Solutions > Smart Manufacturing > Industry 4.0 v.s. Precision Manufacturing part1
To make the original intent and design become a workable part, precise fabrication is the key. Imagine you have an excellent drawing, and you now want to make it as a metal product. You may use hammers, blades, and some machines manually, but it is hard to make it accurate as what you drew. Not to mention if you want to reproduce another same one. Here is where computer technology (computer numerical control, CNC) comes into place. It drives the level of precision in manufacturing. Industries that have little room for error in fabrication and manufacturing, such as automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, etc., can benefit from the advance in precision manufacturing.
In terms of working with metal, it means relying on CNC machines to execute specifications for high dimensional accuracy by removing material.
Using CNC machines also led the manufacturing automation. Computerized machines were developed that integrated tooling with computer programming and they cost less than having human workers do all of the labor manually.
Automation brings advantages that may optimize operations:
The quality of precision & accuracy is controlled by tight tolerance. CNC machining can guarantee tolerances as close as +/- 0.0005 on parts.
Compared with manufacturing manually which needs more workers and time, the production process can be more efficient with the programmable computer.
CNC machines combine different fabricating tools and programs. They are designed to equip custom parts.
Precision machines are compatible with a broad range of materials from titanium, stainless steel, tool steel, structural steel, and copper alloy, to aluminum alloy.
Prototyping is an important step in manufacturing processes. Through testing, the designer can identify potential flaws and prevent costly mistakes down the road. CNC machines offer capabilities that you only need to modify CAD models and then prototyping can rework rapidly.
CNC machines play a vital role in manufacturing processes because they operate automated by computers executing pre-programmed sequences of controlled commands that provide the improvement of precision and accuracy. The working processes include:
Step 1：
Making blueprints or sketches into CAD (computer-aided design) & CAM(computer-aided manufacturing) files.
Step 2：
Setting up the program for the CNC machine.
Step 3：
Equipping the CNC machine
Step 4：
Operating & Monitoring or modifying the feed and speed of the CNC machine till the finished workpieces are done.
CNC：It stands for “Computer Numerical Control” and is using the “computer” to control tools to produce parts.
With a wide variety of CNC machines, such as drilling, milling, turning, and lathing, the metal pieces can be shaped with highly detailed industrial-used products.
Now that we have established a better understanding on the importance of CNC machines in precision manufacturing, we will further explore how industry 4.0 affects CNC automation and metal fabrication in part 2.
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