Dynamic development of various technologies replacing existing, difficult or in various ways arduous, is the reason for replacing equipment with modern ones. New equipment may be associated with a different power supply, a different way that the construction materials are processed or the tools used, than the previous one. Then arises a need to re-examine whether the working conditions at a workplace are safe, what onerous and hazardous factors are associated with the work. An example of such a technological change could be a laser processing, when equipment using a concentrated energy stream, properly controlled, produces a specific effect on materials. However, along with the benefits of the new technology, come also many risks, such as the effects of radiation on matter and the human body, electricity, fire hazards, the problem of toxic emissions and others. This paper presents the problem of ensuring work safety at a newly commissioned CO2 laser station. Technique of brainstorming was used to identify and analyze the working conditions and types of hazards. These may be different from what was previously known, partially known, or even unconscious. Ishikawa diagram was developed and shown to be an effective tool for detailing and structuring problems in relation to safety. In the case of a technical problem, a poka-yoke solution to eliminate the hazard was proposed. Problems occurring at the workstation during machining and related to its operation were assigned, using the affinity diagram, to specific departments of the company, according to its work organization, which can significantly facilitate the management of the work and employees of the different departments in the future, in order to ensure safe and hygienic working conditions.

The paper presents the results of improving the production process using the SMED method. The process improvement was carried out in a company in the construction industry, using a machine park consisting of CNC machines. The study evaluated the current state of changeover times for selected CNC machines and proposed a reduction in changeover times for the machine park analysed. By introducing changes to the changeover process on selected CNC machines, it was possible to minimise the changeover time by more than 20% on all the machines analysed. The proposed reorganisation of the CNC operators’ workstations resulted in a time reduction of approximately 61% for machine 1, 52% for machine 2 and 12% for machine 3. The installation of barcode readers on the profiles, on the other hand, made it possible to load the machining programmes into the CNC machines more quickly and resulted in a reduction in loading time of approximately 88% on average for each of the machines analysed.

Surface preparation is an important step in adhesive technology. A variety of abrasive, chemical, or concentrated energy source treatments are used. The effects of these treatments vary due to the variety of factors affecting the final strength of bonded joints. This paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted to determine the feasibility of using fiber laser surface treatments in place of technologically and environmentally cumbersome methods. The effect of surface modification was studied on three materials: aluminum EN AW-1050A and aluminum alloys EN AW-2024 and EN AW-5083. For comparison purposes, joints were made with sandblasted and laser-textured surfaces and those rolled as reference samples for the selected overlap variant, glued with epoxy adhesive. The joints were made with an overlap of 8, 10, 12.5, 14, and 16 mm, and these tests made it possible to demonstrate laser processing as a useful technique to reduce the size of the overlap and achieve even higher load-bearing capacity of the joint compared to sandblasting. A comparative analysis was also carried out for the failure force of the adhesive bond and the failure energy. The results show the efficiency and desirability of using lasers in bonding, allowing us to reduce harmful technologies and reduce the weight of the bonded structure.

In many industries, including aerospace, several operations involving making holes are performed. Small-diameter holes pose a technological problem when obtaining the right diameter and achieving size and shape accuracy is difficult. Various methods are used to achieve the manufacturing goal,...