Selection of manufacturing process for industrial application

Selection of manufacturing process for industrial application

Introduction-

It is a big challenge for design and manufacturing engineers to select the right manufacturing process for making any part. There are hundreds of manufacturing processes. You are likely to already be familiar with the most common, e.g., casting, forming, molding and machining. Selection of a process also depends on the application need. Selection of manufacturing process also depend on the production rate, cost, strength, and size and shape requirements of the part.

What is Manufacturing process?

Manufacturing process is defined as a process of converting the raw materials into products encompass the design and manufacturing using various techniques and methods like machines, tools, money, human labor, etc. Manufacturing is a value adding process i.e., final product has a high price as compared to the raw material. 

Objectives in manufacturing any product:-

• Selecting the best process for the manufacturing 

• Reducing time for manufacturing 

• Reduce costs 

• Increase rate of the production

Selection of manufacturing process depends on various factors. These includes:-

• Quantity (Product) 

• Dimension and size of the product 

• Cost for tooling 

• Manufacturing machines and equipment

• Time for processing 

• Labor required

• Supervision of the process

• Energy consumption

• Design tolerances

• Costs (maintenance and material)

• Waste produced

• Material availability 

• Environment and Safety

Materials in manufacturing-

      1.  Metals-

                         o   Ferrous: Steel and cast iron.

                         o   Nonferrous: Copper, nickel, aluminum, alloys.

 

      2.   Ceramics- Clay, silica, carbides(Al, Si), nitrides(Ti).

 

      3. Polymers-

                        o   Thermoplastic polymers: PE, PP, PS, PVC.

 

                        o   Thermosetting polymers: phenolics, epoxies.

                        o   Elastomers: rubber, neoprene, silicone, PU

      4. Composites- more phases, particles/fibers + matrix glass reinforced plastic, Kevlar, WC in cobalt.

 

Types of Manufacturing process-

    1. Repetitive Manufacturing- Manufacturing process which produces products for rapid production flow. This process is used when the product has similar design. 

    2. Discrete Manufacturing- Manufacturing process used for making individual finished products. This process involves parts, components, and sub-assemblies which, later, produce finished products.  

    3. Job Shop Manufacturing- Manufacturing process in which final products come produced in small batches. This process produces a small volume of products that are not standardized. 

    4. Continuous Process Manufacturing- Manufacturing process in which the material is manufactured/processed/produced uninterrupted. Raw materials used in this process are mainly fluids(gases, liquids); powders; slurries. This is an uninterrupted production line which operates 24/7.

    5. Batch Process Manufacturing- This is an old school type of manufacturing process which involves compilation of different components of a product through a step-by-step process. In this process the products are produced as specified groups/amount, within a time limit. 

    6. 3D Printing- Manufacturing process in which a 3-dimension model is made from a CAD model or digital 3D model. This process can produce complex shapes with less material than in early manufacturing process.

 

Important terms for manufacturing process:-

• Conversion- Iron to steel 

• Fabrication- Fabric to cloths

• Assembly- Parts to product

• Testing- To check the quality of the product. 

Selection of appropriate manufacturing method:-

Firstly, selection criteria is a monumental step in a manufacturing process. As mentioned earlier, working out on the factors on which the manufacturing process depends like quantity, size, shape, time, costs, etc. is very essential. Material choice also plays an important role as it will rule out vast number of manufacturing process as many processes works exclusively on a certain material.

For example, sheet metalworking process is performed on sheets made by metal. These operations use a punch and die to form the workpiece, for moulding a pen only polymers can be used.

The next step, once the material is finalized, is making a list of the manufacturing processes that will match the required quantity, quality, etc. for making the product. At this stage one should ideally start working with an experienced manufacturer to identify the processes that can manufacture our required product.

After identifying various manufacturing process for the product, the processes should be evaluated based on some parameters. These parameters are:-

• Capability 

• Costs (tooling and equipment)

• Time for process 

• Skill required for the process

• Post processing 

• Waste produced after manufacturing

This in an important step to systematically identify, analyze, and rate the performance of the manufacturing. This step also help in creating decision matrix for the important element for the manufacturing of the product.

The final and most important step is to select the manufacturing process which perfectly suits the manufacturing of the product. This can be done with the help of the decision matrix in which important elements can be focused. As mentioned before, it is important to work with an experienced manufacturer for the manufacturing of the product. This will help in identifying the various processes, evaluating the process and selecting the best process for the manufacturing of the product.

Following these methods/steps will result in a single manufacturing process that will produce the product required in an accurate cost.

 

Conclusion-

Manufacturing helps in making many kinds of innovations.

For a good product, every step should done in the right way starting from the selection criteria to the manufacturing process. Before making the product, availability of the materials also the cost of the material is important before planning for the process.

The material needs to undergo every process with the right measurements, proper equipment and proper skill to avoid wastage of the material which may increase cost for the manufacturing process. Also, the duration of the manufacturing process should be taken care of.

As mentioned earlier, some materials need the certain process, and some might not need to undergo the certain process. So, selecting the right process is very important.

Before reaching to the customers, the product should undergo proper testing and analysis. If a product is not well manufactured, one cannot bring the finished product to the market.

Authors- 

1. Anshul Dahiwalkar

2. Ashish Mali

3. Anirudh Sharma

4. Aryaman Gadoo