“By detecting an over-active yeast or a weak crop of hops at an early stage in the fermentation process, the nose could save us having to throw away a whole batch – 345,600 pints of beer”, explained Ian Morris of Bass.
It is not just brewers who are interested in the artificial nose. Manufacturers of instant coffee, perfume and other aromatic products are spending huge sums, in co-operation with researchers at several universities, to build a better-than-human olfactory sensor.
Source: Garth Alexander, The Sunday Times 19 September 1993.
- Computer-aided design (CAD)
CAD systems allow designers and engineers to create designs on screen for thousands of products ranging from the tiniest computer chip to bridges, buildings and aeroplanes. The software allows users to create 3-dimensional ‘solid’ models with physical characters like volume, weight and centre of gravity. The models can be rotated and viewed from any angle, edited and sorted. The computer can perform calculations to evaluate its performance under different stresses, or crash-test a new design of a car before it is even manufactured.
Animation software can be used to enable a viewer to ‘Walk through’ a 3-D model of say, a building that exists only in the computer’s memory.
CAD systems (‘vector-based’ graphics packages) store data in a different way from Paint (‘bitmapped’) packages. Paint packages store a picture as a two dimensional array, with each element of the array representing one pixel (dot) on the screen. A CAD package stores drawings as a collection of objects such as lines and circles, each represented by specifying coordinates, thickness and so on. This has many advantages, including the following:
- Drawings can be scaled or resized without distortion;
- Drawings are device independent; a drawing created using type of VDU can be transferred to a screen of a different resolution without distortion;
- The files created tend to be smaller than for equivalent bitmapped images;
- The files created tend to be smaller than for equivalent bitmapped images;
- Drawings can be made with a very high degree of accuracy by specifying coordinates.
- Computer-aided Manufacturing (CAM)
Computer-aided design is often linked to computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). CAD/CAM systems are used in the design and manufacture of thousands of applications from aeroplane and car parts to office furnishings and sports equipment. When the design of the product is completed, the specifications are input directly into a program that controls the manufacturing of parts.
A great advantage of these systems is their flexibility: individual items can be manufactured to a customer’s exact specifications.
- Case study: Subcontracting sector uses ICT
Precimax was founded in 1988 and has grown to a 30-employee company with an anticipated turnover in 1997 of £1.4 million. It offers a full manufacturing service from initial design through to supply of fully finished components and assembles. Production is predominantly on CNC (computer numeric control) turning and machining centres, and programs can be created from customer’s drawings or directly from CAD via modem or disk. Batches range from one-off up to 5,000, but are more typically in the 50 to 500 brackets. In size, turned components measure up to 250mm diameter.
Precimax is a major supplier of components for train braking and door systems and is currently producing parts for use in the platform edge doors for London Underground’s Jubilee Line extension. It also has a contract with a postal equipment manufacturer for monthly deliveries of rollers and other parts for letter-sorting machines.
Precimax uses Datatrack for Windows for keeping track of its annual 3,000 orders. The system includes estimating and quoting sales order processing, purchasing, job costing and delivery. The commercial director commented, “A system to handle this level of business is essential. Without it, we would be lost. It enables us to control cost and better understand our customers and manufacture. It gives us accurate information, so we can communicate with our customers on cost and deliveries quickly and with confidence.”
Source: Machinery 5/19 December 1997
- Discussion: In what major ways are computers being used at Precimax?
- Robots
The word ‘Robot’ comes from the Czech word ‘robotnik’, meaning slave. Robots come in many different forms and shapes, but they all have the same components:
- Sensors, which capture information from the environment;
- A microprocessor to process the information;
- Actuators to produce movement or alter the environment in some way, for example by turning an electronic switch on or off.
Robots may be used for spraying painting, spot welding and car assembly. They are also used as security devices inside homes and office blocks, as vehicles in space exploration, as intelligent wheelchairs for disabled people, and as underwater maintenance workers for oilrigs. Hundreds of applications use robots in one form or another.
- Why use robots?
- Robots can tirelessly perform repetitive and monotonous tasks, lift heavy loads and reach long distances. They are used, for example, by the US Navy to scrape and repaint ships.
- Labour costs can be substantially reduced. Robots are widely used in car manufacturing as well as in many other industries including printing and publishing. Robots can carry tons of paper coming off presses, bind and trim books and apply book covers. It has been estimated that each industrial robot will replace an average of six workers.
- Quality of work is consistent. A robot is never tired or bored or having an off day.
- Robots can work 24 hours a day, do not need breaks and do not go on strike.
- They can work in total darkness, at low temperatures, thus saving on electricity bills.
- They can be used in hazardous areas, such as fume-filled rooms or radioactive environments. Tests are currently being carried out to set robots to work on clearing mine fields.
- Discussion: Robots are immensely expensive to buy and install, and need to be used for a high proportion of each day in order to recoup the cost. What happens when demand for a product slumps? Would a manufacturer be better advised to stick with manual workers, who can be laid off and rehired when times improve?
- Exercises
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Computers and information technology are widely used in manufacturing industries. Give three different examples of their use in manufacturing, and in each case discuss
- The benefits to the company, the customers and the employees
- The possible drawbacks to the company, the customers and the employees.
- Research an application of computers and ICT in manufacturing. Describe briefly the end product, the reasons for using ICT and the software and hardware used.
What group of people benefits most from the use of ICT in the application you have described? Is any other group of people disadvantaged? Briefly explain your answers.
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Describe briefly one application for robots in industry.
Explain two advantages of using robots in the application you described.
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Some manufacturers are deciding to re-employ people on the shop floor and retire their robots. Give one argument to support this action and one argument against it.
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The use of computer-controlled machinery in manufacturing and product assembly has become widespread. Give two benefits for the manufacturer, other than financial, and two implications for the employees of such automation.
