Patok Research

Applied Research in
Industrial Manufacturing

Technical publications with interactive models, simulation results and analysis grounded in operations science.

Every publication includes reproducible data, interactive figures and references to the foundational literature.

Publications

2 publications

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Aluminum Engineering in Mexico
Article · ALUMINIA Magazine, Ed. 52

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Aluminum Engineering in Mexico

Cognitive capacity, technical heritage and flow optimization in the aluminum industry

Mexico's aluminum industry rests on a solid base of process engineering, operational experience and accumulated plant knowledge. Yet much of that knowledge remains fragmented across emails, reports, spreadsheets, isolated systems and individual memory, which limits the speed and quality of technical decisions. This article explores the impact of artificial intelligence on aluminum engineering from a practical, applied perspective. It proposes the concept of cognitive capacity as a fourth dimension of industrial capacity — complementary to inventory, time and physical capacity — and argues that AI makes it possible to formalize and amplify accumulated technical reasoning.

Dr. Horacio Canales Siller · Engineer with a doctorate in materials science, specialized in aluminum and its alloys
artificial intelligencealuminumcognitive capacitytechnical heritagecomputer visionmanufacturing
12 min lecturaRead publication
Manufacturing Flow Optimization Through WIP Release Control
White Paper · Patok Research WP-001

Manufacturing Flow Optimization Through WIP Release Control

A simulation study using Particle Swarm Optimization on a model aluminum plant

This simulation study evaluates the effect of automatically controlling two variables in a model aluminum plant with 6 machines and 3 products: (1) when each order is released into the production flow, and (2) the maximum inventory level allowed before each workstation (buffer target). Using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), 10,500 possible production plans were evaluated under realistic conditions including setup times between products, random breakdowns with a 3% daily probability, and ±20% variability in process times. The results show significant improvements in both work-in-process reduction and net profit compared with reactive (FIFO) and deterministic (EDD) strategies. The study confirms that the most powerful lever in flow management is not machine speed but discipline in releasing material.

Dr. Horacio Canales Siller · Engineer with a doctorate in materials science, specialized in aluminum and its alloys Includes an interactive simulator
Particle Swarm OptimizationWIPwork in processbuffer managementaluminummanufacturing simulation
9 min lecturaRead publication

About Patok Research

Patok Research publishes applied research in operations science, manufacturing optimization and industrial artificial intelligence. Every publication rests on formal models and reproducible data.

The publications in this section represent ongoing research work and do not constitute engineering advice for specific situations.