ICT in Manufacturing

Introduction  Use of computers – Order entry and processing systems Many companies now have on-line ordering systems Check out Jungle on the web – Project management software – Expert systems – Computer-aided design – Computer-aided manufacture – Robots

Computer-Aided Design  On-screen design of whole range of products – Computer chips – Clothing – Buildings – Vehicles – aircraft  Software features: – Creation of 3-D images – Rotation of images – Performance testing – Optimisation of material usage – Virtual ‘walk-through’ for proposed buildings

CAD Data  Two ways of storing graphics data – Bit-mapped Picture stored as a 2-D array with each element representing 1 pixel on the screen – Vector-based Picture stored as a collection of objects such as lines and circles, each represented by specifying coordinates, thickness, colour etc.  CAD systems use vector-based graphics – Drawings can be scaled or resized without distortion – Drawings are device independent – Smaller file sizes – Greater accuracy

Computer-Aided Manufacture  Many businesses now use CAM systems – Motor industry, clothing, brewing, etc  Often linked to CAD systems  Advantages of CAM – Consistent high quality – Reliability and speed – Increased productivity - fewer staff required  Disadvantages are mainly social – Mass redundancies in traditional manufacturing industry – New jobs have been created Computer hardware ICT-based products – CDs, mobile phones, etc Service sector

Robots  Term dervied from the Czech word ‘robotnik’ - slave  Endless types of robots, but same essential components: – Sensors – to capture data – Microprocessors – to process the data – Actuators – to produce movement or alter the environment in some way

Why use robots?  Perform repetitive and monotonous tasks  Labour costs can be substantially reduced  Widely used in many industries  Quality of work is consistent  Can work continuously (24/7)  Can work in darkness and cold  Can be used in hazardous areas