This article presents the results of an examination of the properties of arc-sprayed aluminum on alloyed armor-grade steel. Thermal arc spraying was conducted with a EuTronic Arc Spray 4 wire arc sprayer. Aluminum wire 1.6 mm in diameter was used to produce dense, abrasion- and erosion-resistant coatings approx. 1.0 mm thick with and without nickel/5% aluminum-buffered subcoating. Aluminum coatings were characterized in accordance with ASTM G 65-00 abrasion resistance test, ASTM G 76-95 erosion resistance tests, ASTM C 633-01 adhesion strength, HV0.1 hardness tests and metallographic analyses. Results demonstrate properties of arc-sprayed aluminum and aluminum-nickel material coatings that are especially promising in industrial applications where erosion-, abrasion- and corrosion-resistant coating properties are required.

Computer modelling, simulation and visualization of production flow allowing to increase the efficiency of production planning process in dynamic manufacturing networks. The use of the semi-automatic model generation concept based on parametric approach supporting processes of production planning is presented. The presented approach allows the use of simulation and visualization for verification of production plans and alternative topologies of manufacturing network configurations as well as with automatic generation of a series of production flow scenarios. Computational examples with the application of Enterprise Dynamics simulation software comprising the steps of production planning and control for manufacturing network have been also presented.

In connection with the need to obtain a properly made and cut material and the appearance of the surface layer, new manufacturing technologies were used for tests, namely the laser cutting technology. This article describes the laboratory stand built for the purpose of research, as well as the possibility of using laser cutting on several sample materials (polymer films), together with an indication of the results obtained. The idea was to elaborate on the cutting technology that will be proper for manufacturing the desired type of spacers for ion-exchange membranes separating while maintaining the required level of product quality and chemical purity. The latter criterion was the basic one, due to the scope of use of the manufactured elements. This article also describes the problem encountered during the construction of the stand or during the research. The last part of this article describes the further steps of the research that will be carried out in the future along with a discussion and summary of the research performed. It is important from the point of view of the development of production technology, but also because of the characteristics of materials for the production of surface layers and coatings resistant to mechanical or thermal wear used in industry. The introduction of innovative solutions is also aimed at studying the improvement of the economics of the production of materials that are significant, in particular, for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The increasing requirements and competition in the global market are challenges for the companies profitability in production and supply chain management. This situation became the basis for construction of virtual organizations, which are created in response to temporary needs. The problem of the production flow planning in virtual manufacturing networks is considered. In the paper the algorithm of the production route selection from the set of admissible routes, which meets the technology and resource requirements and in the context of the criterion of minimum cost is proposed.

The development of production technologies, customer-centric philosophies and, above all, increased uncertainty around today's market, make companies look for solutions that would support their functioning on the market. Keeping up with changes requires, among other things, proper planning of production processes and high investments in innovative technological solutions. For this reason, it is increasingly difficult to make a modern product alone. That is why enterprises from the small and medium enterprises sector are looking for solutions that would enable to continue production without the need to have all the specialized production resources dedicated to individual products. Therefore, companies outsource the choice, configuration and or manufacture components that they are not able to do themselves. Another option is to join the virtual manufacturing network, where manufacturers temporarily share their spare capacity. Such cooperation is possible even for individual enterprises that are geographically dispersed. The proposed solution of generation of possible production routes (based on game theory) also takes into account the time and costs required to transport intermediates between manufacturers (alternative routes). The obtained results are the lead time and costs of manufacturing processes.

The opportunity which opens before manufacturers on the dynamic market, especially before those from the sector of the small and medium-sized enterprises, is associated with the use of the virtual organizations concept. The planning stage of such organizations could be based on supporting decision-making tasks using the tools and formalisms taken from the game theory. In the paper the model of the virtual manufacturing network, along with the practical example of decision-making situation as two person game and the decision strategies with an analysis of calculation results are presented.