Industrial Engineering - Essay Example

?Table of Contents Introduction 2- Manufacturing Steps 2 Raw Materials 2 1 Raw materials definition 2 2 Types of raw materials 2 3 How it can be used 3- Casting process steps 3-1 Casting process and its advantages and disadvantages 3-2 Process of smelting and casting 3-3 Mechanical forming processes 3-4 Material removal processes (machining) 3-5 Cutting tools are either single edge or multiple edges 3-6 Assembly processes 3-7 Finishing Processes 4- Powder Metallurgy Process 4-1 Advantages of Powder Metallurgy Process 4-2 Disadvantages of Powder Metallurgy Process 4-3 Comparison between powder metallurgy process and casting process 5- Conclusion 1- Introduction The industrial engineering has positively changed and improved the human life in the past 100 years or so. It has inspired the human brain to creatively invent new ways of converting raw materials into products which have made a positive difference in our lives. For instance, thanks to such inventions, we can transport from one place to another easily and comfortably. In addition, we can contact our friends, relatives and whoever in a few seconds, no matter how far the distance between us is. As a matter of fact, the industrial revolution, in general, is regarded as one of the important elements that may affect the economic development and the living standards in many countries. It goes without saying that the industrial revolution has offered job chances to a great number of people. For example, if we assume that there is a factory planning to recruit 100 people to manufacture a product, the factory will definitely need to have this number and maybe more in order to be able to market, sell and export its new product. To understand and appreciate the abovementioned examples of the importance of the industrial revolution, this essay will discuss and address the stages and processes which a product goes through before it is made. For example, more often than not, a product undergoes a variety of complex processes and testing before it becomes of high quality. To illustrate these processes, this essay will: a) demonstrate the types of raw materials and how they can be used. b) investigate the casting process and show its pros and cons. c) investigate the powder metallurgy process and present its advantages and disadvantages d) make a comparison between the casting and powder metallurgy processes 2- Manufacturing Steps 2-1 Raw Materials 2-1-1 Raw materials definition Raw materials are used in industries as a starting material or reactant to establish products. According to Oxford dictionary, a raw material is “the basic material from which a product is made”. These materials are often natural resources such as oil, iron and wood but some time it may also be synthetic resources well. 2-1-2 Types of raw materials There are various types of raw material among them five different main types of raw material are following A. Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, gasoline, etc) B. Precious metals (gold, silver, etc) C. Industrial metals (copper, iron, etc) D. Agricultural products (wheat, coffee, cotton, etc) E. Animal husbandry (pork bellies, cattle, etc) 2-1-3 How it can be used The properties of raw materials can vary greatly and it depend upon the availability (season and storage) of raw material. Todd et al (1994, Pp. 36-42) claims that various raw materials can be similar to each other in their correlation, and differ in the inflation rate depend upon the demand and availability. The investors probably oil and gold are among the most sought after raw materials. To bring a little light into the darkness, we want to give below an overview of the various types of raw materials. We know that to make a company more profitable is to increase the sales price, but to manage cost efficiently, which ultimately depend the final value of the product. In addition, Degarmo et al (2003: Pp. 123-132) argue that the cost and quality of the final product depends largely on raw material. Raw material are a part of the most important aspects of a company and the their cost. So the way forward is to be more efficient in managing costs. Higher profit margins can only be achieved in two ways: A. Increase in sales price. B. Lower costs and expenses. 3- Casting process steps 3-1 Casting process and its advantages and disadvantages Casting is a manufacturing process in which raw material is poured in a mold which having a hollow cavity and specific shape through which desired shape of product is obtained. Mostly metals or various cold setting materials are used in casting.  Mathews & Rawlings (1999, Pp. 124-147) claims that casting methods are used for manufacturing complex shapes products that would be otherwise not feasible to make by other methods. On the other hand the cost of model and molds are comparatively high, however the production of castings depend upon its part numbers. Because of global competition and increased production costs, mainly due to energy, therefore many industries that produce metal casting in the German-speaking countries have been closed and relocated to Eastern Europe and Asia. 3-2 Process of smelting and casting The smelting and casting processes are simple and inexpensive compared to other processes. These processes can be classified by the mold used (permanent or nonpermanent) or the way in which the material enters the mold (casting and gravity casting). Smelting Smelting is a process in which ore is produced from metal and its comes under the category of extractive metallurgy for example iron, copper, aluminum is extracted from its ores. Smelting uses heat and a chemical agent to convert metal ore into metal. This process not only involves acquiring the metal out of its ore but also removal of unwanted material takes place. Smelting process is further divided into following categories. Roasting: Roasting is used for the removal of carbonates and sulfides from the metal ore. For example Malachite and Galena. Reduction: Reduction is the final step of smelting in which high temperature is required to convert oxides metal ore into elemental metal by extraction of oxygen from it. The temperature changes on a large scale and depend upon the absolute terms and melting point of the base metal. For example Iron oxide and Mercuric oxide Fluxes: Most of the ores are impure, it is often necessary to use flux such as limestone to remove additional rock which is present in the form of slag. Casting Casting processes are used for casting or molding materials such as metals, plastics and ceramics. Eberhart and Mark (2003, Pp. 167-182) claims that when the material is in liquid form (in the case of the plastics material is usually powder or granules) it is inserted into a cavity called preformed mold or simply mold. The mold has the exact configuration which is required for casting after the material fills in mold and then allowed to harden or solidify which is then ejected or broken out of the mold and thus process completed. Moreover, Askeland (2005:Pp. 45-67) claims that an injection-molding machine injects the molten plastic into a metal mold follow the same basic principle, but at higher temperature. The parts produced by casting or casting processes vary in size, accuracy, surface roughness, and configuration complexity, finish required, production volume and cost and quality of production. Moreover, Thummler and Oberacker (1993, Pp. 63-72) believe that the size of the parts could vary from a few grams to those produced by casting up to several tons produced by sand casting. Dimensional tolerances can vary from 0.127 to 6.35mm. Shell molding, injection and coating produces the part having accurate size where as casting or sand casting continuously produces parts which are less accurate. The smelting and casting is a relatively low-cost process. However, molds for compression molding and injection molding as well as dies for die-casting are very expensive. 3-3 Mechanical forming processes Mechanical forming is the process in which parts are made by heating at proper temperature by means of direct mechanical force. These parts are allowed to cool below the set temperature .In this process there is no vacuum or air pressure used to assist in the molding or forming. The forces used to form the parts can be shear and tension. The parts made with the application of mechanical force are considered one of the most important forming processes in terms of production value and production method. These parts can be made with cold or hot material. Forming processes can be classified based on how the force is applied. Degarmo et al (2003, Pp. 123-132) believe that some parts are formed by forcing the material to bend along an axis. 3-4 Material removal processes (machining) Machining is the process in which a cutting tool removes unwanted material from a work piece to produce desired shape. The work piece can be cut from a stock having numerous shapes such as solid bars, hollow tubes and flat sheets. it is very accurate process and can produce a smooth surface which may be difficult to achieve with other processes which we discussed above. Walker (1993, Pp. 39-52) claims that the material removal processes can be classified as traditional, chipping and nontraditional. There are three basic elements for material removal in all conventional processes these are work piece, cutting tool and the machine tool. The basic functions of the machine tool are Providing relative movement between the cutting tool and work piece in the form of speeds and feeds Maintaining the relative positions of the cutting tool and work piece in order to produce the required shape. By varying the positions and movements between the work piece and the cutting tool, you can perform more surgery in the machine tool. 3-5 Cutting process In the recent demand materials have been developed stronger and tougher but this was not achievable by efficient processing with the traditional techniques. Therefore , we have created several new and very sophisticated technology unlike traditional processes, where removal of material requires a cutting tool. In these nontraditional process ultrasonic phenomena, chemical, electrochemical, electro-discharge of electron beam, lasers and ions are used instead of cutting tools. With oats technology, materials have been developed stronger and tougher. The efficient processing of these materials was not possible with traditional processes for material removal. Therefore, we have created several new and specialized processes. Unlike traditional processes, where removal of material requires a cutting tool, nontraditional processes are based on ultrasonic phenomena, chemical, electrochemical, electro-discharge of electron beams, lasers and ions. In these processes, material removal is not influenced by the properties of material, can be machined material of any hardness (Lewis 2003, Pp. 121-145). Now, some of these processes are still in the experimental stage and are not presented for higher scale. In most of these processes non-traditional processes are more complex and require considerable expertise and knowledge to operate efficiently. 3-6 Assembly processes The process in which two or more parts join together to form a complete set or subset is known as assembly process. The joining of the parts can be achieved by Arc welding. Gas welding (soft/hard using mechanical fasteners’ or adhesives). Restraint can be achieved by means of screw, rives, pins and wedges. Electrical welding, Gas welding, soldering and some adhesives joined parts permanently. In welding heat or pressure and sometimes both are used, these effect result on joining different parts to meet the wide range of needs. 3-7 Finishing Processes The main functions of the finishing processes are to clean, protect and decorate the surface. The first step is often the surface cleaning. Cleaning removes dirt, oil, grease, rust deposits and seams in order to prepare the surface for further treatment. Cleaning can be effected by mechanical means such as abrasive blasting or chemical means such as alkaline cleaning (Gaskell and David, 1995: Pp. 54-67). However, some cleanup procedures can also be used for cleaning and finishing. The second step of the finishing processes is to protect the surface against deterioration and third step is to decorate it to increase its aesthetic appeal. Protection and decoration of the finishing product can be achieved by treating the surface with organic coatings (paints), metal coatings, phosphate coatings, porcelain enamel and ceramic coating. 4- Powder Metallurgy Process Powder Metallurgy is a metallurgical process in which metal powders are transformed into technically useful components (Callister and William, 2000: Pp. 72-89). These powders are compacted in precision molds and parts are obtained by the action of temperature in special furnaces with controlled atmospheres, where dust particles are consolidated and generate the properties of the piece. The process involves a series of steps that aim to give the piece its technical characteristics. These stages are: A. Manufacture of powder B. Mixed C. Pressing D. Sintering E. Repressing F. Secondary Operations G. Part final 4-1 Advantages of Powder Metallurgy Process A. Low consumption of materials and energy. B. Eliminates or minimizes the need for mechanical work. C. Economic, especially for complicated geometries. D. Freedom of choice given by a variety of materials and processes used (e.g. heat and surface treatments). E. Good surface finish. F. Good repeatability from piece to piece, suitable for medium and large series. G. Porosity can be used for filtration and self-lubricating bushings. 4-2 Disadvantages of Powder Metallurgy Process A. Details have lower mechanical properties (especially toughness) compared to parts made by casting or forging. B. Dimensional accuracy is lower than that obtained by machining. C. The presence of residual porosity must be taken into account in the event of subsequent operations. 4-3 Comparison between powder metallurgy process and casting process In powder metallurgy or ceramics, it is possible to fabricate components which otherwise would decompose or disintegrate. All considerations of solid-liquid phase changes can be ignored, so powder processes are more flexible than casting, extrusion, or forging techniques (Gaskell and David 1995, Pp. 54-67). Competitive characteristics of manufacturing processing (e.g., tool wear, complexity, or vendor options) may also be closely regulated. 5- Conclusion This essay has discussed the importance of industrial engineering by demonstrating how a product is made. In this essay, definitions of raw materials have been given and a discussion on its uses and types has been made. In addition, the methods and steps of casting and powder metallurgy processes have been clarified and examples of their advantages and disadvantages have been provided. Furthermore, a comparison between the casting process and the process of powder metallurgy has been made. To sum up, in my opinion, the industrial engineering is of high importance to the entire and it has positively impacted our lives. 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Pp. 63-72 Todd, Robert H., Allen, Dell K., Alting, Leo, (1994). "Manufacturing Processes Reference Guide", 1st Edition, Industrial Press Inc., New York. Pp. 36-42 Wachtman, John B. (1996). Mechanical Properties of Ceramics. New York: Wiley-Interscience, John Wiley & Son's. Pp. 42-57 Walker, P., ed (1993). Chambers Dictionary of Materials Science and Technology. Chambers Publishing. Pp. 39-52 Read More