UNIT 13 FACTORY OF THE FUTURE

Structure
13.1 Introduction
Objectives

Factory of the Future

13.2 Trends in Manufacturing 13.3 The Future Automated Factory

13.3.1 13.3.2 13.3.3 13.3.4 The Information System in the Automated Factory Processing and Assembly Material Handling Inspection Systems

13.4 Social Impacts of Automation of Factories

13.4.1 13.4.2 13.4.3 Impact on Labour Retraining and Education Social and Economic Forces

13.5 Summary 13.6 Key Words 13.7 Answers to SAQs

13.1 INTRODUCTION
Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), automated inspection systems, automated material handling, automated storage and retrieval systems, CNC machines and tool handling systems, flexible manufacturing systems, cellular manufacturing system, Operation aspects of CIM, computer aided process planning, material planning for CIM system, and control and simulation of CIM all we have discussed in earlier sections. These topics are directing the technology of manufacturing towards the fully automated factory of the future. In this unit, we will discuss about the trends in manufacturing, the future automated factory, and their social impact on society.

Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to understand the trends in manufacturing, explain the future automated factory, and appreciate the social impacts of automation of factors.

13.2 TRENDS IN MANUFACTURING

Certain trends that are occurring in manufacturing are very important for shaping the factory of the future. These trends come into picture due to the managements desire to find new ways to increase productivity and from new opportunity afforded by developing technologies. These trends are explained in the following sub-sections. Shorter Product Life Cycles Definitely, one of the trends is the pressure due to competition to develop and produce new generations of products that are increasingly complex in less time. Examples of this trend are : automobiles, airplanes, computers, machine tools, and many other products. This technology rat race results in shorter product lives not due to the older products wear out but because new offsprings makes previous

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items technologically out of date. The use of CAD/CAM systems makes it possible for companies to accomplish the synthesis, analysis, evolution, and documentation of the design in much less time than with manual methods. More Customized Products The products available to customers are becoming more individual and custom engineered. To meet the particular needs of the customers there are more special options and features. This results smaller lot sizes. The number of products and components made in small batch sizes is expected to represent the majority of future activity in the world. Increased Emphasis on Quality and Reliability The Japanese have demonstrated that it is possible to manufacture high-quality products at relatively low cost. American producers, especially in the automobile industry, have responded to customer pressure for higher quality and the trend has spread to the other industries as well. When the consequences of poor product quality are considered, it makes sense to strive for higher quality in manufacturing products. New Materials New and unconventional materials are being selected by designers of new products. In the automobile industry this trend is exemplified by the use of composite materials for car body panels in place of traditional sheet steel. The advantages of the newer materials include lighter weight and greater shape and styling flexibility. Considering the size of the automobile market each year and the amount material involved per car, the impact of this material substitution on the U. S. economy will be substantial. The aircraft industry is another growing user of composites. Other materials being used with greater frequency in design applications traditionally satisfied by metals include plastics and ceramics. These nontraditional materials must be shaped by processing techniques that are completely different form those used in metalworking. There are significant challenges confronting industries to deal with these new technologies. Growing Use of Electronics Now-a-days, the electronics industry is growing at a much faster rate than the traditional mechanical equipment industry. New products of all types are being designed with more or more on-board electronics for data processing, control, and communication with humans. Electronics and microelectronics manufacturing place unusual demand on the workplace for clean environment. Human workers are incompactable with these environmental requirements because they generate contaminants at a high rate. A prevailing viewpoint among electronics manufacturing experts is that human being must be eliminated from direct participation in the manufacture of microelectronics products. This means automation. Greater Use of Computer Over the last decade there has been a growing interest in and implementation of computers to plan, monitor, control, and manage manufacturing operations. There is no sign that this trend will be eliminated in the future. Examples include CAD for product design, CAM for manufacturing planning, programmable logic controllers and computers for process control and personal computer for everyone. Just-in-Time Manufacturing The concept of just-in-time (JIT) production is simple. It is a means of reducing inventory of raw materials and purchased parts. The benefit to the large company of following a just-in-time policy with its suppliers is that inventories are

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dramatically reduced. Instead of keeping several days for supply of parts on the hand for final assembly, the inventory buffer is reduced to hours. Outsourcing Outsourcing is a method used by different companies to subcontract the manufacture of the components of their products to outsides firms. Instead of producing the components themselves, they find it more convenient and less expensive to have other produces the components. In most cases, the large firms continue to do the final assembly of the product at their own plants where they can maintain better control over product quality. The advantages of outsourcing includes reduced labour, elimination of equipment that is poorly utilized, avoidance of major investments in new manufacturing facilities, reduction in inventory, and dealing with companies that are expert at certain manufacturing technologies. Point-of-Use Manufacture This approach is closely related to JIT but it is applied inside a company. Point-of-Use manufacture means that the workstations making the components are located along the assembly line immediately before the assembly operations they serve. In this way, the components flow directly into the assembly stations. This substantially reduces the amount of work-in-process and time delay. The risk suffered by the company is that one of the component production operations will fail and cause the entire assembly line shut down. To reduce this risk, a small float of parts is usually maintained between the workstation that makes the parts and the workstation that assembles them. Pressure to Reduce Inventories During the late 70s and during much of the 80s, interest rates increased to historic levels. Companies realized that there was a very high investment cost associated with keeping inventories. Attempts were made to reduce inventories of all types. In manufacturing the focus was on reducing work-in-process.

Factory of the Future

SAQ 1
What are the different trends in manufacturing?

13.3 THE FUTURE AUTOAMTED FACTORY

The concept of the automated factory is usually applied in the context of discrete product manufacturing and in connection with products that are made in medium or small batch sizes. The factory of the future will have to perform basic manufacturing functions such as processing, assembly, material handling and storage, inspection, and control. The objective in the automated factory is to achieve a level of untended integrated operation similar to that which currently exists in a computer-controlled production plant which processes chemicals, petroleum, foods, and certain metals. In such a plant, there exists a relatively small crew of perhaps 5 or 10 persons who observe the production operations. These people perform maintenance and repair functions on the equipment, programming of the computer systems, monitoring the computer controlled processes, activities that involve interactions with the outside world, plant security, and general supervision.

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In the discrete-product manufacturing industries, complex problems are encountered in achieving the same level of automation because of the difficulties in processing, assembling, handling, and inspecting a diverse mix of products. In the multiproduct situation, the main difficulty in the manufacturing is the huge amount of information that must be processed for each different product made. Each component in the product has its unique geometry specification, material definition, and processing route sheet. For the product itself, there are parts lists, operating specifications, assembly drawings, and so on. Production schedules must be formulated, materials must be ordered, labour and equipment must be planned, and so it goes. It has been estimated that only about one-eighth of the people in the factory are directly concerned with processing the product, while the remaining seven-eighths are handling and processing information. It is the information system in the future factory that will implement the control function in manufacturing.

13.3.1 The Information System in the Automated Factory

Certainly, one of the features that will distinguish the future automated factory is the higher level of the information processing and data base management that will be required to operate it. At one time it seemed reasonable that all of the data and information required to operate the plan might be contained in one large central data base. However, the sheer size of the database and the changing nature of software practices over time is likely to make the single data base impractical. One of the reasons why the factory data base will be so large is that it must be capable of handling not only alphanumeric data, but must also be able to store, process, and transmit, and display graphical data. The computer systems must be capable of supporting engineering design and analysis functions, and the complex and often time-consuming numeral computations that are associated with that functions, as well as the traditional data processing applications. This capability to handle geometric data will provide the opportunity for direct communication of product specifications between the computer systems of the computer firm and its suppliers. Information system of the future will probably have the capacity to interpret data in more than the conventional data processing sense. Instead of merely performing repetitive calculations on the data, the system will be able to understand the inherent meaning of the data being manipulated. Large computer systems at the third and fourth levels of the computer hierarchy will possess attributes of comprehension and intelligence in their processing of information. They will be able to make decisions and initiate actions in the company for the timely execution of procedures that must occur during the manufacturing cycles. In essence, the information system used to support the automated factory of the future will become a knowledge base management system rather than a data base management system.

13.3.2 Processing and Assembly

The processing and assembly functions in manufacturing are the fundamental operations that transform raw materials and add value to them. Let us consider some of the changes that are likely to occur in processing and assembly technology. Machining is likely to remain an important process in manufacturing. Machining operations of the future will likely be carried out at speeds substantially greater than today. Increase in speed will substantially improve productivity in machining operations. Advances in cutting tool materials and machine tool technology will make these increases possible. The high cutting speeds will generate chips at a high rate, and beneath-the-floor systems are likely to become prevalent as a means of solving the chip disposal problem. In addition to machining, the use of near net shape processes will grow in importance. Near net shape processes are those which attempt to generate the final shape of the part in single step or a limited number of steps. Their objectives and advantages include

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reduced waste in the form of chips or other scrap material, reduced manufacturing cost and reduced number of operations required to form the part. Finally, the growth of microelectronics technology has forced the development of specialized chemical, optical, and physical processing methods to create large scale integrated (LSI) and very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits on miniature silicon chips. These processes include refined photolithography techniques, chemical etching, diffusion, ion implementation, and electron beam etching. It is anticipated that some of these processing technologies will find many industrial applications beyond microelectronics. In the assembly area, some of the biggest productivity improvements are expected to come from a greater awareness of the impact of product design on assembly methodology. By designing parts for ease of automatic assembly, the number of assembly steps and corresponding costs will be reduced. Total product cost can be minimized by achieving an optimum balance between the component costs and assembly costs.

Factory of the Future

13.3.3 Material Handling

The material handling function looms as a significant obstacle that must be overcome if we are to achieve the future in small- and medium-lot-size manufacturing. Two problem areas regarding material handling will be : Flexible routing for different parts, and Mechanical interfacing of material handling and production systems.

The first of these problems involves the capability of the material handling system to deliver different work parts to different cells in the plant according to the particular routing of the part. In conceptual model of the automated factory, the various parts and products will each require its own set of processing operations, and the handling system must be able to provide these flexible routings. This flexibility will be achieved by using computer control of the material system. The most flexible of the material handling systems is an automated guided vehicle system. Because of its flexibility and capability to be controlled by computer, it is one of the fastest-growing segments of the material handling industry today. The second problem area is the difficulty in transferring parts between the material handling systems, production workcells, and the storage systems in the plant. This problem is referred as mechanical interface problem. A mechanical interface is required each time a part is transferred from one type of system in the factory to another. The transfer must be accomplished within certain locational requirements. The method of transferring loads between systems in the future automated factory will probably make use of standard-sized pellets. Different pellets have different fixtures to handle the diverse mixture of products made in factory.

13.3.4 Inspection Systems

The inspection function is to become more automated in the future as quality continues to remain a high-priority issue. Current trends in automated inspection suggest that the future factory will be characterized in the quality control area by following : Inspection procedures will be integrated into the production process to form a closed loop feedback control system. Processing errors detected in inspection will be corrected on line so that much closer to 100% good product can be achieved. Automated inspection methods will permits the use of 100% inspection of production output rather than the sampling inspection procedures. Noncontact sensors, such as machine vision and other optical techniques, will come into widespread use in automated inspection. Computer-controlled inspection technologies that can be adapted to varying product configurations will grow in importance in the future automated factory.

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The future automated factory will be an extension of todays Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS). One might consider the automated factory to be a very large FMS. However, the problems of operating and controlling the automated manufacturing system become significantly larger as the production capacity of the system increases. There are practical limits that must be imposed on the size of the factory. The focused factory is one that concentrates its efforts on a limited, concise, manageable set of products, technologies, volumes, and markets. The future automated factory is likely to be a focused factory, limited its activities to certain families of products which can be produced using a limited set of processing technologies. In effect, the focused factory uses a modified version of the principle of standardization. There are opportunities for standardization even in the production of small to medium lot sizes of diverse products. These opportunities include : Design Standards : CAD/CAM system tends to promote standardization by building it into the design software. Raw Materials : Products can be selected so that the variety of raw materials is limited to a confined set. Tooling : Many plants tend to allow the variety of tooling to grow out of hand. It should be possible to limit the numbers of different types of tooling and other supplies that are used. Processes and Methods : The variety of manufacturing processes and methods included in shop practice is limited to a manageable set.

SAQ 2
(a) (b) Describe the role of information system in automated factory. What are different opportunities for standarisation of factories?

13.4 SOCIAL IMPACT OF AUTOMATION OF FACTORIES

There will be a social consequence of the future automated factory, with its reduced number of employees and no direct labour participation in the production processes. The obvious impact is on the unskilled workers who will not be needed to run the production machines and perform the manual labour tasks. But other types of work will also be affected. It will not happen that all companies in all industries suddenly switch to the automated factory overnight. The building and learning process will take time, with some industries embracing the new CIM and automation technologies more slowly than others. The automated factory will be introduced gradually, and effects on the workforce will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Nevertheless, the effect will be noticed.

13.4.1 Impact on Labour

The future automated factory means substitution of machines for human workers. The implementations for employment in factory operations are clear. As automation is implemented, there will be a shift from direct labour jobs to indirect jobs. Direct labour factory work tends to be well defined, manual, and repetitive. Due to these feature, the skill level required to perform it is generally low. Indirect labour work in factories is

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sometimes manual but not as well defined and not so repetitive. Many of the job classification for indirect labour require skill and training. As a consequence of the shift from direct to indirect labour in future factories, the rank of labour unions are likely to be adversely affected unless the unions can recruit in employment areas where they have traditionally not been successful. Highly skilled professional and semiprofessional workers have tended to be more confident about their employment security, and have associated more with management and professional staffs. Prospects for membership growth in these employment areas pose a difficult challenge for the unions. It is not possible that all workers who currently qualify for direct labour positions in todays conventional factories will qualify for indirect labour positions in the future automated factory. This will happen because of the difference in skill requirements. Direct labour jobs in production will be displaced. Some of the unskilled workers can be retained, but many will not be employable. For the worker who is affected, and for society, there is no denying that job displacement is a negative aspects of automation. However, if companies do not automate their factories of the future, there is likely to be no future for these companies. The negative impact on employment in this case would be far worse.

Factory of the Future

13.4.2 Retraining and Education

As we move towards a more technological society, the importance of technical education seems clear. There are two aspects to the educational solution. The first deals with the education of the young people still in school today. It is important that our society trains young people in sufficient numbers to design, build, and operate the future automated factory and to deal with the other technologies that will be so important to our economics process and well-being. The second aspect of the educational solution involves the retraining of the workers that are displaced by new technologies. But some difficulty will arise with regard to retraining. First who will pay the money for retraining because technical training is costly? Another difficult issue involves the obligations of the worker after the retraining. If the company provides the retraining, and increase the skill and education level of the worker, is the worker obligated to remain with the same employer or move to another geographical area to seek employment? The worker may feel that the organization sponsoring the retraining course should also provide employment in the same geographical location. Finally, a significant question in the education and retraining issue is: where does society get the trained and modern laboratory equipment to accomplish the retraining? Many of the new technologies in which training is required are still emerging, and the teachers who have been exposed to and educated in these fields are not available. How does society retrain the teachers who are presently in the fading technical fields so that they in turn can retrain the workers to be productive in the emerging technical fields?

13.4.3 Social and Economic Forces

The trend toward the future automated factory seems unavoidable in modern industrialized societies. There are several social and economic factors, which promote the development of such a factory. These include : Necessity to increase machine utilization The economic necessity to increase productivity The high cost of in-process inventory The need to reduce the wastes The desire to reduce manufacturing lead times to respond more quickly to customers demands The need to use raw materials and energy as efficiently as possible
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Worker safety The trends in the labour force to seek the employment in service sector and not in manufacturing.

These factors constituted the deriving force behind the development of automated assembly machines, transfer lines, NC, and other automated production systems of today are also the force for further advances, culminating in the computer-automated factory of the future.

SAQ 3
(a) (b) What will be the impact of future automated factory on labour? What are the different social and economic factors which promotes the development of automated factory?

13.6 SUMMARY
The introduction of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) will become a matter of survival for many industrial concerns in the coming years. Information technology will increasingly be recognized as a factor of production, not only influencing organizational structure, but also becoming a significant competitive factor. Factory of the future will have to perform the same basic manufacturing functions. Global competition and rapidly customer requirements are forcing major changes in the production styles and configuration of manufacturing enterprise. Traditional centralized manufacturing systems are not able to meet these requirements. In recent years, the internet has become the worldwide information platform for the sharing of information and data. Information processing is an important challenge in an internet-based manufacturing environment, and must facilitate distribution, heterogeneity, autonomy and cooperation.

13.7 KEY WORDS

JIT CAD : It is a means of reducing inventory of raw materials and purchased parts. : Computer Aided Design is basically a design activity that involves the effective use of computer to create, modify and document the engineering data. CAD uses computer based interactive graphics system for design purposes. : It is a method used by different companies to subcontract the manufacture of the components of their products to outside firm. : The processing and assembly functions in manufacturing are the fundamental operations that transform raw materials and add value to them. : Effective use of computer technology in planning, manufacturing and management is termed as CAM. It is the application of computer in various activities of manufacturing.

Outsourcing

Processing and Assembly

CAM

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CIM

: Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is an application of computers in the field of sales, design, manufacturing and business of the company. CIM is used for integration of various manufacturing activities in a factory.

Factory of the Future

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Control and Simulation of CIM

FURTHER READING
Bouchor T. O., Computer Automation in Manufacturing, Chapman and Hall. Groover, M. P. (2001), Automation, Production Systems, and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 2nd Ed, Pearson Education: Singapore. Shankar, R. (2004), Industrial Engineering and Management, Galgotia Publications, New Delhi. Carrie, A. (1998), Simulation of Manufacturing Systems, John Wiley. Law, A. M. and Kelton, W. D. (1982), Simulation Modelling and Analysis, McGraw-Hill.

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CONTROL AND SIMULATION OF CIM

This block, comprising three units, deals with the Simulation Modeling in CIM, use of communication and control techniques and finally concludes with brief discussion on Factory of the Future. Unit 11 deals with concepts of simulation modeling. Simulation is a widely used quantitative procedure in which a process is described by a model of reality and then a series of organised experiments are conducted to predict the behaviour of the model over a period of time. It also describes the simulation languages used for design of simulation model. Finally, some simulation case studies have been discussed. Unit 12 discusses about the network architecture, LAN standards, tools for object identification like sensors, barcodes, transponders, and vision systems etc., control of communication system and manufacturing data base management system in CIM is also briefly discussed. In Unit 13, we will discuss about the trends in manufacturing the future automated factory and social impact on society. The use of information system in an automated factory and various inspection systems have been discussed in this unit.

Factory of the Future

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