bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Top surface quality research for direct metal laser fabrication
Authors: Yang Jialin , Ouyang Hongwu , Xu Chao , Wang Yang 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the stability and properties of the direct metal laser fabrication (DMLF) process, by putting forward top surface quality (TSQ), which could be a unique and crucially important feature compared with traditional manufacturing methods.Design/methodology/approachThrough the systematic and detailed analysis of DMLF process using related theories of additive manufacturing technologies, it was revealed that TSQ was the key factor for controlling the stability of DMLF process and thus tailoring final properties of metallic parts. Only good TSQ can ensure the stability of DMLF process and excellent performance of metal parts in theory.FindingsTSQ was defined as the surface morphology in macro and micro scopes in laser scanning area of unit layers during DMLF, and could be characterized by three key elements: flatness, compactness and cleanliness. The flatness was the significant factor to assure the shaping during DMLF, while the compactness and cleanliness were the decisive factors to assure the final properties of metal part for DMLF. As an example, the typical top surface defects and their contributing factors in DMLF for Cu‐based metal powder mixtures were investigated thoroughly according to the proposed definition and requirements. Moreover, the specific controlling methods of TSQ were provided and discussed. Eventually, DMLF of three‐dimensional Cu‐based metal sample with complicate structure was successfully performed by taking some effective measures for adjusting TSQ parameters.Originality/valueFew comprehensive investigations have been carried out on this topic. The definition and evaluation methods of TSQ for DMLF have been introduced for the first time in the present paper.
Experimental design approach to optimize selective laser melting of martensitic 17‐4 PH powder: part I – single laser tracks and first layer
Authors: Averyanova M. , Cicala E. , Bertrand Ph. , Grevey Dominique 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of main process parameters of selective laser melting (SLM) technology on single lines and single layers manufactured from 17‐4 PH martensitic powder using the experimental design approach.Design/methodology/approachA fractional factorial approach has been applied to vary and to identify the optimal set of process parameters using three different powder particle size distributions for 17‐4 PH steel. This paper assesses the impact of influence factors such as process and material parameters on objective factors such as dimension of single lines and single layers, as well as surface roughness.FindingsThe influence of process parameters and materials properties on single line and single layer manufacture is shown and proved statistically. The effect of each process parameter and their interactions on single layer and single line stability and quality has been investigated, and a complex objective function analyzing geometrical stability of single lines has been proposed. The findings indicate the most appropriate 17‐4 PH powder particle size distribution.Originality/valueThe research provides a systematic scientific approach using fractional factorial experiment design to identify the influence of process parameters, materials parameters and their combinations on essential martensitic steels (17‐4 PH steel) single lines and single layers characteristics such as geometrical stability and surface roughness. This approach will be extended to 3D parts fabrication and reported in a later paper.
Effect of process parameters on the morphological and mechanical properties of 3D Bioextruded poly(ε‐caprolactone) scaffolds
Authors: Domingos M. , Chiellini F. , Gloria A. , Ambrosio L. , Bartolo P. , Chiellini E. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to report a detailed study regarding the influence of process parameters on the morphological/mechanical properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds manufactured by using a novel extrusion‐based system that is called BioExtruder.Design/methodology/approachIn this study the authors focused investigations on four parameters, namely the liquefier temperature (LT), screw rotation velocity (SRV), deposition velocity (DV) and slice thickness (ST). Scaffolds were fabricated by employing three different values of each parameter. Through a series of trials, scaffolds were manufactured varying iteratively one parameter while maintaining constant the other ones. The morphology of the structures was investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), whilst the mechanical performance was assessed though compression tests.FindingsExperimental results highlight a direct influence of the process parameters on the PCL scaffolds properties. In particular, DV and SRV have the highest influence in terms of road width (RW) and consequently on the porosity and mechanical behaviour of the structures.Research limitations/implicationsThe effect of process and design parameters on the biological response of scaffolds is currently under investigation.Originality/valueThe output of this work provides a major insight into the effect of process parameters on the morphological/mechanical properties of PCL scaffolds. Moreover, the potential and feasibility of this novel extrusion‐based system open a new opportunity to study how structural features may influence the characteristics and performances of the scaffolds, enabling the development of integrated biomechanical models that can be used in CAD systems to manufacture customized structures for tissue regeneration.
Fabrication of a bio‐inspired beta‐Tricalcium phosphate/collagen scaffold based on ceramic stereolithography and gel casting for osteochondral tissue engineering
Authors: Bian Weiguo , Li Dichen , Lian Qin , Li Xiang , Zhang Weijie , Wang Kunzheng , Jin Zhongmin 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to fabricate and characterize osteochondral beta‐tricalcium phosphate/collagen scaffold with bio‐inspired design by ceramic stereolithography (CSL) and gel casting.Design/methodology/approachHistological analysis was applied to explore the morphological characteristics of the transitional structure between the bone and the cartilage. The acquired data were used to design biomimetic biphasic scaffolds, which include the bone phase, cartilage phase, and their transitional structure. The engineered scaffolds were fabricated from β‐TCP‐collagen by CSL and gel casting. The cartilage phase was added to the ceramic phase by gel‐casting and freeze drying.FindingsThe resulting ceramic scaffolds were composed of a bone phase with the following properties: 700‐900 μm pore size, 200‐500 μm interconnected pores size, 50‐65 percent porosity, fully interconnected, ∼12 Mpa compressive strength. A suitable binding force between cartilage phase and ceramic phase was achieved by physical locking that was created by the biomimetic transitional structure. Cellular evaluation showed satisfactory results.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is the first try to apply CSL to fabricate biological implants with β‐TCP and type‐I collagen. There are still some defects in the composition of the slurry and the fabrication process.Practical implicationsThis strategy of osteochondral scaffold fabrication can be implemented to construct an osteochondral complex that is similar to native tissue.Originality/valueThe CSL technique is highly accurate, as well as biologically secure, when fabricating ceramic tissue engineering scaffolds and may be a promising method to construct hard tissue with delicate structures. The present strategy enhances the versatility of scaffold fabrication by RP.
Selective laser melting (SLM) of gold (Au)
Authors: Khan Mushtaq , Dickens Phill 
Published: January 2012

PurposeDifferent metals have been processed using laser‐based solid freeform fabrication (SFF) processes but very little work has been published on the selective laser melting (SLM) of gold (Au). The purpose of this paper is to check the properties of gold powder and identify suitable processing parameters for SLM of 24 carat gold powder.Design/methodology/approachA full factorial approach was used to vary the processing parameters and identify suitable processing region for gold powder. The effects of laser processing parameters on the internal porosity of the multi‐layer parts were examined.FindingsThe gold powder was found to be cohesive in nature with apparent and tap densities of 9.3 and 10.36 g/cm3, respectively. The reflectance of gold powder was found to be 85 per cent in the infrared range. A very narrow good melting region was identified for gold powder. The balling phenomenon was observed at both low and high scan speeds. The size of droplets in the balling region tended to increase with increasing laser power and decreasing scan speeds. The porosity in gold multi‐layer parts was found to be the minimum for a laser power of 50 W and scan speed of 65 mm/s where most of the porosity was found to be inter‐layer porosity.Originality/valueThis research is the first of its kind directly processing 24 carat gold using SLM, identifying the suitable processing parameters and its effect on the internal porosity and structure of multi‐layer parts.
Gender and business ownership: questioning “what” and “why”
Authors: Díaz‐García M. Cristina , Brush Candida 
Published: January 2012

PurposeTo date, comparisons of performance in male and female businesses show contradictory results, although the majority of evidence is drawn from Anglo‐Saxon countries. This study aims to explore the effects of gender on business performance in a sample of Spanish firms.Design/methodology/approachThis paper extends previous work with a quantitative analysis of effects of gender on performance. In‐depth interviews yield insights on how gender impacts performance.FindingsThe quantitative analysis shows that gender has a simple effect on performance, but it is less robust when other factors are included in the model. Furthermore, this relationship is more complex, since gender has an indirect and moderating effect on performance. The results indicate possible sources of gender differences and suggest factors that require further investigation with a qualitative approach. This analysis expands our understanding in two ways: first, by suggesting that we have to make sense of businesses through another lens, and second, by implying that we have to be aware that we can find heterogeneity among women.Research limitations/implicationsPerformance differences are due to differences in women's assessment of performance and/or their socio‐economic positioning. The premises of mainstream theories should be questioned in order to develop gender research.Originality/valueThe study answers the call of using mixed methods to gain insights that lead to a cumulative knowledge in this area.
Cases of start‐up financing
Authors: Atherton Andrew 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis paper seeks to understand the dynamics of new venture financing across 20 business start‐ups.Design/methodology/approachA total of 20 cases were explored, via initial discussions with the founder(s), and follow‐up contact to confirm sources of financing acquired during new venture creation. This approach was adopted because of the challenges associated with acquiring full details of start‐up financing, and in particular informal forms of new venture financing.FindingsSignificant variation in, and scale of, new venture financing was identified. In multiple cases, funding patterns did not tally with established explanations of small business financing.Research limitations/implicationsThe primary limitation of the analysis is the focus on a small number of individual cases. Although this allowed for more detailed analysis, it does not make the findings applicable across the small business population as a whole. New ventures acquired very different forms of finance, and in different configurations or “bundles”, so creating a wide range of start‐up financing patterns and overall levels of capitalisation. This suggests that multiple factors influence founder decisions on start‐up funding acquisition. It also indicates the wide divergence between highly capitalised and under‐capitalised start‐ups.Practical implicationsMany of the new ventures were started with low levels of capitalisation, which as the literature suggests is a strong determinant of reduced prospects for survival. This suggests a possible “financing deficit”, rather than gap, for a proportion of business start‐ups.Originality/valueThe paper provides an alternative methodology for considering new venture financing, and as a result concludes that standard, rational theories of small business financing may not always hold for new ventures.
A resource‐based taxonomy of manufacturing MSMEs
Authors: Andersén Jim 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a contemporary resource‐based taxonomy of manufacturing micro, small, and medium‐sized enterprises (MSMEs) and to relate the findings to other small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) taxonomies and to resource‐based theory.Design/methodology/approachCluster analysis of 186 Swedish manufacturing MSMEs. The cluster analysis is based on resources and capabilities. The cluster variables were identified through case studies and a literature review of contemporary studies in resource‐based theory.FindingsThe cluster analysis resulted in identification of six different clusters: Ikeas, conservatives, technocrats, marketeers, craftsmen, and nomads. The results are related to other SME taxonomies and the usefulness of going beyond the one‐dimensional scale of entrepreneurs and non‐entrepreneurs is discussed.Originality/valueClassifications of firms, for example the Miles and Snow typology, have been used successfully in numerous studies. Also, the resource‐based view of the firm has had a great impact on business research and there has been increasing interest in MSMEs. However, there are very few contemporary resource‐based taxonomies of MSMEs.
Multiple standards and critical masses, and the formation of new industries
Authors: Funk Jeffrey L. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze standard setting and how a critical mass of users emerged in an industry in which multiple interface standards co‐exist and a critical mass of users was created multiple times.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on research conducted for almost ten years using the case study approach. Data were gathered through more than 100 interviews with Japanese firms and through analyses of published sources.FindingsThe paper finds that growth in mobile internet services required agreements on multiple interface standards where some of these interface standards exhibited interdependencies and thus required integral design, while others have been built on top of these “basic” interface standards. Agreements on the former interface standards enable basic data connections between phones, services, and content and this required integral design. The latter interface standards connect the mobile phone with content and applications from other industries (e.g. music, video, publishing, broadcasting, and payment) and each critical mass of phones, services, and content for them partly builds from previously created critical masses.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focused on a single industry in a single country.Practical implicationsThis paper helps scholars and practitioners better understand how interface standards and critical masses for them emerge.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to analyze multiple interface standards in a single industry and the emergence of a critical mass of users or complementary products for these standards.
A cross‐level analysis of organizational creativity climate and perceived innovation
Authors: Yeh‐Yun Lin Carol , Liu Feng‐Chuan 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe concept that creativity climate facilitates innovation outcome is well‐received, yet it has not been widely tested in non‐Western countries. To fill the gap between concept and practical value, this study adopted the eight‐dimensional model of organizational creativity climate proposed by Amabile and associates with the aim of investigating the cross‐level relationship between creativity climate and employee‐perceived innovation in an Asian work place, i.e. Taiwan.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data of 398 employees from different companies of Taiwan, the effect of organizational creativity climate on innovation was explored. Furthermore, the mediating effect of employees' work motivation was also examined.FindingsBy employing hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), statistical analysis indicates that 27 percent variance of perceived innovation could potentially be explained by creativity climate. Five out of the eight dimensions, namely, organizational encouragement, supervisory encouragement, work group support, sufficient resource and challenging work, relate significantly to perceived innovation with the mediation of work motivation.Research limitations/implicationsAs most companies are reluctant to reveal their objective innovation data, the authors had to rely on self‐reported data that are inevitably subjective in nature. Moreover, the fact that only 13 organizations were sampled may weaken the generalizability of the findings to more diverse business contexts.Originality/valueThe findings of this study contribute to advancing organizational climate research and innovation management in a non‐Western country. In addition, by surveying this topic in an innovation‐active context, i.e. Taiwan, this study uncovers rich information on organizational creativity issues for interested parties and for future research.
Learning processes, their impact on innovation performance and the moderating role of radicalness
Authors: Hernandez‐Espallardo Miguel , Molina‐Castillo Francisco‐Jose , Rodriguez‐Orejuela Augusto 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis study aims to extend the proposal of Holmqvist with regard to organisational processes of learning and their impact on firm performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on a survey of 187 firms, the paper shows that certain organisational processes of learning are related to innovation performance. Further, it investigates the moderating role of product radicalness on such relationships.FindingsBased on a survey of 187 firms, the paper shows that certain organisational processes of learning are related to innovation performance. Further, it investigates the moderating role of product radicalness on such relationships and proves that the other two types of organisational learning processes are not related to innovation performance.Originality/valueThe innovation performance of collaboration between firms has not received a great deal of attention in the literature. This research paper offers some guidelines on how to obtain great advantages from this collaboration.
The influence of market orientation on new product success
Authors: Kam Sing Wong Stanley , Tong Canon 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis research seeks to investigate key determinants of new product success (NPS) from the perspective of new product development (NPD) team leaders in the electronics industry in China. A model is proposed investigating the interplay among elements of market orientation and the moderating effects of customer and competitor orientations on the relationship between R&D‐Marketing cooperation and NPS.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 217 respondents to an online questionnaire that had been sent to 3,000 potential participants randomly selected from electronics firms across China. Regression analysis was used to analyse the data.FindingsResults from the research support the hypotheses that NPS is driven by R&D‐Marketing cooperation, customer and competitor orientations. Also, the association between R&D‐Marketing cooperation and NPS is moderated by customer and competitor orientations.Practical implicationsThis research confirms the positive role that R&D‐Marketing cooperation plays in NPS and the moderating effects of customer and competitor orientations on the association between R&D‐Marketing cooperation and NPS. The findings are of relevance to management practitioners as developing successful new products has become an ever more pressing issue in the wake of rising labour cost and increasing market competition.Originality/valuePrevious NPD literature has focused primarily on NPD activities in Western and developed countries. This research fills the research gap by identifying the empirical links between R&D‐Marketing cooperation and NPS. It is the first to examine the moderating effects of customer and competitor orientations in the relationship between R&D‐Marketing cooperation and NPS of electronics firms in China.
What are the factors that affect innovation in growing SMEs?
Authors: Heimonen Tomi 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on a study aimed at identifying factors that affect the innovativeness of growing small and medium‐sized firms (SMEs). It aims to use intellectual property rights (IPRs) as a proxy for innovations. The IPRs to be used include patents, trademarks, utility models and registered designs.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model was developed and tested on longitudinal sample data representing 348 continuously growing SMEs located in two diverse regions in Finland. The firms in the sample represented various industries. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the data.FindingsAbout 8 per cent of the firms in the sample could be defined as innovative growth SMEs. Most of these firms operate in the service and manufacturing sectors. They are small businesses that employ ten to 49 people and are between five and 19 years old. Innovative firms in this class were found to be less likely successful in the short‐term than their non‐innovative counterparts. The results obtained seem to be consistent with the expected preconception that growing IPR‐intensive firms may be subject to greater financial pressures than those that do not produce IPRs. Public research and development (R&D) funding seems to increase the likelihood of innovation.Practical implicationsFrom a policy perspective, the allocation of resources to R&D has been an appropriate strategy for increasing the amount of IPRs generated by growing SMEs.Originality/valueThis paper reports one of a very small number of studies that have sought to identify and analyse factors that affect innovation in growing SMEs.
Assessing the policy of spectrum trading in the UK
Authors: Akalu Rajen , Diaz Arias Adriana 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an analysis of the UK's experience with spectrum trading using data from Ofcom's transfer notice registry and the UK statutory instrument on spectrum trading.Design/methodology/approachThe legal framework for spectrum trading is outlined and the data from Ofcom's transfer notice registry is subjected to three analytical techniques: descriptive statistical analysis, a binary logistic regression and volitional pragmatism.FindingsA descriptive account of the empirical observations associated with spectrum trading shows that most trades (however defined) occur in business radio. A binary logistic regression of the transfer notice registry data demonstrates that trading is more likely to occur where the buyer and seller of a radio license are in the same service/industry. This analysis is inconclusive however due to lack of data. A third analytical technique, volitional pragmatism, suggests that the interdependency inherent in radio communications makes the scope of spectrum trading less workable as a mechanism of co‐ordinating spectrum use and users than previously assumed.Originality/valueAn approach to evaluating the real‐world efficacy of spectrum trading given the operational goals of a national regulatory authority is provided.