MANU 200 - Fabrication
Mechanical Engineering Technology – Fall 2024
Instructor: Ravi Jassar
PhD(Mech. Engg.), [Link].
Introduction to Manufacturing
• What is manufacturing?
• The word comes from the Latin words manus (hand) and factus (make).
• Early manufacturing was items being made by hand, but today most
manufacturing is accomplished by automated and computer-controlled
machinery.
• The history of manufacturing can be divided into two subjects:
• The discovery and development of materials and material processing.
• The development of the systems of production.
History of Manufacturing
• The “ages” of technological development are usually linked to
the dominant materials of the time:
• Stone Age
• Copper and Bronze Age
• Iron Age
• Steel Age
• Modern era – plastics, composites, and exotic alloys
• In this class, we will discuss the materials used in modern fabrication, the
processes used to shape those materials, and the overall manufacturing
systems those materials pass through as they become products.
• Manufacturing systems are groups of processes that turn materials into
items of greater value.
• Examples
• When sand is turned into glass, value is added.
• When petroleum is refined into plastic, value is added. More value is
added when the plastic is molded into a patio chair.
Customer Expectations
• Generally, consumers want products to be:
• Affordable
• Durable
• Free from defects
• “Up-to-date”
• Thoughtful consideration of the manufacturing process and
material selection allows manufacturers to meet these demands.
Economic Impact
• A strong manufacturing sector is one of the keys to a nation’s
prosperity.
• A society’s standard of living is largely determined by the
goods and services available to its people.
• In Saskatchewan in 2020, manufacturing accounted for $13.4
billion ($178B nationally)
• Agricultural equipment, recreational vehicles, ambulances,
musical instruments, steel products, etc.
Material Processing Families
• Casting
• Expendable mold
• Multiple-use mold
• Bulk deformation processes
• Hot forming (rolling, forging, extrusion)
• Cold forming (drawing, bending, roll forming)
• Consolidation
• Welding, brazing, and soldering
• Mechanical assembly (bolted connections, shrink fits)
• Material removal processes
• Machining
• Cutting
• Additive manufacturing
• 3D printing/direct digital manufacturing
Manufacturing Systems Designs
• Five manufacturing system designs can be identified:
• Job shop
• Flow shop
• Linked-cell shop
• Project shop
• Continuous process
Job Shop
• It is designed for maximum flexibility
to deal with wide product variations.
• Makes low quantities of specialized
products in a flexible product mix
• General purpose machines grouped
together
• Large inventory required due to large
variety of products
• Materials are moved from station to
station in batches
Flow Shop
• Flow line production involves multiple
pieces of equipment or workstations
arranged in sequence, and the work units
are physically moved through the
sequence to complete the product.
• Larger volumes of the same
part/assembly
• Machinery is more specialized
• Lower inventory
• Less flexibility, less variety, more
mechanization
• Parts move from station to station
Linked Cell / Lean Shop
• Each worker in a cell can operate more than one kind of
process (or multiple versions of the same process) and can also
perform inspection and machine maintenance duties.
• Cells eliminate the job shop concept of one person/one
machine and thereby greatly increase worker productivity and
utilization.
• The linked cell system gives both reduced cost and volume
flexibility.
• Flexible in terms of quantity and variety of parts
• Low inventory
• Simple and specialized machinery
• Parts move through stations
• Workers operate several machines
Project Shop
• Characterized by immobility of the
item being manufactured
• Unique projects, aerospace,
construction, etc
• Materials, machinery, and workers
come to the item/site
• Supplied by other shops as needed
Continuous Process
• Material “flows” through the plant
• Characterized by large plants producing
goods for other producers
• Common for:
• Liquids, oils, gases, and powders
• Bottled goods
• Paper, plywood, etc.
• Bulk steel
• Very low product mix
• Very low inventory
Manufacturing Systems and Production
Volumes
The Big Picture – The Production System
The manufacturing
system is just one part of
an interconnected system
of suppliers, customers,
marketing, management,
logistics, design, and
more.
Product Development Curve
• Generally follows an S-shaped curve
• Initial concept
• Rapid growth in performance
• As the product matures, it becomes
more costly to improve it
• Advancements in materials or
manufacturing methods can still yield
improvements in mature products.
Phases of Design Process
1 - Identify requirements and specifications
• What is the problem we are trying to solve?
2 - Propose alternative solutions
• Evaluate all proposals and select the optimum solution.
3 - Complete detailed design
• Drawings/CAD, material selection, manufacturing method selection, etc.
4 - Functional performance
• Prototypes made and evaluated, and revisions made until the required functions are
performed and specifications are met.
Phases of Design Process
5 - Manufacturing, Production, and Delivery
• Manufacturing concerns:
• Facilities, equipment, and personnel
• Manufacturing processes – availability and economics
• Materials – properties, availability, and economics
Product Life Cycle
1 – Startup
• New product, low volume
2 – Rapid Growth
• Product becomes standardized and volume increases
rapidly.
• Companies often struggle to meet demand
3 – Maturation
• Standard designs emerge and processes continue to
develop.
4 – Commodity
• Some products become standard of the industry, or
achieve global saturation
• Relatively stable volume and cost of production
5 - Decline
• Product is slowly replaced by better alternatives.
Product Life Cycle Examples
Product life cycle examples
• Cable TV
• Video Home System (VHS)
• Typewriters
• Compact discs (CDs)
Cable TV
Since the introduction and growth of online video streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more,
cable TV has started seeing a decline as more people cut the cord and turn to online streaming. Here’s an
overview of how this product moved through each stage of the cycle:
Introduction: Cable TV was first introduced in the United States in 1948.
Growth: Cable TV started gaining traction several years later, and by 1989, more than 53 million U.S.
households had cable television.
Maturity: Cable TV reached its maturity stage in the 1990s, with 60% of U.S. households having a subscription.
Decline: Cable TV started experiencing a decline around 2015 as more households opted to make the switch to
cheaper and more convenient online streaming options.
Video Home System (VHS)
• Before DVDs became popular, a VHS was one of the only ways you could watch your favorite
movies whenever you wanted, granted that you owned the VHS tape.
• Introduction: The VHS was first introduced to consumers in 1976.
• Growth: The VHS dominated the home movie market for several decades after its introduction,
with millions of American households owning the device along with a collection of VHS movies.
• Maturity: The VHS reached its maturity stage in the early 2000s, with 83% of Americans owning
the system.
• Decline: The VHS began its decline around 2003 with the introduction and popularity of DVDs
and online rentals.
Typewriters
• Once the most popular writing method, typewriters began to lose traction as new
technologies entered the market.
• Introduction: The first commercially made typewriter was made in 1868 by Christopher
Latham Sholes, Carlos Glidden, and Samuel W. Soule.
• Growth: The typewriter quickly became a must-have writing product for homes, offices,
colleges, and more.
• Maturity: The typewriter was a dominant writing product up until the 1980s.
• Decline: Typewriters went into decline with the spread of word processing systems in the
1990s.
Compact discs (CDs)
• Do you remember owning a CD collection of your favorite songs and albums? Portable CD players
and in-home CD entertainment systems were once the best way to listen to music before
advancements in technology like smart phones, music streaming platforms, and Bluetooth
speakers and devices.
• Introduction: CDs were first introduced to consumers in 1983.
• Growth: CDs quickly become a popular way to store and listen to music, with many households
investing in CD collections and portable players to listen to music anywhere at anytime.
• Maturity: CDs reached their maturity around the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• Decline: CDs started to decline in 2003 with the introduction of new technology like the iPod that
made listening to music cheaper and easier.
Thank
You