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Session 3263

Have You Updated Your Manufacturing Process Course? S. Kant Vajpayee The University of Southern Mississippi

Abstract

Like most sectors of the goods-producing industry, discrete manufacturing is undergoing evolutionary advances--primarily due to the innovations in microelectronics, computers, and communications. It is up to the manufacturing faculty at institutions of higher learning to incorporate these advances in the curricula. Manufacturing curricula invariably require several credit hours in the areas of production processes and machine tools. This article summarizes the major advances in these areas for the benefit of manufacturing faculty. Both machining and forming processes are covered along with tools, workholding, factory automation, and quality assurance.

Introduction

Prior to the advent of computers and communications, advances in manufacturing processes and machine tools used to be fewer and far in between. The same is not true today. Global competition and developments in information technology, fueled by powerful, inexpensive microchips, are impacting manufacturing at an unprecedented rate. We in the academia have the sole responsibility to incorporate the developments in the curricula. In this article, recent advances1 in processes and associated machine tools are presented along with those in tools, workholding, factory automation, and quality assurance. The article is aimed at manufacturing instructors who often update course contents to reflect what is happening on the shop floors. The presented overview is divided into three major sections: metalcutting, metalforming, and ancillaries. The former two also include advances in the respective machine tools.

Metalcutting

PC Rules. To use a personal computer (PC) to communicate with the computer numerical control (CNC) system of the machine is now standard practice in most new machine tools. The PC-CNC interface is effective even with older CNC machines. The newer machines are more intelligent and capable of self-diagnosis. They incorporate 64-bit processors to boost programming and information transfers to and from the machine. For example, newer CNCs can compensate for thermal elongations, due to heat generated by processing, of the machine, tool, spindle, and the guide ways.

High-Speed Machining. Another trend is high-speed machining, in which cutting speeds are five-toto-ten times higher than conventionally practiced. Some machines have spindle speeds as high as 40,000 rpm. High speeds are being sought in operations such as milling, drilling, and boring. Tool change time has been shrinking. It is as short as 0.7 second, with an expectation

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Vajpayee, S. K. (1999, June), Have You Updated Your Manufacturing Process Course? Paper presented at 1999 Annual Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina. 10.18260/1-2--7706