AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

INTRODUCTION

Fig 1: Outline topics to be discussed

PRODUCTION: The processes and methods used to transform tangible inputs (raw materials, semi-finished
goods, subassemblies) and intangible inputs (ideas, information, knowledge) to goods or services. Resources are
used in this process to create an output that is suitable for use or has exchange value.

MANUFACTURING: The process of converting raw materials, components, or parts into finished
goods that meet a customer's expectations or specifications. Manufacturing commonly employs a manmachine setup with division of labor in a large scale production.
MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS: A method of organizing production. Many types of manufacturing systems
are in place, including assembly lines, batch production and computer-integrated manufacturing.

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MANUFACTURING & PRODUCTION

Manufacturing can be defined as the application of physical and chemical process to alter the geometry,
properties of a given material to make product/products. It involves machinery, tools, power and labour.
Manufacturing adds value to the material alone or combining with the other materials.
Classification of Industries: Industries are classified as Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.
1. Primary industries are those come under the category that cultivate and exploit natural resources.
Example: Agriculture, Mining.
2. Secondary industries are those converts the outputs of primary industries in to products.
Manufacturing industries comes under this category, also includes construction and power utilities.
3. Tertiary industries consists service sector. Example: Banking, Health and Medical, Hotels, Insurance,
e.t.c. Secondary industries are again broadly divided into two categories such as Process industries (chemical,
pharmaceuticals, food, electric power generation) and Discrete part & product industries (automobiles ,aircraft,
appliances, machinery)
Industrial production methods:
There are four main types of industrial production methods:
1. One-off production (job production) is when only one product is made at a time. Every product is
different so it is labour intensive. Products may be made by hand or a combination of hand and machine
methods.
2. Batch production is when a small quantity of identical products is made. Batch production may also be
labour intensive, but jigs and templates are used to aid production. Batches of the product can be made
as often as required. The machines can be easily changed to produce a batch of a different product.
3. Mass production is when hundreds of identical products are made, usually on a production line. Mass
production often involves the assembly of a number of sub-assemblies of individual components. Parts
may be bought from other companies. There is usually some automation of tasks (eg by using Computer
Numerical Control machines) and this enables a smaller number of workers to output more products.
4. Continuous flow production is when many thousands of identical products are made. The difference
between this and mass production is that the production line is kept running 24 hours a day, seven days a
week to maximize production and eliminate the extra costs of starting and stopping the production
process. The process is highly automated and few workers are required.

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

Job Production: 1) It is the production of single complete unit by one operator, Group of operators.
2) Whole project is considered as a one operation & work is completed on each product
before passing to the next
Characteristics:
Complete project is considered as single operation
Versatile & skilled labors are required
High capital Investment
Control operations relatively simple
High unit cost of production
Examples:
Bridge Building
Dam Construction
Ship Building
Heavy machines
Batch Production: It is a extension of job type production. Batch methods require that the work for any task is
divided into parts or operations. Each operation is completed through the whole batch before the next operation
is performed. By using the batch method, it is possible to achieve specialization of labour.
Characteristics:
Production schedule can be formulated according to specific orders or demand forecasts
Items are processed in lots & batches
Only one item is produced in every production run
New batch will be taken only after completion of one
High WIP
High cycle time
Complex PPC
Examples
:
Chemical Industry
Machine tools
Printing press
Electronic instruments
Characteristics of Mass and Flow Production : Mass production means the production of items on large scale,
employing very specialized machines and processes. Items like metal screws and plastic products are made in
mass production and their cycle of manufacture involves one or more operations on the raw material on one
machine. Items like air conditioner, T.V. sets and motorcycles come under flow production there is a continuous
and steady flow of material. Various characteristics are.

There is scope for considerable division of labor.

Machinery is laid as per the sequence of production.
Very little time is spent on the resulting of machines.
Time study can be applied, to advantage, to different operations.

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Plant layout: Plant layout refers to the arrangement of physical facilities such as machines, equipment, tools,
furniture etc. in such a manner so as to have quickest flow of material at the lowest cost and with the least
amount of handling in processing the product from the receipt of raw material to the delivery of the final
product.
Objectives of good Plant Layout:

A well designed plant layout is one that can be beneficial in achieving the following
objectives:

Proper and efficient utilization of available floor space

Transportation of work from one point to another point without any delay

Proper utilization of production capacity.

Reduce material handling costs

Utilize labour efficiently

Reduce accidents

Provide for volume and product flexibility

Provide ease of supervision and control

Provide for employee safety and health

Allow easy maintenance of machines and plant.

Improve productivity

TYPES OF LAYOUT: There are mainly four types of plant layout. (a) Product or line layout, (b) Process or
functional layout, (c) Fixed position or location layout, (d) Combined or group layout.
PRODUCT OR LINE LAYOUT:
In this type of layout the machines and equipments are arranged in one line depending upon the sequence of
operations required for the product. It is also called as line layout. The material moves to another machine
sequentially without any backtracking or deviation i.e the output of one machine becomes input of the next
machine. It requires a very little material handling. It is used for mass production of standardized products.
Advantages of Product layout:
o Low cost of material handling, due to straight and short route and absence of backtracking
o Smooth and continuous operations
o Continuous flow of work
o Lesser inventory and work in progress

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

o Optimum use of floor space

o Simple and effective inspection of work and simplified production control
o Lower manufacturing cost per unit

Fig: Product layout

Disadvantages of Product layout:
o Higher initial capital investment in special purpose machine (SPM)
o High overhead charges
o Breakdown of one machine will disturb the production process.
o Lesser flexibility of physical resources.
PROCESS LAYOUT: In this type of layout the machines of a similar type are arranged together at one place.
This type of layout is used for batch production. It is preferred when the product is not standardized and the
quantity produced is very small.

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

Fig: Process layout

Advantages of Process layout:

o
Lower initial capital investment is required.
o

There is high degree of machine utilization, as a machine is not blocked for a single product

The overhead costs are relatively low

Breakdown of one machine does not disturb the production process.

Supervision can be more effective and specialized.

Greater flexibility of resources.

Disadvantages of Process layout:

o Material handling costs are high due to backtracking
o More skilled labour is required resulting in higher cost.
o Work in progress inventory is high needing greater storage space
o More frequent inspection is needed which results in costly supervision.
FIXED POSITION OR LOCATION LAYOUT: Fixed position layout involves the movement of manpower
and machines to the product which remains stationary. The movement of men and machines is advisable as the
cost of moving them would be lesser. This type of layout is preferred where the size of the job is bulky and
heavy. Example of such type of layout is locomotives, ships, boilers, generators, wagon building, aircraft
manufacturing, etc.

Fig: Fixed layout

Advantages of Fixed position layout:
o
The investment on layout is very small.

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

The layout is flexible as change in job design and operation sequence can be easily

incorporated.
Adjustments can be made to meet shortage of materials or absence of workers by changing
the sequence of operations.

Disadvantages of Fixed position layout:

o As the production period being very long so the capital investment is very high.
o Very large space is required for storage of material and equipment near the product.
o As several operations are often carried out simultaneously so there is possibility of confusion
and conflicts among different workgroups.
INTRODUCTION TO AUTOMATION
The term automation has many definitions. Apparently, it was first used in the early 1950s to mean
automatic handling of materials, particularly equipment used to unload and load stamping equipment. It has
now become a general term referring to services performed, products manufactured and inspected, information
handling, materials handling, and assemblyall done automatically (i.e., as an automatic operation without
human involvement).
Definitions:
General: Technique of making an apparatus, a process or a system operates automatically.
Automation Federation: The creation and application of technology to monitor and control the
production, delivery of products and services without human assistance.
(Or)
Automation is basically the delegation of human control function to equipment for improving quality,
production, manufacturing competitiveness solutions and reduces manpower cost.
Reasons that drive for automation:
1. Traditional machinery lacks in flexibility and required considerable skilled labour.
2. Every time when ever the new product has to manufacture, machinery has to retool &
movement of material has to re arrange.
3. Lack of repeatability in making same products.
4. High production cost and low productivity.
Why Automate?
Improved quality, Interchangeability, increased life.
Precise control with shorter response time.
Shorter processing time: low lead-time, lower work-in-progress time, lower inventory.
Safer work-place: hazardous substance handling, chemicals handling, heavy/unwieldy materials handling.
. To do the job for which human being will not have that capacity.

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

. Avoid monotonous work.

. Increase in comfort.
Where automation exists?
. Manufacturing
. Utilities (water, oil, gas, telecommunication)
. Defence .
.Facility operations (energy management, safety control, building automation)

Automated Manufacturing systems: Automated manufacturing systems operate in the factory on the physical
product. They perform operations such as processing, assembly, inspection and material handling.
Examples: 1. Automated machine tools for processing product.
2. Manufacturing systems that use industrial robots to perform processing and assembly.
3. Automatic material handling and storage systems to integrate manufacturing operations.
4. Automated inspection systems for quality control.
TYPES OF AUTOMATION
Automated manufacturing systems basically classified as: 1. Fixed automation (Hard automation)
2. Programmable automation
(soft)
3. Flexible automation
Fixed automation:
A process using mechanized machinery to perform fixed and repetitive operations in order to produce a
high volume of similar parts.
(Or)
Fixed automation is a system in which the sequence of operations is fixed by the equipment
configuration, involving plain liner or rotational motion and combination of both.

Fixed automation is just that - fixed. It is best if used for specific jobs. The components are customized to the
dimensions and needs of individual parts and projects. Plus, fixed automation systems typically take up more
room in the facility than their robotic counterparts.
Features:
High initial cost for custom- engineered equipment
High production rates.
Relative inflexibility of the equipment to accommodate the variety products.
Programmable automation:

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

Programmable automation is a form of automation for producing products in batches. The products are
made in batch quantities ranging from several dozen to several thousand units at a time. For each new batch, the
production equipment must be reprogrammed and changed over to accommodate the new product style
The operation sequence is controlled by a program, which is the set of instruction codes they can be
read and interpreted by the system.

Features:

High investment in general purpose equipment.

Lower production rates than fixed automation.
Flexibility to deal with variations and changes in the configuration.
Best suitable for batch production.
Example: NC Machine tool, Industrial robots .

Flexible automation:
Flexible automation is an extension of programmable automation. It is capable of producing a variety of
products with virtually no time lost for changeovers time (set up: tooling, fixtures, machine settings) for one
part style to the next.

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

Features:

High investment for customized equipment.

Continuous production of variable mixtures of products.
Medium production rates.
Flexible to deal with various product varieties.

Fig: Three types of automation relative to production quantity and product variety.

Principle of Automation: (USA Principle)

The USA Principle is a common sense approach to automation projects. Similar procedures have been
suggested in the manufacturing and automation trade literature, but none has a more captivating title than this
one. USA stands for:
1. Understand the existing process
2. Simplify the process
3. Automate the process.
Understand the Existing Process: What are the inputs? What are the outputs? What exactly happens to the
work unit between input and output? What is the function of the process? How does it add value to the product?
What are the upstream and downstream operations in the production sequence, and can they be combined with
the process under consideration?
Simplify the Process: What is the purpose of this step or this transport? Is this step necessary? Can this step be
eliminated? Is the most appropriate technology being used in this step? How can this step be simplified? Are
there unnecessary steps in the process that might be eliminated without detracting from function?
Automate the Process: Once the process has been reduced to its simplest form, then automation can be
considered. The possible forms of automation include those listed in the ten strategies discussed in the following
section.
Ten strategies:

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING

1.

Specialization of operations. The first strategy involves the use of specialpurpose

equipment designed to perform one operation with the greatest possible efficiency. This is
analogous to the concept of labor specialization, which is employed to improve labor
productivity.

2.

Combined operations: This is accomplished by performing more than one operation at a

given machine, thereby reducing the number of separate machines needed. Since each
machine typically involves a setup, setup time can usually be saved as a consequence of this
strategy. Material handling effort and nonoperational time are also reduced. Manufacturing
lead time is reduced for better customer service.

3.

Simultaneous operations: A logical extension of the combined operations strategy is to

simultaneously perform the operations that are combined at one workstation. In effect, two or
more processing (or assembly) operations are being performed simultaneously on the same
work part, thus reducing total processing time.

4.

Integration of operations: Another strategy is to link several workstations together into a

single integrated mechanism, using automated work handling devices to transfer parts
between stations.

5.

Increased flexibility: This strategy attempts to achieve maximum utilization of equipment

for job shop and medium volume situations by using the same equipment for a variety of
parts or products. It involves the use of the flexible automation concepts.

6.

Improved material handling and storage: A great opportunity for reducing nonproductive
time exists in the use of automated material handling and storage systems. Typical benefits
include reduced work-in-process and shorter manufacturing lead times.

7.

On-line inspection: Inspection for quality of work is traditionally performed after the process
is completed. This means that any poor quality product has already been produced by the time
it is inspected. Incorporating inspection into the manufacturing process permits corrections to
the process as the product is being made.

8.

Process control and optimization: This includes a wide range of control schemes intended to
operate the individual processes and associated equipment more efficiently. By this strategy,
the individual process times can be reduced and product quality improved.

9.

Plant operations control: Previous strategy was concerned with the control of the individual
manufacturing process; this strategy is concerned with control at the plant level. It attempts to
manage and coordinate the aggregate operations in the plant more efficiently. Its
implementation usually involves a high level of computer networking within the factory.

10.

Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM): CIM involves extensive use of computer

applications, computer data bases, and computer networking throughout the enterprise.

AUTOMATION IN MANUFACTURING