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Article
Publication date: 16 January 2017

Xuan Song, Zeyu Chen, Liwen Lei, Kirk Shung, Qifa Zhou and Yong Chen

Conventional machining methods for fabricating piezoelectric components such as ultrasound transducer arrays are time-consuming and limited to relatively simple geometries. The…

1169

Abstract

Purpose

Conventional machining methods for fabricating piezoelectric components such as ultrasound transducer arrays are time-consuming and limited to relatively simple geometries. The purpose of this paper is to develop an additive manufacturing process based on the projection-based stereolithography process for the fabrication of functional piezoelectric devices including ultrasound transducers.

Design/methodology/approach

To overcome the challenges in fabricating viscous and low-photosensitive piezocomposite slurry, the authors developed a projection-based stereolithography process by integrating slurry tape-casting and a sliding motion design. Both green-part fabrication and post-processing processes were studied. A prototype system based on the new manufacturing process was developed for the fabrication of green-parts with complex shapes and small features. The challenges in the sintering process to achieve desired functionality were also discussed.

Findings

The presented additive manufacturing process can achieve relatively dense piezoelectric components (approximately 95 per cent). The related property testing results, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, dielectric and ferroelectric properties as well as pulse-echo testing, show that the fabricated piezo-components have good potentials to be used in ultrasound transducers and other sensors/actuators.

Originality/value

A novel bottom-up projection system integrated with tape casting is presented to address the challenges in the piezo-composite fabrication, including small curing depth and viscous ceramic slurry recoating. Compared with other additive manufacturing processes, this method can achieve a thin recoating layer (as small as 10 μm) of piezo-composite slurry and can fabricate green parts using slurries with significantly higher solid loadings. After post processing, the fabricated piezoelectric components become dense and functional.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 6 January 2021

Liukai Wang, Fu Jia, Lujie Chen, Qifa Xu and Xiao Lin

This study aims to explore the dependence structure among Chinese firms across the emerging 5G industry at different stages and to provide some strategic insights for market…

620

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the dependence structure among Chinese firms across the emerging 5G industry at different stages and to provide some strategic insights for market participants.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopt macroeconomic fundamentals and the log-returns of 45 listed firms in the Chinese 5G industry to construct the weighted adjacency matrix by measuring the correlation parameters and then use the triangulated maximally filtered graph (TMFG) algorithm to construct the dependence network. It analyses the topological structure of the constructed networks to obtain the dependence characteristics for each firm in the whole industrial supply chain at different levels.

Findings

The empirical results provide a comprehensive and concise snapshot of the industrial structure, across the whole 5G industry at different levels, rather than just a “one-to-one” pattern. Specifically, the dependence characteristics of different firms are heterogeneous, and most firms are highly connected with partners in the whole industrial supply chain, whereas a few firms that are weakly connected. Those closely connected firms are usually in the midstream. In addition, compared with firms at different levels, downstream firms usually have closer dependencies and stronger influence capabilities.

Practical implications

Regulators not only should promote stability development for those firms most intensely connected with whole industry chain but also protect those firms with weak link in the whole industry chain. Investors should better understand the embedded ties among different firms to obtain effective market information and can select multiple firms with fewer connections as backup to conduct joint investment for risk mitigation. Mangers should give priority to the central players/firms in the whole industrial supply chain and establish the alliances with closely connected firms.

Originality/value

This study contributes to both the information system and operation management literature by constructing a new network method, Copula-TMFG, to capture the dependence structure among Chinese firms in 5G industry, empirically providing some strategic insights for 5G industry stakeholders, such as regulators, investors and managers.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 121 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 12 March 2021

Liukai Wang, Ji Yan, Xiaohong Chen and Qifa Xu

The purpose of this study is to bridge the gap in the literature on supply chain finance (SCF) by exploring the relationship between network capabilities and corporate financial…

1350

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to bridge the gap in the literature on supply chain finance (SCF) by exploring the relationship between network capabilities and corporate financial performance (CFP) in financial supply chains (FSCs).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collect panel data and adopt regression analysis to analyse the joint investment activities among 1359 manufacturing firms and 289 financial service providers in China to explore how network capabilities, both network power and network centrality, improve CFP in the FSCs.

Findings

Under the FSCs environments, network centrality (i.e. eigenvector centrality, closeness centrality and betweenness centrality) raises CFP (ROA, ROE and Tobin's Q) and network power (node degree, clustering coefficient) also improves CFP. However, node strength from the network power stream has a negative effect on Tobin's Q, indicating that when the partner of a firm has an extremely strong influence in FSCs; this weakens the bargaining ability and flexibility of the focal firm, thus reducing its long-term financial performance.

Practical implications

The joint investment activities among supply chain partners and financial service providers help managers understand the advanced financing solutions generated by internal and external network organisations as well as be aware of network capabilities' impact on CFP in FSCs.

Originality/value

This study answers the call for more empirical research on SCF to provide a broader sample to examine financial supply chain management. This is one of the earliest studies to shed light on a new perspective – how network capabilities improve CFP in the FSCs.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 41 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 2 November 2015

Longwei Tian, Yucheng Ma, Wei Hu and Yuan Li

This paper aims to, from a Taoism perspective, one of Chinese inveterate cultures and mindsets, add knowledge into how Chinese indigenous cultures and mindsets will affect the way…

552

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to, from a Taoism perspective, one of Chinese inveterate cultures and mindsets, add knowledge into how Chinese indigenous cultures and mindsets will affect the way of Chinese people perceive and process guanxi. Specifically, this paper outlines the mechanism of guanxi from a culture perspective. Cultures significantly affect local people behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-methods survey (Study 1) – analyzed with one-way ANOVA – and interview (Study 2) – analyzed with grounded theory – were used to answer the research questions. In total, 248 surveys were collected for Study 1, and 34 interviews for Study 2 that were transcribed into a word file, which consists of 609 pages with 327,463 Chinese characters, were processed.

Findings

The findings show that guanxi is determined by positive and negative forces between instrumental and affective components. Further, two essential conditions – fitness of personality and clear contract, which would determine when a positive or negative force would emerge in a guanxi – were identified.

Originality/value

The main contribution is that this paper clarifies the guanxi mechanism based upon one of the most significant Chinese cultures and mindsets. Or guanxi is viewed from a new perspective – how Taoism affects Chinese people’s perception and evaluation of guanxi. This paper also finds evidence for the main arguments based upon the two studies.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 41 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 23 August 2011

Cailing Wang, Chunxia Zhao and Jingyu Yang

Positioning is a key task in most field robotics applications but can be very challenging in GPS‐denied or high‐slip environments. The purpose of this paper is to describe a…

306

Abstract

Purpose

Positioning is a key task in most field robotics applications but can be very challenging in GPS‐denied or high‐slip environments. The purpose of this paper is to describe a visual odometry strategy using only one camera in country roads.

Design/methodology/approach

This monocular odometery system uses as input only those images provided by a single camera mounted on the roof of the vehicle and the framework is composed of three main parts: image motion estimation, ego‐motion computation and visual odometry. The image motion is estimated based on a hyper‐complex wavelet phase‐derived optical flow field. The ego‐motion of the vehicle is computed by a blocked RANdom SAmple Consensus algorithm and a maximum likelihood estimator based on a 4‐degrees of freedom motion model. These as instantaneous ego‐motion measurements are used to update the vehicle trajectory according to a dead‐reckoning model and unscented Kalman filter.

Findings

The authors' proposed framework and algorithms are validated on videos from a real automotive platform. Furthermore, the recovered trajectory is superimposed onto a digital map, and the localization results from this method are compared to the ground truth measured with a GPS/INS joint system. These experimental results indicate that the framework and the algorithms are effective.

Originality/value

The effective framework and algorithms for visual odometry using only one camera in country roads are introduced in this paper.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 38 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

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