Computer Integrated Manufacturing

 COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING(CIM)

CIM is the integration of the total manufacturing enterprise through the use of integrated systems and data communications coupled with new managerial philosophies that improve organizational and personnel efficiency. Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is the manufacturing approach of using computers to control the entire production process. CIM is the integration of all enterprise operations and activities around a common corporate data repository.

It is the use of integrated systems and data communications coupled with new managerial philosophies. CIM is not a product that can be purchased and installed. It is a way of thinking and solving problems. This integration allows individual processes to exchange information with each other and initiate actions.

• Key Challenges in CIM :

 

Fig 1. Computer Integrated Manufacturing

1. Data integrity: The higher the degree of automation, the more critical is the integrity of the data used to control the machines. While the CIM system saves on labour of operating the machines, it requires extra human labour in ensuring that there are proper safeguards for the data signals that are used to control the machines.

2. Process control: Computers may be used to assist the human operators of the manufacturing facility, but there must always be a competent engineer on hand to handle circumstances which could not be foreseen by the designers of the control software.

•  Software used in Computer Integrated Manufacturing :

•  ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning—Computer software that collects data to help with resource planning. This area will collect and store information coming in from the system. It will then manage and interpret the data.

• CAD: Computer-Aided Design—Computer software that communicates data to the system that aids to improve productivity and quality. It is the area of the system that creates and modifies the design of the products. After the data is collected it will then analyse and optimize the line.

• CAM: Computer-Aided Manufacturing—Computer software that controls the tools and components of the production line. It is the section of the system that creates faster and more efficient processes.

• CAPP: Computer Aided Process Planning—Computer software to aid in the planning process. It is the area of the system that determines the sequence of the production process, as well as the use of materials. It combines CAD and CAM software system requirements to improve planning of the production line.

• CAE: Computer-Aided Engineering—Computer software that aids in the engineering section of the production process. It analyses and validates the line by using the CAD system.

• PPC: Production Planning and Control—Computer software that manages the tools and estimates resource usage. It is the area of the system that aids with scheduling, time management, resource allocation, and estimations that improve production costs and speed.

• CAQ: Computer-Aided Quality Assurance—Computer software that inspects the quality of products. It also analyses any measuring equipment, meaning the distance of specific tools or sensors, that the system uses for production tasks. Vendor ratings are also computed in this area of the CIM. 

•  Technological Benefits in CIM : 

•  Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS)- A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is designed up front to be readily adapted to changes in the type and quantity of goods being produced. Production in an FMS is largely automated, reducing overall labour costs. 

•  Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS)- Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) are computer- and robot-aided systems that can retrieve items or store them in specific locations. The system is usually comprised of predefined locations where machines can follow established routes to get items. 

• Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) - Sometimes called self-guided vehicles or autonomous guided vehicles, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are material handling systems or load carriers that travel autonomously throughout a warehouse, distribution center, or manufacturing facility, without an onboard operator or driver. 

•  Automated Conveyance System and Robotics- The goal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) and Robotics is to remove all the barriers between all the functions within an operation, to encourage marketing, order entry, accounting, design, manufacturing, quality control, shipping and all the other departments to work closely together throughout the process.

                                                        Fig 2. Work cycle of CIM

• Benefits of computer integrated manufacturing system :

• Cost reduction:
• Information handling is the way to reduce manufacturing time.
• Improved accuracy and time savings can translate into reduced costs and process time for operation. Better use of capital resources through work automation results in higher productivity and lower cost.
• The automation of the entire production process shifts management's emphasis from supervising people to supervising machines.

• Quality improvements:
• CIM supports customer satisfaction resulting from the elimination of waste from the design, engineering and production cycle.

• Greater production control:
• Company's efficiency increases through work simplification and automation, better production schedules planning and better balancing of production workload to production capacity.

• Faster responsiveness to the market:
• Improved product development cycle high levels of human and capital resource productivity, improved quality, and short delivery time, lead CIM users to a rapid response to the market place.

• Reduced Inventory:
• Reduced investment in production inventories and facilities through work simplification, and just in time inventory policies.
•  CIM is based on small lot sizes and offers greater variety of products.

• Error reduction
• CIM systems require higher degrees of data accuracy to run properly.
• Once part, bill of material, inventory and operational information achieve a very high level of accuracy, CIM can perform functions with minimal human intervention and then report on the results automatically.
• Humans are still required to monitor systems, but elimination of human error in many assignment and reporting functions on factory floor operations drastically reduces the error rate.

• Speed
• Assignment and reporting in a CIM environment are performed automatically and immediately without any delay involved with people-based transactions.
• Depending on the environment, this additional speed allows operations to be performed as soon as previous work occurs without any lag time.
• CIM environments therefore reduce the time it takes to perform manufacturing fabrication and assembly, allowing quicker flow of product to customers and increased capacity.

• Flexibility
• Once operations are assigned and reported in a CIM system, changes to various operations can also be performed more easily.
• CIM systems are designed to be entirely paperless, eliminating the barriers to changing operations. This flexibility, combined with the speed it can be performed, allows companies to quickly react to market conditions and then return to previous settings when market conditions change.

• Integration
• Factory floor operations are not integrated in non-CIM situations; manufacturing operations and material usage must be reported by humans who perform transactions.
• CIM offers a degree of integration that enables the flexibility, speed and error reduction required to compete and lead markets.
• Integrating factory floor operations with enterprise software enables employees to do higher value functions for their companies