Chapter 39

Computer-Integrated Manufacturing
Systems

QUALITATIVE PROBLEMS

39.16 In what ways have computers had an impact on manufacturing? Explain.

By the student. Computers have had an enormous impact on manufacturing, and are cur-
rently involved in almost every aspect of the manufacturing enterprise. Inventory control,
purchasing, maintenance scheduling, computer numerical control, material handling control,
automated inspection, etc., are all areas where the computer has had a major impact. The
students are encouraged to express their own thoughts.

39.17 What advantages are there in viewing manufacturing as a system? What are the
components of a manufacturing system?
By the student. If one thinks of manufacturing as a system, then one can identify components
of the system and then develop methodologies for the components to interact more effectively,
otherwise many problems would arise. For example, a component such as CNC by itself is
plausible, and a concept such as computer-aided scheduling is possible; however, if the two
are treated independently, a change in a program that affects production time will not be
incorporated into scheduling the software.

39.18 One restaurant makes sandwiches as they are ordered by customers. Another
competing restaurant makes sandwiches in advance and sells them to customers
from their inventory. Which is a pull, and which is a push system? Explain which
restaurant makes the better sandwiches.
Push and pull systems are described on p. 1131. The restaurant that makes sandwiches to
order is a pull system; the restaurant the makes sandwiches in advance is a push system.

439
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 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems 440

Which is better is questionable; with constant ingredients, there are many reasons for the
pull system to be better, especially freshness.
39.19 Discuss the benefits of computer-integrated manufacturing operations.
By the student. The students are encouraged to discuss the many benefits of CIM, referring
also to various sections in the chapter. Note that the ultimate benefit is the dramatic in-
crease in productivity and subsequent major reduction in cost, especially in medium-sized lot
production.
39.20 (a) Why is just-in-time production required in lean manufacturing? (b) What
drawbacks are there to just-in-time?
There are many benefits to JIT, the largest of which is the elimination of inventory in process
and the associated elimination of indirect costs in manufacturing. In addition, defects are
quickly identified and machine settings are corrected. In lean manufacturing, all activities
that lead to waste are to be identified and eliminated. If a workpiece is not flowing through
a factory, that is, it is waiting for further processing, then this is inherently wasteful. Thus,
just-in-time is essential to achieving lean manufacturing.
39.21 Would machining centers be suitable in just-in-time production? Explain.
By the student. Because of their capability to machine different workpieces and in batches
of as low as one, machining centers could be suitable for just-in-time production (p. 1124),
depending on the type of parts to be produced. The students could explore this topic fur-
ther, noting that a machining center is basically a versatile machine tool. Its operations are
programmed and can be changed rapidly for another type of workpiece. It should also be
noted that, as the word infers, machining centers perform material-removal operations and
not forming or other metalworking operations.
39.22 Give an example of a push system and of a pull system. Indicate the fundamental
difference between the two methods.
By the student. This is an open-ended problem and the answers given will depend on the
experience and diligence in searching the literature. A push system has high inventory levels
which mask production problems (see p. 1131). For example, large quantities of fasteners may
be produced and stored, even though (at least for a while) the demand may not be there.
Unless there is continuous quality control, there may be defective parts (due for reasons such as
die wear or poor maintenance of machinery) in storage. A pull system has low inventories and
thus allows identification of problems (such as poor surface finish and dimensional accuracy)
at the earliest stages of production.
39.23 What is fuzzy logic? Give three examples where you personally have made deci-
sions based on fuzzy data.
Fuzzy logic refers to a set of rules and inference engine where the problem and/or data is vague
or lacks precision. Often, a fuzzy logic approach will generate one or more good solutions,
but not necessarily the optimum solution that would result from an otherwise well-defined
problem. Students should be encouraged to give examples of decisions made with fuzzy logic,
although these are easy to find: which person to date, what restaurant to eat in, what car or
computer to purchase.

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obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic,
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 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems 441

39.24 What are the advantages to having level production across lines and with respect
to time?
The benefit is that balanced production is a characteristic of a lean enterprise, and makes it
more difficult to hide production problems. Pull can be obtained with balanced production,
but is difficult to achieve otherwise.

39.25 Is there a minimum to the number of machines in a manufacturing cell? Explain.

By the student. A manufacturing cell (p. 1125) consists of a group of machines, arranged
logically to produce certain specific features on a family of parts. The cell usually consists of
a number of machines and a material handling system for the movement of parts in various
stages (see Fig. 39.1 on p. 1126). It can be noted that the minimum number of machines in
a manufacturing cell would be two, as otherwise the term cell cannot be used properly. An
example of a minimum number of machines would be a cell where the first machine would
perform an operation such as turning of a shaft, and a second machine to grind the outer
diameter. It should be apparent, however, that a minimum number of machinery may not be
an optimum number for a particular set of operations on products.

39.26 Are robots always a component of an FMC? Explain.

By the student. The material-handling system in an FMC (see Fig. 39.1 on p. 1126) is an
essential and important component; it must have high flexibility because of the variety of
parts and operations taking place in the cell. Whether or not this task can be performed
with a robot or some other material-handling system depends on factors such as the type of
products, process capabilities, how many machines are involved in the cell and how far they
are from each other. Using a variety of end effectors (see Fig. 37.18 on p. 1080), robots can
handle various parts-in-progress, but they may not be capable of handling complex, delicate,
or heavy parts. In that case, the material-handling system may require special conveyors,
manipulators, automated guided vehicles, or even individual workers.

39.27 Are there any disadvantages to zero inventory? Explain.

While the concept of JIT suggests that there should be zero inventory, in practice this may be
difficult to justify. Consider, for example, the case when a critical machine in the production
line unexpectedly breaks down (in a manner not preventable through maintenance programs
and schedules). Such an occurrence could shut down the entire production line, and in the
absence of sufficient inventory, this situation would have major economic impact. Further-
more, there is also the consideration that a strike in one manufacturing plant can shut down
and thus adversely affect the entire set of operations of a large corporation.

39.28 Review Table 36.1 and identify the points that are consistent with lean manufac-
turing.
Deming’s 14 points are a method of achieving continuous improvement in manufacturing; this
is a goal of lean manufacturing as well. Thus, all points are consistent with lean manufactur-
ing, although this is not readily apparent.

39.29 Give examples in manufacturing processes and operations in which artificial in-
telligence could be effective.

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obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic,
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 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems 442

By the student. This is a challenging topic and the students should consult books and pub-
lications that are now widely available on artificial intelligence and neural networks, with
various applications in design, automation, and the economics of manufacturing operations
(see also the Bibliography at the end of this chapter). It should be noted that expert systems,
for example, have a wide range of applications such as diagnosing problems in manufactur-
ing, modeling and simulation, and computer-aided design, process planning, and production
scheduling. A typical example is when one is given a specific part drawing and is asked
to generate a manufacturing plan, including selection of processes, tooling, die, and fixture
design, and selection of processing parameters.

SYNTHESIS, DESIGN, AND PROJECTS

39.30 Think of a product line for a commonly used household item and design a manu-
facturing cell for making it. Describe the features of the machines and equipment
involved.
By the student. In this open-ended problem, the specific answers will depend on the particular
products selected and how complex their manufacture would be. It is important that students
consider relatively simple products, such as containers for food and beverages, electric razors,
and small appliances.

39.31 What types of (a) products and (b) production machines would not be suitable for
FMC? What design or manufacturing features make them unsuitable? Explain
with examples.
By the student. Examples of such products and production machines would be:

(a) products that are not intended for batch production, such as a rolling mill,
(b) processes and equipment that require long cycle times (chemical etching, electroplating,
or composites manufacturing) as they would be impossible to synchronize efficiently with
other activities in the cell,
(c) machinery that may not be compatible with other equipment such as, for example, a
large drop hammer (see Section 14.8 on p. 355) placed on the same shop floor and near
a precision grinder or a coordinate measuring machine. The students can elaborate
further on these and other ideas, also discussing the design and manufacturing features
that make them unsuitable for inclusion into FMC.

39.32 Describe your opinions concerning the voice recognition capabilities of future
machines and controls.
By the student. The subject of voice recognition of future machines is a good topic for
class discussion, noting also that significant progress already are being made in this area.
Although the current technology is highly demanding on computer memory, voice-recognition

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obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise.
 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems 443

capabilities would, for example, allow an operator to give verbal instructions to a machine (as
well as to a computer), using words such as stop, start, slower, faster, etc., thus eliminating
the need to type commands on a keyboard or manually adjust machine controls.

39.33 Can a factory ever be completely untended? Explain.

By the student. This is an interesting and a controversial topic for class discussion. It should
be noted that while some machinery (such as a machining center) or sets of machinery (such
as those in a flexible manufacturing cell or system; see Fig. 39.3 on p. 1127) can perform
untended operations, it is very difficult to conceive of a factory that is truly untended. It
should be apparent that untended factories will, at the very least, still require maintenance
and setup personnel.

39.34 Assume that you own a manufacturing company and you are aware that you have
not taken full advantage of the technological advances in manufacturing. How-
ever, now you would like to do so, and you have the necessary capital. Describe
how you would go about analyzing your company’s needs and how you would plan
to implement these technologies. Consider technical as well as human aspects.
By the student. This is a challenging problem and can be discussed in class, and has broad
industrial implications. Also, responses to this, as well as to many other problems in Chapters
37 through 39 of this book, should also come from students in industrial engineering and
business administration programs, as they will bring a larger perspective the discussions.
Students should be encouraged to consider, among others, the following:

• Not all product lines require flexible manufacturing systems or advanced material-handling
systems in transfer lines (see, for example, Fig. 37.2 on p. 1063). A thorough assessment
must be made concerning the applicability of advanced manufacturing approaches to the
types of products being manufactured.
• There have been several situations where replacing workers with robots has not been as
attractive an alternative as originally thought.
• Even if capital is available, flexible manufacturing systems are very expensive and may
not be justifiable on a cost basis. An economic analysis of alternative production methods
is therefore essential.
• There are social implications to the application of automation and modern technology
at the expense of jobs, a topic that should be discussed in class. It is important to also
note that such moves may well be necessary in order to maintain competitiveness in a
global marketplace.

39.35 How would you describe the benefits of FMS to an older worker in a manufac-
turing facility whose experience has been running only simple machine tools?
By the student. This is a challenging problem and the students will have their own way of
responding, especially in class discussion. Some students may be assigned to be the older
workers, listening to other students who, based on their knowledge of Section 39.3 on flexible
manufacturing systems are assigned to describe the benefits of FMS. It should also be noted
that, in spite of their limited experience with simple machine tools, the workers are older and
have much experience with parts making.

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 Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems 444

39.36 Artificial neural networks are particularly useful where problems are ill defined
and the data are vague. Give examples in manufacturing where artificial neural
networks can be useful.
By the student. This is a challenging problem and requires some literature search. As also
described on p. 1137, it will be noted that ANN can have a variety of applications in man-
ufacturing such as process control, speech recognition, predicting performance in machining
(based on several input parameters).

39.37 It has been suggested by some that artificial intelligence systems ultimately will
be able to replace the human brain. Do you agree? Explain.
By the student. This is a good and challenging topic for class discussion. As a matter of
general principle, one should never claim that something is impossible. Presently, there are
tasks which the human mind can perform easily and which cannot be performed even by the
most advanced computers. Computers have great difficulty with creative thought processes
as well as with the handling of simultaneous inputs.

39.38 Evaluate a process from a lean-production perspective. For example, observe the
following closely, and identify, eliminate (when possible), or optimize the steps
that produce waste in (a) preparing breakfast for a group of eight, (b) washing
clothes or cars, (c) using Internet browsing software, and (d) studying for an
exam, writing a brief report, or writing a term paper.
By the student. It is important to first understand and appreciate the main features of lean
production, as also described in Section 39.6 on p. 1132. In lean manufacturing it is essential
to consider whether or not a certain activity is adding value, and also to not the importance
of the various items listed on p. 1133. The four topics listed in the problem can then be
subjects of interesting discussion by groups of students.

39.39 Pull can be achieved by working with one supplier and developing a balanced flow
of products. However, it was stated that single-source suppliers should be avoided
in the unforeseen events of natural disasters.Write a one-page paper explaining
this paradox.
By the student. This is a rich topic for research. As was shown in the Japan earthquake,
supplies can be disrupted by natural disasters; other causes are also well-knowm, such as
political strife. Many papers were written in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake to argue
against single-source suppliers.

39.40 (a) Explain how you can make your study habits more lean. (b) Conduct an
Internet search and list five software packages that incorporate MTConnect.
By the student. Study habits can be made more lean by:

(a) Defining the customer (professor? student? parents? all?)

(b) Establishing pull
(c) Eliminating unnecessary movement.

© 2014 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. This publication is protected by Copyright and written permission should be
obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise.
Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems 445

© 2014 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. This publication is protected by Copyright and written permission should be
obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise.