UNIT-III
GROUP TECHNOLOGY
GROUP TECHNOLOGY
• It is a manufacturing philosophy in which the
parts having similarities (Geometry,
manufacturing process and/or function) are
grouped together to achieve higher level of
integration between the design and
manufacturing functions of a firm.
• The group of similar parts is known as part family
and the group of machineries used to process an
individual part family is known as machine cell.
WHY GROUP TECHNOLOGY?
• Average lot size decreasing
• part variety increasing
• increased variety of materials
• with diverse properties
• requirements for closer
• Tolerances
PART FAMILIES
• PART FAMILIES(Similarity groupings are called
Part Families)
• A part family is a collection of parts that are
similar either because of geometric shape and
size or because similar processing steps are
required in their manufacture.
• The parts within a family are different, but
their similarities are close enough to merit
their inclusion as members of the part family.
Implementing Group Technology (GT)
• There are two major tasks that a company must
undertake when it implements Group Technology.
[Link] the part families. If the plant makes 10,000
different parts, reviewing all of the part drawings and
grouping the parts into families is a substantial task
that consumes a significant amount of time.
[Link] production machines into cells. It is time
consuming and costly to plan and accomplish this
rearrangement, and the machines are not producing
during the changeover.
GROUPING PART FAMILIES
• There are three general methods for solving part
families grouping.
• All the three are time consuming and involve the
analysis of much of data by properly trained
personnel.
• The three methods are:
– Visual inspection.
– Parts classification and coding.
– Production flow analysis.
Visual inspection
• The visual inspection method is the least
sophisticated and least expensive method.
• It involves the classification of parts into
families by looking at either the physical parts
or their photographs and arranging them into
groups having similar features.
Parts classification and Coding
• In parts classification and coding, similarities
among parts are identified, and these
similarities are related in a coding system.
• Two categories of part similarities can be
distinguished:
– Design attributes, which concerned with part characteristics
such as geometry, size and material.
– Manufacturing attributes, which consider the sequence of
processing steps required to make a part.
Reasons for using a classification and
coding system
• Design retrieval. A designer faced with the task of developing a new
part can use a design retrieval system to determine if a similar part
already exist. A simple change in an existing part would take much
less time than designing a whole new part from scratch.
• Automated process planning. The part code for a new part can be
used to search for process plans for existing parts with identical or
similar codes.
• Machine cell design. The part codes can be used to design machine
cells capable of producing all members of a particular part family,
using the composite part concept.
• A part coding system consists of a sequence of symbols that identify
the part’s design and/or manufacturing attributes.
• The symbols are usually alphanumeric, although most systems use
only numbers.
Three basic coding structures
• Chain-type structure, also known as a polycode,
in which the interpretation of each symbol in the
sequence is always the same, it does not depend
on the value of the preceding symbols.
Three basic coding structures
• Hierarchical structure, also known as a monocode, in
which the interpretation of each successive symbol
depends on the value of the preceding symbols.
Three basic coding structures
• Hybrid structure, a combination of hierarchical and
chain-type structures.
Opitz Coding System
• It is intended for machined parts and uses the following digits sequence
• Form Code - 12345 for design attributes
• Supplementary Code - 6789 for manufacturing attributes
• Secondary Code - ABCD for production operation type & sequence
Opitz Coding System
Production Flow Analysis (PFA)
• Production flow analysis (PFA) is a method for identifying part families and
associated machine groupings that uses the information contained on process
plans rather than on part drawings.
• Workparts with identical or similar process plans are classified into part families.
These families can then be used to form logical machine cells in a group
technology layout.
• The procedure in production flow analysis must begin by defining the scope of the
study, which means deciding on the population of parts to be analyzed.
• The procedure of Production flow analysis (PFA) consists of the following steps:
– Data Collection. The minimum data needed in the analysis are the part number and operation
sequence, which is obtained from process plans.
– Sortation of process plans. A sortation procedure is used to group parts with identical process
plans.
– PFA Chart. The processes used for each group are then displayed in a PFA chart as shown
below.
Production Flow Analysis (PFA)
GROUP TECHNOLOGY
Group layout
General achievements of GT
BENEFITS OF GT
1. Engineering design
• Reduction in new parts design
• Reduction in the number of drawings through standardization
• Reduction of drafting effort in new shop drawings
• Reduction of number of similar parts, easy retrieval of similar
functional parts, and identification of substitute parts
2. Layout planning
• Reduction in production floor space required
• Reduced material-handling effort
3. Specification of equipment, tools, jigs, and fixtures
• Standardization of equipment
• Implementation of cellular manufacturing systems
• Significant reduction in up-front costs incurred in the release of new
parts for manufacture
BENEFITS OF GT
4. Manufacturing: process planning
• Reduction in setup time and production time
• Alternative routing leading to improved part routing
• Reduction in number of machining operations and
numerical control (NC) programming time
5. Manufacturing: production control
• Reduced work-in-process inventory
• Easy identification of bottlenecks
• Improved material flow and reduced warehousing costs
• Faster response to schedule changes
• Improved usage of jigs, fixtures, pallets, tools, material
handling, and manufacturing equipment
BENEFITS OF GT
6. Manufacturing: quality control
• Reduction in number of defects leading to reduced inspection effort
• Reduced scrap generation
• Better output quality
• Increased accountability of operators and supervisors responsible for
quality production, making it easier to implement total quality control
concepts.
7. Purchasing
• Coding of purchased part leading to standardized rules for purchasing
• Economies in purchasing possible because of accurate knowledge of raw
material requirements
• Reduced number of part and raw materials
• Simplified vendor evaluation procedures leading to just-in time purchasing
8. Customer service
• Accurate and faster cost estimates
• Efficient spare parts management, leading to better customer service
Limitations of GT
• Problem of identifying part families among the
many components produced by a plant.
• It is a time consuming and expensive process.
• The expense of parts classification and coding.
• Rearranging the machines in the plant into the
appropriate machine cells.