Assignment #2 IE 2303/AME 2303 Spring 2012 Introduction to Manufacturing Example Answers 1. Short Response 2 to 3 sentences each (10 pts.) Explain in your own words the challenges/opportunities for U.S. manufacturing. (Section I.10) Many consumer products, software, and information technologies are now outsourced to other countries such as India and China. This poses challenges for U.S. manufacturing because those countries can produce the same products for cheaper due to lower wages in those countries. Opportunities arise for U.S. manufacturing as manufacturing processes become increasingly complex, making the task difficult for less developed countries. Also rising shipping cost will encourage manufacturing in the U.S. A significant part of the cost to manufacture is the cost of labor, and because living standards are higher in the U.S. than in China and others, manufacturing has moved abroad in order to take advantage of lower labor costs. However, this challenges U.S. manufacturing to become more efficient, and eventually as living standards rise in those other countries and shipping becomes too costly, U.S. manufacturing will have the opportunity to prove itself to be the most profitable. Some of the challenges of U.S. manufacturing are manufacturing costs and finding the most efficient and affordable method for producing a product. Manufacturing costs comprise of the cost of the materials, tools, capital, labor and find costs which can represent 40% of a product s selling price. One opportunity however, is outsourcing, where a company can purchase a company of parts of labor to lower manufacturing costs, but it could bring social and political issues. Cost is a very important challenge that U.S. manufacturing is facing today. Each year demand for higher quality and cheaper products increases while at the same time manufacturers have to deal with cost of material, equipment and tooling, and labor. There are many opportunities for manufacturers to cut back on cost. Outsourcing has become a very popular trend for manufacturers. It allows them to make many of the products overseas where the cost of labor and material is by far less than what it could be here in the U.S. In the U.S., the manufacturing sector represents the fifth largest economy in the world by employing many workers, exporting manufacturing products, and retaining the manufacturing costs by the selling value; however, challenges in U.S. manufacturing have risen due to the demand for high quality products at low prices, and the continuous increase of outsourcing. By outsourcing manufacturing parts or labor to reduce manufacturing costs, the U.S. manufacturing faces rising costs in shipping and social problems due to the loss of employment for U.S. workers. Moreover, U.S. manufacturing accounts for 90% for all U.S. patents, but by relying on outside sources the U.S. could risk losing innovation in U.S. manufacturing. U.S. manufacturing can sustain due to the fact that the manufacturing cost of a product represents about 40% of its selling value. Since U.S. manufacturing provides it
workers with high hourly compensation compared to rest of the world, opportunities for U.S. manufacturing could rise from reducing the amount of direct-labor costs by having widespread automation of computer control for all manufacturing operations, thus also increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing processes. Relatively expensive labor costs in the US make competing with lesser developed countries more difficult. The US also lacks the raw the materials needed for some manufacturing processes. However, the US s technological creativity and education make developing new processes and procedures less difficult. The economics of manufacturing has had a constantly increasing competition worldwide and the demand for high quality products to be cheaper. The companies need to keep the manufacturing costs at a good ratio with the selling price and materials so make sure they aren t losing too much money, but at the same time are still keeping the costs down. Labor expense is a big obstacle for the US manufacturing because of the high demand for cheaper products. Outsourcing to other countries has become a bigger deal for the US because the government trying to create jobs in the US, but it cheaper for the US manufacturing companies to outsource. However, an advantage of manufacturing the products in the US will bypass the rising cost of shipping 2
Explain in your own words how the following concepts can increase the competitiveness of U.S. Computer Integrated Manufacturing (Section I.7) By maximizing CIM, the U.S. can boost our manufacturing. Each element of CIM either reduces cost, reduces waste, or increases speed and accuracy of manufacturing. By improving each of these areas, we can achieve manufacturing unrivaled by most other countries. Computer integrated manufacturing has become a huge advantage for manufacturing companies because it is making tasks possible that will increase the quality, cost, and use of products. It can help increase the competitiveness of the US because by using CIM, we can compete with top manufacturing companies around the world because this way of manufacturing opens the door for so many different technology advancements with robots, material handling, flexibility and other tasks that help make the production better and more efficient. Increase the level of consistency of a product. Computer operated robots can play an important role by reducing labor, reducing the time spent on assembly, and reduce the risk of safety by handling some of the materials that can be hazardous to a human being. It can redesign and evaluate a product before it is ever built, which can save a lot of time and help design a better product. All of this can greatly reduce cost allowing the manufacturers to make a better profit or hopefully pass the savings to the customers. CIM can increase the competitiveness of the U.S. by responding to rapid changes in product design, by improving the use of materials, machinery, and human operation, and by efficiently controlling the production and management of manufacturing operations. A group of CIM is computer- aided process planning (CAPP) and through this system the optimization of process planning improves productivity, improves product quality, and reduces total cost. CIM can increases the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing by its wide variety of applications such as automated assembly systems that perform product operations, to artificial intelligence computer systems that learn from experience and make decisions that optimize processing costs. CIM reduces material wastage through specific applications like A.T & automated materials handling. Conserving and streamlining the process in which the US s limited raw materials and handled and process, may give it the competitive edge against raw material giants like China. 3
Quality Assurance (Section I.8) Quality Assurance decreases the chance for errors during manufacturing that result in defected products. Guaranteed quality saves money. If U.S. manufacturing can produce the least amount of errors, manufacturing will cost less. By increasing quality as a product is being made, the U.S. can greatly decrease costs, as well as increase customer approval. Also by making the working environment safer and more enjoyable, the U.S. can draw more workers into manufacturing jobs, and also increase productivity of the workers. Quality assurance is the responsibility of everyone involved in the design and manufacture of products and components to recognize that quality must exist in a product from its initial design through all the stages of the manufacturing process. If quality is good, then consumers will be more interested in that product, which will raise U.S. competitiveness. As long as U.S. product quality, their maximum, then quality problems will be limited making U.S. products more desirable. Customers demand products with superb quality. In order to keep the customer from buying products made by foreign countries, U.S. manufacturers should emphasis greatly on making products that are safe to use and meets its life expectancy. Quality assurance can also save company money by incorporating quality in every stage of making a product instead of once the product is made. Quality assurance concepts are critical aspects of manufacturing since its responsibility is to monitor manufacturing processes by preventing defective parts to be made, and detecting if defective parts are made. Quality assurance can increase the competiveness of U.S. manufacturing and product quality by using developments such as experimental design. The use of experimental design technique includes a simultaneous study of factors involved in manufacturing processes and interactions; thus by knowing the variables that affect product quality, preventions can be made to improve the quality of the product. Being a service based economy, the customer service and quality assurance practices in the US have given it a competitive edge in the global market. Manufacturers have had to include quality assurance practices into their manufacturing process, ensuring that their product meets the highest standards. If the US uses such quality control methods such as the ISO 9000, lean production, or even six sigma, they can increase the quality of their manufacturing while eliminating as much waste as possible. In return the US can increase the profits and competiveness worldwide since several foreign companies are currently using these quality controls as well. By having quality assurance, a manufacturing company is able to produce a product at the highest quality. Product quality is very important in manufacturing because it is what satisfies the customer. By increasing the quality of the product, the customer s satisfaction also increases. This allows for the product to have more success and be more competitive in the Global market. Because U.S manufacturing companies focus on quality, they are able to stay competitive in the global market. 4
Lean Manufacturing (Section I.9) Lean manufacturing helps U.S. companies waste less material and increases their efficiency. Less wasted material and time can reduce the cost of products and time it takes to produce them, giving a competitive edge. Lean manufacturing cuts cost by eliminating all waste and unnecessary operations. This can help make U.S. manufacturing more efficient and therefore more competitive. Lean manufacturing monitors all of a manufacture s activities and optimizes their processes by removing wasteful operations that are unnecessary. By doing this, product value is added, efficiency and effectiveness increases, which makes the U.S. a better competitor. Naturally, reducing waste increases productivity. By minimizing waste and eliminating unnecessary processes, U.S. manufacturers can increase their competitiveness. Lean manufacturing is cutting back on all the unnecessary stages of production that does not add any value to the product. It could be reducing the number of people involved in the process, time spent on certain level or stage of production, or replacing human labor with computerized equipment. By following the concepts of lean manufacturing, the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing can increase by maximizing the value needed to manufacture a product. The lean manufacturing procedure improves the efficiency of manufacturing operations, manufacturing equipment, and human operations on machinery, by removing or eliminating waste in any manufacturing activity or operation that does not provide value to the product being produced. The effectiveness of lean manufacturing allows for it to allocate and assess problems as soon as they begin. If the US uses Lean Manufacturing, waste becomes minimal, ensuring money is not wasted alongside precious materials and redundant jobs. As a result, production costs are reduced and profit margins compete globally. Lean manufacturing is eliminating unnecessary operations and waste at every level of manufacturing. By using lean manufacturing in the US we can maximize the quality, teamwork, cooperation among workers, and a continuous improvement on efficiency. This will help to improve the manufacturing of products in the US and thus increase the competiveness of the US as well. Lean production calls for the purpose of minimizing waste in the manufacturing process. By analyzing the manufacturing process, a company is able to see which areas do not add value to the product. They then move to eliminate these areas. This maximizes the value added to the product along with also improving the efficiency, and ultimately the profit of the product. With the reduction of manufacturing costs, U.S. manufacturing companies are able to make a higher profit from the product and stay competitive in the market. 5
Rapid Prototyping Rapid prototyping helps in the design process with tools such as 3D printing and the ability to quickly create everything on computers. Also, the ability to share ideas with others to help make improvements can help designs quickly evolve to create a better product with less time spent designing it. Rapid prototyping allows prototypes to be made very fast and inexpensively, thus reducing the cost of design. U.S. manufacturing can make more profit. Rapid Prototyping is an evolving technology that uses CAD/CAM and other technologies to rapidly make prototypes at a lower cost. This would give the U.S. a competitive edge since now time won t be wasted on making prototypes manually and prices will also be reduced. CAD also allows for more accurate and complex structures which can increase product value and efficiency. Rapid prototyping reduces cost and development times for products. Improving this process gives the U.S. yet another chance to increase efficiency. Products are always evolving and modified to become better and more useful. By rapid prototyping, computerized machinery can create a product in much less time than, for example casting a prototype and in turn save a company many hours and labor and reduce cost. By using the technology of rapid prototyping, the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing can increase by reducing the time and costs needed to develop a product. Rapid prototyping reviews the effectiveness of the designed part by checking for modifications to the design or production methods, and then the product can be produced. The CAD or CAM designs are prototyped to create a 3D imprint of the design, thus rapid prototyping acts as a interface between the CAD or CAM software and machines, which is accomplished at low costs and rapidly. Applications of rapid prototyping include stereo lithography and rapid 3D printing, which can be used to build an assembly. Rapid prototyping is allowing companies to come up with prototypes faster and at lowered costs than before. This technology is constantly evolving and improving because it is a vital step in manufacturing. The US can use this technology to increase the process from design up until production of the intended product and be able to compete with production time across the world and increase our competiveness in the US. 6
2. Short Answer Select the best fit from Table I.3 (3 pts.) Using Section I.5, answer the following questions: A part will be formed by casting and then joined to an assembly by welding. Which metal is best suited? Aluminum or Steel Two parts will be joined by welding. Which metal is best suited? Steels Based on machinability, which metal(s) is/are best? Zinc and Aluminum 7
3. Short Response 2 paragraphs (7 pts.) Explain the product creation process. First an idea for a needed product has to be created and an idea on how to market it. Next, conceptual designs must be created and evaluated for feasibility. Then a design is analyzed to make sure it fits codes and standards and models of the design are created. After models are created, prototypes are built and tested. If they fail testing they will go back to the design process. Product drawings and instruction manuals are then created. Then, materials are chosen, process and equipment are selected to build the product, and everything is reviewed for safety. If it fails safety review, the product will go back to design. A pilot of the product is the created to see how well it performs and may have to go back to design. A pilot of the product is the created to see how well it performs and may have to go back to design. The actual product is then created to go through inspections and quality test, be properly packaged, and the start of marketing. It will then go on sale! Before a product is created, it is first an idea. The design process starts with an objective, why the product is needed. A product is then designed to meet the required specifications. A prototype is made and tested. More prototypes are made as changes are made to the design. Before manufacturing begins, assembly and disassembly are considered product efficiency. Cost is always considered in every process of manufacturing. Materials are selected based on what processes the product will undergo, during production and after. The manufacturing processes are determined and sequenced to build to the product efficiently. Finally, production begins. There are many steps that go into the product creation process. First, the need and desire of a product must be recognized. Then, conceptual design and evaluation begins and feasibility studies are conducted. Next, CAD is usually used to make design analysis, physical and analytical models, prototypes, tests, evaluations production drawings and manuals. Computer-aided manufacturing and process planning (CAM and CAPP) are used to determine material specifications, process and equipment selections and safety reviews. The product must then go through pilot production. Production is then continued by using computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) such as casting, joining, machining and much more. Finally the product undergoes inspections and then packaged to be sold on the market. Product creation all begins with a need or an idea. Once the idea is established, it can be designed either by physical or virtual models. Throughout the design process the product is evaluated and improved until satisfactory for production. The materials are selected, and the product is ready for manufacturing. Once manufacturing begins, the product is machined and assembled by people and/or machines. Improvements are continually made, and processes are tweaked to increase quality and efficiency of the product. To create a product, one must understand its purpose and the demand for the product. Next is to know whether the product is feasible to make or not, if so, the product needs to have a model to visualize and to create prototype to test and modify. Planning the process of making 8
the product and selecting the material the product is going to be made of. Next are the tools and the equipment needed to make the product followed by creating the first product and beginning the production. In order for a product be created, it must undergo several conceptual, design, and manufacturing operations. The variety and demand of a specific product may require several manufactured parts such as a car engine, or may require individual parts such as a paper clip. Once the product is selected, the design process determines the material and dimensions of the product, evaluates the constraints and parameters of the product, creates a systematic geometrical shape of the product, and modifies the design of the product in order to satisfy objective and marketing needs. The extent and development of the design process can be complex and timely; however, an effective and efficient design of the product allows for manufacturing operations to be carried more accurately and improves the quality of the product. Depending on the design of the product, specific materials such as metals or plastics are selected and manufactured. After the product design is completed, manufacturing of the product takes place which also involves specific processes and machinery. The most common manufacturing processes are casting, bulkdeformation, sheet-metal forming, polymer-processing, machining, and joining processes. The selection of a particular manufacturing process depends on the geometric shape of the product and on the machinery operations required to create the product. For example, the creation of a soda container would involve using computer aided design CAD techniques for the design process and selection of the proper material (aluminum), then interface simulations such as finite element analysis could select and optimize the required manufacturing process. The manufacturing process for a soda can would be sheet metal forming that could be processed by deep-drawing forming techniques. Finally, after applying manufacturing operations the product is created and the quality and overall production costs are calculated for marketing needs. The product creation process begins with the identification of a need. There has to have been an identified problem, or market venture for a product to be initiated. After careful market and needs analysis, concepts are first to be imagined. With the use of modern CAD, prototypes and product manuals are produced. After the initial manufacturing process, the product goes through safety reviews, refinements and a pilot production (initial production) stage before quality assurance checks and final packaging, marketing and sales are done. After all aforementioned procedures are carried out, the product is ready to be pushed to the consumer. The product creation process involves the development of a new product design, and the many following steps which lead to the final manufactured product. The first step in the product creation process is defining the need for the product, and how it will be important in the market. After this is understood, the design process begins using Computer aided design. This is when the design analysis begins and prototypes are created with instruction manuals for assembly. After the prototype is created, the types of machinery and material are chosen that best fit the needs of the product and the manufacturing process. The availability and price of the material is also taken into consideration. Before the actual production, there is a pilot production that helps determine if there are any glitches in the manufacturing equipment. After this, the production begins and when it is finished there is inspection of the products in order to insure higher quality. The final step is packaging and marketing the product to the public. 9
Describe the relationship between design and manufacturing. Everything must start with a design before it can be created. While designing a product one must not only think about what it will do, but how to create it. The design of products must include thought about how a product will be manufacture. The design of how the product will be manufacture time and time again. It doesn t matter if the design is great and the product works, if a product can t be manufactured well to be sold to the target buyer. Sometimes products that are difficult to manufacture will require extra tools and processes to create it. Manufacturing processes must be designed in these cases so a particular product can be efficiently manufactured. In this instance design and manufacturing are directly related. Design and manufacturing are related mostly by designing a product to be manufactured. The design process is an integral part of the product creation process, just as is manufacturing. Design of the product determines how to product is manufactured. Design always occurs first, but as changes occur to the manufacturing process, the product goes back to the design process to adapt the product to the changes that were made. Manufacturing only occurs because of the design process. The design process takes into account all aspects of the manufacturing process and determine where money will be spent, what materials, will be used, what the product looks like, and what the product does. Manufacturing could not occur without design. Design is a very important part of manufacturing if not the most important. Designers have to consider material characteristics, manufacturing processes, machining, tools and equipment. They must also know the effects that machining will have on materials, the variability of the machines and the process time. Designers, as well as manufacturers, must make sure that quality is at its highest. Another important factor is that designers much design for assembly and disassembly. The easier it is to assemble and disassemble a product, the cheaper it will be and quicker it will be to manufacture. Designers must also design for service. Products usually need to be disassembled for servicing, and the ease of the process can lower service price and time. Furthermore, another important concept is design for recycling, which considers designing products in parts of a product in a way that it can be recycled. Manufacturing is the process of producing the finished product of the original design. It is the physical process of bringing an idea to life through machining and labor. Design of a product determines the quality of the product and cost of manufacturing. It is where the function and expected performance of the product are decided. Design is often altered during the manufacturing process to improve problems that arise. Design and manufacturing are closely related. A manufactured product may need to be assembled before it can be used, or it may need to be disassembled for maintenance. Some products can be unsafe to use and may be hazardous to the environment and to the consumer. All these factors must be considered during the design process. Also the design of the product 10
can dictate have many stages the product needs to go through before it is manufactured to cut back on unnecessary levels of production which can reduce cost. The development and interaction between design and manufacturing is a vital relationship in the creation of a product. The design process modifies and alters manufacturing processes and operation depending on model planning and data analysis. Computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software construct and display models that optimize the development of product manufacturing by displaying geometric features and parameter analysis, thus assisting in organizing data into CNC manufacturing machines, or decreasing the analysis needed to modify equipment and operations used to manufacture the product. As an interface between design and manufacturing, rapid prototypes and virtual prototypes gather the graphic data from the CAD packages and develop simulations and modifications that assist in the functionality of manufacturing. Recent advances in computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) have minimized the disparity between design and manufacturing, thus the united relationship between manufacturing and design improve the efficiency of product development. CIM techniques integrate the computer design with the manufacturing activities, thus CIM techniques such as industrial robots and automated assembly systems have replaced human operators and have improved the performance of operations and productivity. The innovation of new technologies in manufacturing have become more computer oriented, thus the procedure from design to manufacturing involve repeated interactions between both processes, which reduce production costs, increase equipment durability, and decrease defects in the development of a product. The transition from design to manufacturing highly affects the creation of a product, thus accurate and interacted approaches from design to manufacturing increase the outcome and effectiveness of the parts produced. Design and manufacturing are related occurrences. Design in most cases, depends heavily on the manufacturability of a particular product. Likewise, the manufacturing process influences the design of a product. In the design for manufacture (DFM) process, manufacturing and design are integrated for better efficiency and more successful outcomes. The limitations of the manufacturing process can be integrated into the design process to minimize manufacturing costs and maximize ease. Design and manufacturing are directly related. Without a good design you can t start the manufacturing process. Prototypes and other models and data that are used during the design process are vital to manufacturing. Manufacturing can t take place without the design. If the design isn t up to standards, it can t be manufactured well. If the design stage doesn t have all the kinks worked out before the manufacturing stage begins then the product you re producing could be faulty and cost a company a lot of money. 11
Assignment #2 Rubric Short Response 2 to 3 sentences each (10 pts.) Explain in your own words the challenges/opportunities for U.S. manufacturing. (Section I.10) Sentence Requirements (1 pt.) Do they answer the question? (1 pt.) Explain in your own words how the following concepts can increase the competitiveness of U.S. Computer Integrated Manufacturing (Section I.7) Sentence Requirements (1 pt.) Do they explain how computer integrated manufacturing can help in industry? (1 pt.) Quality Assurance (Section I.8) Sentence Requirements (1 pt.) Do they explain how quality assurance can help in industry? (1 pt.) Lean Manufacturing (Section I.9) Sentence Requirements (1 pt.) Do they explain how lean manufacturing can help in industry? (1 pt.) Rapid Prototyping Sentence Requirements (1 pt.) Do they explain how rapid prototyping can help in industry? (1 pt.) Short Answer Select the best fit from Table I.3 (3 pts.) Using Section I.5, answer the following questions: A part will be formed by casting and then joined to an assembly by welding. Which metal is best suited? Aluminum or Steels Two parts will be joined by welding. Which metal is best suited? Steels Based on machinability, which metal(s) is/are best? Zinc and Aluminum Short Response 2 paragraphs (7 pts.) Explain the product creation process. Is it a paragraph? (1 pt.) Do they include design? (1 pt.) Do they include manufacturing? (1 pt.) Do they include other stages besides design and manufacturing? (1 pt.) Describe the relationship between design and manufacturing. Is it a paragraph? (1 pt.) Do they include how design impacts manufacturing? (1 pt.) Do they include how manufacturing impacts design? (1 pt.) 12