Critical Role of Computers in Modern Manufacturing

A number of steps are involved in manufacturing a part from its conceptualization to production. They include product design, process planning, production system design, and process control. Computers are used extensively in all these stages to make the entire process easier and faster. Potential benefits of using computers in manufacturing include reduced costs and lead times in all engineering design stages, improved quality and accuracy, minimization of errors and their duplication, more efficient analysis tool, and accurate control and monitoring of the machines/processes, etc. Some of the applications of computers in manufacturing are shown in Figure 1.5. In computeraided design (CAD), computers are used in the design and analysis of the products and processes. They play a critical role in reducing lead time and cost at the design stages of the products/process. Also, computers may be utilized to plan, manage, and control the operations of a manufacturing system: computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) (Bedworth, Handerson, and Wolfe, 1991). In CAM, computers are either used directly to control and monitor the machines/processes (in real-time) or used off-line to support manufacturing operations such as computer-aided process planning (CAPP) or planning of required materials. At higher levels, computers are utilized in support of management. They play a critical role in all stages of decision making and control of financial operations by processing and analyzing data and reporting the results (management information systems, MIS) (Hollingam, 1987). Computers facilitate integration of CAD, CAM, and MIS (computer-integrated manufacturing, CIM) (Vajpayee, 1995) (see Figure 1.5). They provide an effective communication interface among engineers, design, management, production workers, and project groups to improve efficiency and productivity of the entire system. THE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS DESIGN HANDBOOK Modeling, Measurement, and Control OSITA D. I. NWOKAH YILDIRIM HURMUZLU Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas CRC PRESS Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C.