously. SimaPro commercial LCA

software is used for modelling the cradle-to-gate process of cement manufacturing. The project is

supervised by one of our lecturers, Malan Jayawickrama.

Decision Support System for Eco-Design Based on Life Cycle Management

The Manufacturing industry as a whole is currently facing severe threats to sustaining in the

competitive world due to economic, social and environmental problems. Especially, the impact of

manufacturing industries towards the environment is a substantial issue which has contributed

significantly towards one of the global issues of climate change. In order to improve the

environmental performances of the manufacturing sector, it is important to consider the entire life

cycle of the product since it brings forward the environmental hotspots. Therefore, it is of

paramount importance to conduct a product life cycle assessment. Once environmental hotspots

of the products have been identified, those can be mitigated through next versions of product

designs. The designs or innovations which consider the better environmental performances is

called eco-design/eco-innovations. In order to carry out eco designs, it is required to have

adequate information about the entire product life cycle of the products. However, collection of

information/data of the product is time-consuming and costly operation. In order to maintain better

environmental performances of a product, life cycle management (LCM) of the product also

important. However, when managing the product life cycle there are a number of decisions have to

be taken at different time horizons when dealing with eco design-eco innovations. This cannot be

handled manually due to the complexity of the work. Therefore, it is required to develop a designer

assisting tool. This can be achieved through a decision support tool. This research proposes to

design and develop a Decision support system to Eco-design to LCM of a product. The project is

conducted by our lecturer S. Kamalakkannan and supervised by Dr Asela K. Kulatunga.

LifeCycle

Management

Eco-Design

PDD Based DSS

Product Process System

Input

General PDD

Design & Development Output

IoT based PLCA

LCA IoT

Parameterization

Integrated methodological framework

Product & Process Reengineering

By intergrading various disciplines such as material science, mechanical engineering, and

industrial Engineering, this research cluster aims to support reengineering by identifying process

bottlenecks and the initiatives of market viable products.

Solid Tire Performance Enhancement

In collaboration with a multinational organization, this project aims to develop static and dynamic

analyses using Finite Element (FEM) and Experimental methods to enhance the solid resilience

tire performance. Solid tires are utilized for excessive material handling purposes. They

experience excessive stresses and high internal energy generation. These factors are not easy to

capture using experimental methods due to the high cost involved in complex experimental setup.

Hence, this study focuses on the development of three-dimensional (3D) Finite Element (FE)

model of a three-layered forklift solid resilient tire to investigate characteristics of the tire. The

static model is used to investigate the effect of different loads on deflections and stresses of solid

resilient tire. The dynamic model is used to investigate the tire impact analysis and temperature

variation of the rolling solid resilient tire. The project has resulted in publication of several research

articles. The project is handled by the senior lecturer Pramila Gamage and one of our Research

Assistants, Saranga Premarathna.

Figure shows a Static Analysis of Solid Resilient Tire

Enhancing the formability of sheet materials

Different advanced manufacturing sectors such as automobile and aerospace industries are also

moving for sustainable solutions by doing changes for the products as well as for the

manufacturing processes. Lightweight metals have been used in automobile and aerospace

industries to minimize the body panel weight as a sustainable solution to minimize the fuel

consumption. In collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the automobile

industry, this project investigates the effect of sheet metal forming parameters such as lubricant,

temperature, tool parameters, on the formability of forming aluminium. The project uses Finite

Element Simulation. The outcome will be to use sustainable lubricants at elevated temperature.

The project is led by the senior lecturer Pramila Gamage, and the work has resulted in a number

of publications.

Improving existing cyclone designs

This project uses computational fluid dynamics to modelling and recommending modifications to

reduce the rate of wearing of an existing cyclone design. Our industrial partner uses several types

of cyclone to separate solid particles from gas stream in various stages in their cement

manufacturing process. The wear of the inside walls of cyclones has resulted frequent stops in the

production process. The motivation of this study was to identify possible modifications to the

existing cyclones to minimize the rate of wearing without affecting the production performance. We

first studied the existing cyclones in the factory and compared them with standard cyclone

designs. Then a simulation model for existing cyclone was developed using SOLIDWORKS. Then

CFD simulations were conducted for the design on SOLIDWORKS and ANSYS to identify the

optimum material velocity and cyclone diameter for exciting cyclone design. Further analysis was

conducted to identify potential insulation materials to reduce the wearing rate as possible

modifications. The project is supervised by one of our lecturers, Malan Jayawickrama.

International Collaborations We have taken a number of initiatives to establish research collaborations locally and

internationally, based on DMIE research strategies. We also collaborate with other departments

and faculties to provide an integrated learning experience and to address multidisciplinary

research focus while maintaining the core expertise.

MoU with foreign Universities

University of Southern Denmark

Agriculture University of Tokyo

University of Bremen, Germany

University of Kentucky, USA

IIT – Guwahati, India

University of Bremen, Germany

University of Vytautas

Appointment of an Honorary Visiting Professor

Professor Gamini Dissanayake, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at University of

Technology, Sydney (UTS).

Professor Dissanayake gives a very worthy voluntary contribution to

DMIE in the areas of Autonomous Systems as a visiting professor

during 2020 and 2023. Professor Dissanayake graduated in

Mechanical/Production Engineering from the University of Peradeniya,

Sri Lanka, received his M.Sc. in Machine Tool Technology and Ph.D.

in Mechanical Engineering (Robotics) from the University of

Birmingham, England. Professor Dissanayake taught at University of

Peradeniya, National University of Singapore and University of

Sydney. At UTS, he founded the UTS Centre for Autonomous

Systems. His main contribution to robotics has been in Simultaneous

Localisation and Mapping, which has resulted in one of the most cited

journal publications in robotics. He has also been involved in

developing robots for a range of industry applications including cargo

handling, disaster response, mining, infrastructure maintenance and aged care. We look forward

to get Professor Dissanayake‘s expertise in our ―Factories of the Future‖ project as well.

Improvements of Practical Classes We continuously work on enhancing students learning experience by providing them more active

learning opportunities. Accordingly, we are revising and introducing a series of new practical

sessions.

AR/VR for Manufacturing and Industrial Education

Augmented reality (AR) integrates computer-generated 3D objects into a learner's real

environment. In the recent past, AR applications have been very successfully used in various

educational environments. This project attempts to build our own application of AR learning

system to be used in the practical sessions. A solution has already been developed for the lathe

operation practical classes. The application covers the introduction to the parts of the lathe

machine and an overview of the turning and drilling operations. The ultimate benefit is the ability to

provide the student with a practical experience about the lathe machine as well as about the

AR/VR technologies, even though the student cannot physically present at the university. One of

our instructors Yoshika Alahakoon used her expertise in developing the AR solution.

Hydraulic Training kit

This new training kit aims to provide our students an understanding about the hydraulic control

systems available in the automation industry. With the training kit, students will able to model and

implement hydraulic systems using the hydraulic actuators and various control valves. The

practical has been designed to demonstrate the use of hydraulic systems in the industrial context.

Giving a more practical sense, a demonstration of an aeroplane rudder system has been

arranged. The use of flow directional valves, flow control valves, pressure relief valves, hydraulic

lines, pressure gauges, etc. are being demonstrated in this set-up. Furthermore, the hydraulic set-

up is incorporated with a PLC unit, to automate the operations. Our instructors Hasini

Paranagama, Gihan Lakmal, and Nuwan Dissanayake work on the development of this training kit

under the supervision of Dr Asela K. Kulatunga.

Figure shows the hydraulic training kit. The actuators will be installed on a mock aircraft rudder

system to provide a more applied sense while learning the fundamentals.

PLC Based Conveyor Operations

This trainer kit aims to provide a practical understanding of how to program a PLC. The PLC is

connected to a conveyor that replicates an industrial sorting process. Students use their PLC

programming knowledge to operate the conveyor belt sorting operation using the PLC. This

training kit with the conveyer was developed by Mr. Gihan Lakmal under the supervision of Dr.

Asela K. Kulatunga.

PLC based Pneumatic Operation

Basic Electro-Pneumatics Training kit consists of an air compressor, pneumatic valves, pneumatic

actuators, industrial sensors, a power supply unit and a table top mounting frame. This is used as

a training station for students in order to provide hands on experience on elementary electro-

pneumatic control.

DMIE Webinar Series Launched in 2020 We invite experts in the manufacturing and industrial sector to share knowledge with our students

and staff. There has been a number of Webinars and Workshops conducted by industrial experts

during 2020. Our students and staff have found them very beneficial and were very interactive

during the discussion sessions.

Dr. Chanjief Chandrakumar, Senior Policy Advisor, Government of New Zealand,

How to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals within Planetary Boundaries

Mr. Manoharan Nadarajah, Director of Supply Chain, Coca Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd

Operational Excellence

Dr. Prasanna Illankoon, Researcher, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden

In Search for You and Me: Humans‘ Role in the Industry 4.0

Dr. Buddhika Abeyrathna, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University

The Contribution of the Roll Forming Process to the Future Automotive Industry

Mr. Thomas Sugimoto, Software Product Manager, Rockwell Automation

Marketing and Engineering, Where is the Link?

Dr. Prasad Manorathna, Siemens (UK)

Digitization, Robotics, and Automation for Accelerated Productivity and Growth

Mr. Damith Abeyratne, Factory Manager, Unilever Sri Lanka

Role of an Engineer in Supply Chain

Dr. Fazleena Badurdeen, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kentucky

Path Forward for Sustainable Manufacturing: Strategies for Increasing Value Creation

Dr. Tharanga K. Rajapakshe, Associate Professor, Warrington College of Business Administration, University of Florida

Optimization Theory and Practical Application

DMIE Workshops 2020

Prof. Raimundas Rukuiza, Agriculture Academy of Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania Organized in collaborations with International affairs office of UoP

Advances in Tribology and Material Engineering

Prof Walter Lang, Dept of Electrical Engineering, University of Bremen Germany Dr Kulatunga handing over a token of appreciation to Prof Walter Lang

The ―Intelligent Container‖ — A Sensor Network for Transport Management and Postgraduate Study Opportunities at University of Bremen, Germany Organized in collaborations with International affairs office of UoP

Dr. Sisira Ranatunga, General Manager of Elastomeric Engineering Co.Ltd and fellow of the Plastic and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka Dr. Gayan Aravinda, Abeygunawardane, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa Dr. Malika Perera, Senior Lecturer Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, SLIIT

FEA for Manufacturing engineers (All three speakers are attached to the Finite Element Analysis & Simulation Centre, Sri Lanka)

Publications

Books

1. Jayakrishna, K, Vimal, KEK & Sakthivel, A & Kulatunga, AK & Sultan, MTH & Davim, J 2020,

‗Sustainable Manufacturing for Industry 4.0 - An Augmented Approach‘, CRC Press, Taylor &

Francis group, ISBN: 9781138606845, doi:10.1201/9780429466298

2. Kulatunga, AK 2020, ‗Basics of environmental Life Cycle Assessment and Case studies‘,

Engineering Technology: Introduction to Manufacturing Processors, LAP LAMBERT, ISBN:

978-620-3-19423-4

3. Kulatunga, AK 2019, ―Engineering Technology: Industrial and Manufacturing Processors – (for

Advance Level technology stream - Sinhala Medium) ISBN: 978-624-96798-0-1

4. Kulatunga, AK 2019 ‗Industrial Safety and Quality standards – (for Engineering Technology

Bachelors candidates and Advance Level students), ISBN: 978-624-96798-1-8

5. Kulatunga, AK 2019 ‗Introduction to techno Entrepreneurship – (for Engineering Technology

Bachelors candidates and Advance Level students, ISBN 978-624-96798-2-5

Book Chapters

1. Hippola, HMSS, Jayasooriya, EMSD, Jayasiri, GP, Randil, C, Perera, C, Sylva, KKK,

Kulatunga, AK, Bandara, CS, Siriwardena, CSA and Dissanayake, PBR 2020, ‗Gaps in the

Evacuation of People with Special Needs During Coastal Disasters in Sri Lanka‘, Lecture

Notes in Civil Engineering, Springerlink Publishers Editors: Dissanayake, Ranjith, Mendis,

Priyan (Eds.) doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-9749-3_5.

2. Hippola, HMSS, Jayasooriya, EMSD, Jayasiri, GP, Randil, C, Perera, C, Sylva, KKK,

Kulatunga, AK, Bandara, CS, Siriwardena, CSA and Dissanayake, PBR 2020, ‗Gap

Assessment of Warning and Dissemination Process of Early Warning System in Coastal Areas

of Sri Lanka‘, Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Springerlink Publishers Editors: Dissanayake,

Ranjith, Mendis, Priyan (Eds.), ISBN: 978-3-540-73373-7

Journal Articles

3. Kulatunga, AK & Pieris, RL, ‗Environmental sustainability benchmarking of roof type using life

cycle assessment‘, International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing - Pending publication

4. Gunawardene, OHP, Gunathilake, CA, Amaraweera, APSM, Fernando, NML, Manipura, A,

Manamperi, W. A, Kulatunga, AK, Rajapaksha, SM, Gamage, A, Dassanayake, RS,

Weerasekara, BGND, Fernando PNK & Chakrawarthige, F 2021, ‗Removal of Pb(II) ions from

aqueous solution using modified starch‘, Journal of Composites Science - Under review

5. Wickramaratne, KSL & Kulatunga, AK 2020, ‗Building life cycle assessement to evaluate

environment sustainability of residential building‘, Engineer: Journal of the Institution of

Engineers – October Issue, 2020.

6. Kulatunga, AK, Peiris, RL & Kamalakkannan, S 2020, ‗Evaluation of Environment

Sustainability of Clay Roof Tiles Manufacturing Practices in Sri Lanka using LCA Technique‘,

Engineer: Journal of the Institution of Engineers - October Issue, 2020.

7. Perera, C, Jayasooriya, D, Jayasiri, G, Randil, C, Bandara, C, Siriwardana, C, Dissanayake, R,

Hippola, S, Sylva, K, Kamalrathne, T & Kulatunga, AK 2020, ‗Evaluation of gaps in early

warning mechanisms and evacuation procedures for coastal communities in Sri Lanka‘,

International journal of disaster resilience in the built environment, vol.11, no.3, pp. 415–433,

doi: 10.1108/IJDRBE-07-2019-0048

8. Kamalakkannan, S, Kulatunga, AK & Kassel, NC 2020, ‗Environmental and social

sustainability of SriLankan tea industry in the wake of global market challenges‘, International

Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, vol.4, nos.2/3/4, pp.379–395, doi: 10.1504/IJSM.2020.

107129

9. Kandasamy, J, Vimal, KEK, Medha, V, Shubham, J & Kulatunga, AK 2020, ‗Fostering

systematic eco innovation in an Industrial symbiosis environment using DEMATEL‘,

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, vol.34, no. 1, pp. 20-42, doi:

10.1504/IJISE.2020.104314

10. Kamalakkannan, S, Kulatunga, AK & Bandara, LADAD 2020, ‗The conceptual framework of

IoT based decision support system for life cycle management‘, Procedia Manufacturing, vol.

43, pp.423-430, doi: 10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.192

11. Premarathna, W. A. A. S., Jayasinghe, J. A. S. C. , Ranatunga, R. R. M. S. K. (2020). High

Fidelity Numerical Simulation of Non-Pneumatic Tire. Journal of the Plastics and Rubber

Institute of Sri Lanka, 2020.

12. Premarathna, W. A. A. S. , Jayasinghe, J. A. S. C. , Wijesundara, K. K. , Gamage, P.,

Ranatunga, R. R. M. S. K. (2019) High Fidelity Numerical Simulation of Non-Pneumatic Tire‖.

Journal of the Plastics and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka.

Conference Proceedings

1. Amaraweera, A.P.S.M., Gunathilake, C.A., Manamperi, W.A., Fernando, N.M.L., Gamage, A.,

Manipura, A. (2019, December). Comparison of acid hydrolysis and microwave heating on the

mechanical properties of cassava starch based thermoplastic. ICSECM 2019: 10th

International Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction Management, Earl's

Regency Hotel, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

2. Amaraweera, A.P.S.M., Manipura, W.M.J.A.S.B., Manamperi, W.A., Gunathilake, C.A. (2019,

September). A review: Fractionation methods of starch components (Amylose and Amylopectin)

for industrial applications. iPURSE 2019: Peradeniya university International research

sessions, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanaka.

3. Fernando, N.M.L., Amaraweera, A.P.S.M., Manamperi, W.A., Manipura, W.M.J.A.S.B.,

Gunathilake, C.A. (2019, December). Effect of CaCO3 and MgO Nanoparticles on mechanical

properties of cassava based thermoplastics. ICSECM 2019: 10th International Conference on

Structural Engineering and Construction Management, Earl's Regency Hotel, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

4. Fernando, N.M.L., Manamperi, W.A., Manipura, W.M.J.A.S.B., Gunathilake, C.A. (2019,

September). Recent developments in extrusion of Bio-based Thermoplastic Material. iPURSE

2019: Peradeniya University International research sessions, Faculty of Agriculture, University

of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

5. Meragalge, M. L., Gamage, P. & Nanayakkara, N. K. B. M. P. (2019) Full Factorial Design of

Experiment Approach to Quantify the Effect of Forming Parameters on Wrinkling Effect of Deep

Drawn Cylindrical Cups. Paper was presented at the Industrial Engineering and Engineering

Management (IEEM), 2019 IEEE International Conference, Macau.

6. Meragalge, M. L., Gamage, P. & Nanayakkara, N. K. B. M. P. (2020) Enhancing the Formability

Property of AA 2014 T6 Aluminium Sheet Materials to use in Automotive Body Parts

Manufacturing Process. Paper will be presented at the National Engineering Research

Symposium (NERS), December, 2020, Colombo.

7. Premarathna, W. A. A. S. , Jayasinghe, J. A. S. C., Wijesundara, K. K., Ranatunga, R. R. M. S.

K. (2020) High-Fidelity Finite Element Modelling and Simulation of Solid Resilient Tire:

Application to Forklift Solid Resilient Tire, International Research Conference on Industrial

Engineering and Engineering Management – IEEM, 2020.

8. Premarathna, W. A. A. S. , Jayasinghe, J. A. S. C., Wijesundara, K. K., Ranatunga, R. R. M. S.

K., Senanayake, C. D. (2020) Performance Comparison of Solid Tires and Non-Pneumatic

Tires Using Finite Element Method: Application to Military Vehicles‖. International Research

Conference, Kotelawala defence university, Sri Lanka

Infrastructure Development

Since the renovation of the DMIE laboratory in 2018, there has been a rapid development

in the infrastructure. Within the DMIE environment, we want our students to experience

the state-of-the-art technology, before they go to the industry. Our junior and technical

staff has been very active in the infrastructure development projects under the leadership

of Head of the Department Dr. Asela K. Kulatunga.

Modem Machinery Lab Metrology Lab

Manufacturing Automaton Lab Robotics and CIM Lab

Innovation and Additive Manufacturing Lab

Computing and Simulation Lab

Sustainable Design and Manufacturing Lab

Technology in Move We embed novel technology in to the regular work in the DMIE. Apart from the directions to setup

laboratories with the latest technologies available in the industry, we bought new technology in to

the office environment. Most importantly, these technology solutions are taught in the degree

programme, and the students are able to see the real word applications right here at the

department. The motivation is to help students and staff to feel what is happening out there in the

industry, and to bring them to a phase where they work with innovative and open mind sets.

ERP System for DMIE

The inbuilt, fully fledged Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is able to handle information

related to students, resources, maintenances, HR and Finance. Each student has a tab about their

involvement in achieving the programme objectives. The ERP system provides a facility to

schedule maintenance work of the machines at the DMIE and to keep a track on their progress.

The ERP system also provides a series of functions to monitor and allocate the department

resources and facilities more efficiently. For example, the staff can reserve the facilities directly

through this ERP system. Keeping the financial accounts and managing the cash flow can also be

done using the ERP system. The system is currently developed by one of our instructors,

Madushan Jayawardane with the guidance of Ms. Maheesha Amarasinghe and Dr. Asela K.

Kulatunga.

Library Management System for DMIE

The project aimed at establishing a department library and building a library management system

to track and issues books to the undergraduate and postgraduate students. The project already

delivered a library management system as a desktop application, an online library book searching

app, and a book tracking and due book alert system. The application is synchronized with a

database which is on the university server. Students can search and reserve the books through

the application or from the DMIE website without visiting the department All the books and users

are handled with an intergraded barcode system. The system automatically sends users reminding

emails once the returning dates are closer. Our instructor, Madushan Jayawardane is currently

working on introducing a web-based solution to manage the DMIE library under the perview of Ms.

Subodha Dhsrmapriya and Dr. Asela K. Kulatunga.

We very much acknowledge the donation of books by;

Mr Anurudda Rathninde,Chairman, Aptiv Electric System Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China.

Dr Senevi Kiridena, School of MMMB, Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences,

University of Wollongong, Australia.

Prof. Chelliiah Sriskandakumar Texas A&M College Station, USA

Enhancing the DMIE Quality Assurance

This project aims at developing and maintaining good practices to establish a quality culture within

the department with an enhanced teaching, research and administration. We want to adapt

internationally recognized engineering education best practices and establish a quality culture

within the department with a robust quality assurance process. This will ensure that the degree

programme is designed and delivered based on national requirements and guidelines while

adhering to international frameworks. We maintain close liaison with the Quality Assurance Cell of

the UGC, the University, faculty, and other local and international professional bodies such as

IESL for the execution of relevant assessments and accreditation while implementing their

recommendations. Our lecturer, Thilini Ranasinghe has been actively contributing to this work with

the guidance of the Head of the Department Dr Asela K. Kulatunga.

Upgrading the Automation and Robotics Labs Despite being equipped with worthy resources, we often find the challenges to keep them updated

with the phase of technological development. We use our internal expertise to upgrade our

resources with the minimum cost.

Automated Production Cell

During a recent trouble shooting event led by our research assistant Nuwan Dissanayaka, we

were able to repair and upgrade our worthy automated production cell that comprises of two

robots, CNC turning centre, and a conveyor. With the upgraded IO cards installed, now the cell is

in full operations. We plan to introduce a new elective course in Industrial Robotics by utilising the

facilities of the upgraded lab.

The CIM unit is designed to demonstrate computer integration of a small-scale manufacturing

system. The unit consists of a small-scale CNC machining center, two Mitsubishi robots with

independent control, conveyor with an integrated PLC control unit and a demonstration program.

The unit is now back in operation as our local experts have been able to upgrade the interfacing

modules.

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) Cell Back in Operation

Student-Staff Liaison Activities Manufacturing Engineering Association (MEA) is the student wing of Manufacturing and Industrial

Engineering department. The society consists of all the academic staff, students of the second

year, third year and final year of the Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering department.

Currently we are renowned as one of the most active student societies of Faculty of Engineering.

Under the scope of the MEA we are committed to develop the technical, academic and soft skills.

―Our main goal is perfection of our students‖

The MEA organizes various events such as

workshops and training, competitions, special

events, fund raising, and field visits. In 2019,

the second-year field visit was completed to

orange Pvt Ltd.

The IoT based workshop series was held in 2019.

The main targeted crowd of the workshop was the

new comers to the department. The main intension

of the workshop series was to familiarize the new

comers with the concept of industry 4.0.

Empowering with the technical knowledge which is

essential for their future carrier was another

intended outcome of this programme.

An IoT based competition was also held targeting the

newcomers. Integration of pneumatic systems with the

IoT based environment was the basic task offered to

the competitors. Groups of three members took part in

the competition. At the initial stage they were guided to

activate a pneumatic rejecting system based on Arduino

and ultra-sonic sensor inputs. In the second stage they

were tasked to develop the IoT platform to identify and

record the defect products of a virtual production line.

The annual soft cricket encounter was held on 30th,

June 2019 at the university track and field grounds.

The teams representing all the batches as well the

academic staff joined the cricket tournament. The

intension of the cricket tournament was to develop

the friendly the relation among the students as well

as between students and staff.

The welcome for the newcomers was held

after the MEA cricket match on 30th, June

2019. Newcomers got the opportunity to

interact with the senior students and the

academic staff. Two representatives from the

alumni of the department were present at the

occasion to share their experience with

younger brothers and sisters following their

footsteps. One representative was a former

MEA junior president and was currently

employed in MAS. The other was from

Noritake Lanka Porcelein located at Matale.

The pirith ceremony and the almsgiving

programme were held on 27th and 28th, July

2019 at the department premises. The

entire event was organized and

coordinated by the MEA. The event was

organized in memorial of late prof.

Ranathunga.

Student Mentorship Programme DMIE with the collaboration of the Manufacturing Engineering Association wishes to organize a

‗Student Mentoring Programme‘ as a new initiative with the main intention of creating a platform for

the department undergraduates to interact with the professional individuals who have excelled in

the industry and with the ultimate goal of providing a successful

career path to all the undergraduates. In the meantime, this

programme would provide an opportunity for the mentors to blend

with the younger generation as well. As a department, we strongly

believe that this programme will implement a smooth transition for

undergraduates when moving from the university to the corporate

world. Students will be grouped four members each and shall meet

6 mentors covering different areas of expertise in the manufacturing

and industrial engineering domain. Students will be allocated to

groups and mentors based on their passionate areas as in the 3rd

year level. However, more experienced mentors will be assigned

mainly from those who have industrial experience between 10-15

years. Through this programme, students will get the opportunity to

interact with the mentor to develop/enhance their goals, career

objectives related to passionate areas through virtual sessions with

a predefined outline for each session. This programme is

coordinated by our lecturer Malan Jayawickrama

Human Resources

Farewell to Professor Susantha Pathirana Farewell to honour the service and contribution of Prof. SD Pathirana, One of the Eminent

Professors from DMIE was held on 25th Of September 2020. The event was organized by the

Staff members and students of the DMIE and participated by the Dean of the Faculty of

Engineering, Department heads and Senior lecturers and academic staff, workshop members and

many students.

The farewell party to Professor Susantha Pathirana.

DMIE Staff Outreach Activities and Awards 1. Feb 2020 - Mr. Dharshana Atauda was selected for a study tour to Japan on Industrial Robotics

funded by JICA Japan.

2. March 2020 - Dr. Asela K. Kulatunga was selected to deliver an invited talk at the 7th

International Forum on Sustainable

Manufacturing at the University of

Kentucky, USA (The event was postponed

to 2021 due to COVID 19)

3. Dr. Asela K. Kulatunga was selected for

the Staff Mobility programme under

Erasmus + STA programme as a visiting

teacher to the Agriculture Academy of

Vytautas Magnus University (VMU-AA) in

Kaunas, Lithuania in Feb 2020

4. Dr Asela K. Kulathunga was awarded as

the outstanding Green Professional of the Year 2020 by the Green Building Council of Sri Lanka.

New Staff from Diverse Backgrounds We aim at recruiting highly qualified academic staff with foreign postgraduate qualifications in

diverse disciplines related to DMIE. Accordingly, four staff members have been recruited since

early 2020.

Dr. Dinesh Kodithuwakku currently working as a Senior lecturer at the DMIE. He received his bachelor‘s degree and master‘s degree from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka in 2013 and 2015 respectively. He has completed his Ph.D. in the Graduate School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, Japan and he has worked as a cooperative researcher in Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology. His research interests include Haptics, Motion control, Parameter identification and Robotics.

Ms Maheesha Amarasena completed her B.Sc in Engineering specialized in Production Engineering at the faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Sri

Lanka in the year 2009. Just after graduation she joined Brandix Casualwear Ltd. as a Graduate Trainee & later performed her duties as a Planning Executive. In 2015,

she joined SQ Celsius Ltd. in Bangladesh & worked in the capacity of Planning Manager & later performed her duties as the Head of Planning until 2020. Currently

she is working as a Temporary Lecturer in the DMIE.

Mr. S.Kamalakkannan graduated in B.Sc. Production Engineering from the University of Peradeniya in 2018. Mr. S.Kamalakkannan is presently reading for his MPhil degree in Sustainable Manufacturing through the Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering Department at University of Peradeniya. His expertise includes Sustainable Manufacturing, Engineering Design, Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM), Production Planning and Control, and Additive Manufacturing.

Isuru Rathnasinghe completed his B.Sc. Engineering degree specialized in Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, University of

Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in the year 2020. Just after graduation, he joined the Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering as a Temporary Lecturer.

His research interests are related to IoT and Data sciences for industrial applications.

Subodha Dharmapriya joined the Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering in December 2019. She received the BSc degree in production engineering and the MPhil degree in operations research from the University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka in 2008 and 2013, respectively. Subodha is completing her PhD degree in engineering management with the University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia. Her research interests include logistics, supply network modelling, optimisation and operations management.

Dr Prasanna Illankoon is currently working as a senior lecturer at the DMIE. He holds a Bachelor‘s degree in Production Engineering from the University of Peradeniya and an

MBA in Management of Technology from the University of Moratuwa. He obtaned his PhD from the University of Luleå, Sweden in early 2020. Prasanna collaborated with

Saab aircraft support solutions and Luleå Railway Research Centre in Sweden. Prasanna holds over 12 years of engineering and management experience in the

manufacturing industry. Prasanna is a certified coach for Enterprise LeanSigma as well as a TPM practitioner accredited to JIPM.

Our Future We continue to be recognized as the centre of excellence in higher education in the field of

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering.

Increasing Our Visibility We want be more visible within the local and international communities and

industries. We encourage our students and staff members to represent and present

their works in local, international competitions, conferences, journals etc. We have

planned and facilitated increase in publications. We also continue to host professional

events such as conferences, symposia in collaboration with global societies such as

IEOM, POMS, IISE and CILT, CiRP etc. We are reaching more international

associations in our domain.

Extension of the Department Building Three story building by extending the existing building has been planned. This new area will be

used mainly for new labs and staff rooms, Student centred learning environments, and industry

collaboration labs

Improving the Degree Programmes We plan to increase student intake for the undergraduate programme up to 80 by 2025. We will

focus more on the Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering as well as incorporate Nano

Manufacturing domain. Addressing the growing interest and demand we will also develop a

Postgraduate programme in Industrial Engineering

Factories of the Future The world outside us is fast changing. There is a very rapid progression in the industries in the

west with the fourth industrial revolution. We want to collaborate with industries to introduce

futuristic technologies such as customer focused, human centred smart manufacturing and to

promote collaboration and cooperation between the different supply chains. We will take a lead in

industrial clustering, identifying opportunities for "factories of the future" and be a catalyst for

initiating the industry transformation in a phase that is suitable to the national context. We will

identify technological skills related gaps and recommend suitable development programmes to the

industry.

Partners & Sponsors

Department of Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering

Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya



DMIE Annual Report 2020 - ac

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