MANUFACTURING
AUTOMATION
Process Development
Go
to: The Role of Process Development in Automation
To compete in an increasingly competitive global
economy it is imperative that companies implement "best manufacturing
practices". Process Development includes process research
and innovation; technology application; scale-up; design, implementation
and optimization of manufacturing processes. There are three fundamental
components to successful Process Development. The first is to
communicate and define the business objectives. The second is
to apply appropriate technology to meet the defined objectives.
The third is risk management which requires balancing applied
innovation and its impact on cost and schedule.
Advent Design brings its extensive internal engineering
and project
management resources and experience as well as extended
resources to your manufacturing product and process development
challenge.
Advent Design can provide focused attention to
your process development needs while protecting intellectual property
and managing risks.
The Role of Process Development in Automation
Process Development can be defined as the sequence
of operations and parameters required for each operation to ensure
that the manufacturing process produces a product within specifications.
The transition from a manual assembly process to a semi or fully
automated assembly process will inherently change the process.
There are many factors to consider when developing an automated
assembly system and it is important to understand your process
thoroughly. Too often we under estimate the "human element"
or the intellect, dexterity, adaptability, and intelligence that
the operator brings to the manufacturing process and the affect
or risk associated with removing that element from the process.
Changing your process incurs risk while the primary objective
during the custom machine design stage is to minimize risk. When
automating a manufacturing process, the tools used to transform
the product will change or the sequence of assembly steps may
change. Testing and understanding the impact these changes will
have on the manufacturing process is imperative. Often it is important
to consider product
design changes and the impact of these changes on the
assembly process. The best design for manual assembly is not always
the most effective for automated assembly. For example applying
sealant or adhesives using automated assembly processes is very
effective in an automated system but would be nearly impossible
for an operator to reproduce consistently. Vice versa seals and
o-rings are very effective when manually assembling a product
but are very difficult to feed and handle automatically.
In summary during the machine design process it
is very important to consider product design changes and the impact
they may have on the assembly process. Understanding how automation
will change the manufacturing process is also critical. To accommodate
for these changes and the risks they introduce it is imperative
during the custom
automated equipment design and development phase that
you test any manufacturing process changes to understand their
impact and incorporate into the machine design the ability to
monitor and adjust process parameters.
The Role of Process Development in Automation
Presentation