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Group Technology and Manufacturing Cell

Manufacturing Technology

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Tayani T Kumwenda
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21 views30 pages

Group Technology and Manufacturing Cell

Manufacturing Technology

Uploaded by

Tayani T Kumwenda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Group Technology GT

and

Manufacturing Cell
Learning objectives

• explain the concepts of group technology

• understand the benefits of group technology

• identify part family

• discuss the limitations of group technology


1. Group Technology & Manufacturing Cell
1.1 Introduction

o Group Technology or GT is a manufacturing


philosophy in which the parts having similarities in
design and production process are grouped
together into a part family to achieve higher level
of integration in a manufacturing firm
1. Cont…

 A part family may have some differences, but the


similarities are too close such that parts can be
grouped into the same family

(c)
1. Cont…

 Manufacturing cells are a layout strategy in which


machines are grouped together based on the specific
tasks they perform
1. Cont…
1.2 Benefits of GT and Manufacturing Cells

 Reduced setup and changeover time


 Cost reduction
 Improved flow of materials
 Simplified production planning and control
 Productivity improvement
 Improved product quality
1. Cont…
1.2.1 Limitations of GT and Manufacturing Cell

 Problem of identifying part families among the many


components produced by a plant.

 It is a time consuming part classification and coding

 Higher initial costs

 Rearranging the machines in the plant into the


appropriate machine cells demands for larger space
1. Cont…
1.2.2 Implementation of Group Technology (GT)

o There are three major actions that a company must


undertake when implementing Group Technology:
1) Actions on manufacturing process
− part simplification
− part family groupings
2) Actions on the production process
− production control
− physical layout of machine cell

3) Actions on the results and organization


− Process optimization
1. Cont…
1.3 Part Family

• A part family is a collection of parts that possess


similarities in geometric shape, size or in the
processing steps

− Part families are central feature of GT


1. Cont…
1.3.1 Methods of Part Family Grouping
• There are four general methods identifying or
formulating a part family
1) Intuitive grouping (Visual inspection)

2) Parts classification and coding

3) Production flow analysis

4) Composite part method


1. Cont…
1) Intuitive grouping (Visual inspection)
• The visual inspection method is the least sophisticated
and least expensive method
– It involves the classification of parts into families by looking
at either the physical parts or their photographs and
arranging them into groups having similar features
1. Cont…
2) Production Flow Analysis PFA
• This method makes use of the information contained
on route sheets rather than on part drawings.
• Work – parts with identical or similar routings are
classified into part families.
• The procedure of production flow analysis is as
follows:
– Data collection
– Sorting
– Preparation of charts (process plans)
1. Cont…
3) Parts classification and Coding

• Classification of parts refers to grouping of parts on


the basis of the essential features of parts.
• Coding is the process of assigning symbols to the
parts which may represent design attributes or
manufacturing attributes or both
• Classification and coding may be carried on the
entire list of parts of a family in order to;
– easy design retrieval
– automation of process planning
– Machine cell design
1. Cont…

Classification schemes
• The following three categories of part classification
schemes are commonly used:
1) System based on design attributes
− concerned with part characteristics such as
geometry, size and material

2) System based on manufacturing attributes


− concerned with the sequence of processing steps,
machine tools, cutting tools, machine type etc.

3)Both design and manufacturing attributes


− concerned with geometry, size, material, sequence
of processing steps required to make a part etc.
1. Cont…

1) System based on design attributes

 Basic external shape


 Internal shape
 Length/diameter ratio (aspect ratio)
 Material type
 Part function
 Major dimensions
 Minor dimensions
 Tolerances
 Surface finish
1. Cont…

2) System based on manufacturing attributes

 Major process  Machine tools


 Operation sequence
 Minor operations
 Production time
 Major
 Batch size
dimensions
 Annual production
 Surface finish
 fixtures
1. Cont…

3) System based on both design and manufacturing


attributes
 Machine tools
 Basic external  Major
shape dimensions  Operation sequence
 Internal shape  Minor  Production time
dimensions  Batch size
 Length/diameter
ratio (aspect ratio)  Tolerances  Annual production
 Material type  Surface finish  fixtures
 Part function  Major process
 Minor operations
 Major dimensions
 Surface finish
1. Cont…
Coding Schemes Structures

• Coding systems use numerical digits to form groups


• There are 3 basic codes structures used in GT
applications:

1) Hierarchical structure (monocode)


− A code in which each digit amplifies the information of the
previous digit

2) Chain – type structure (polycode)


− Each digit is independent of other digit

3)Mixed code
− Has some digits forming monocodes, but strings together
in a general arrangement of a polycode.
1. Cont…

a) Hierarchical structure (monocode)

• In this type of code, the meaning of each character is dependent


on the meaning of the previous character.
• This type of code is particularly preferred in design departments for
part retrieval because this type of system is very effective for
capturing shape, material, and size information.
1. Cont…

b) Chain – type structure (polycode)

• In this structure , the interpretation of each symbol in the sequence


is fixed and does not depend on the value preceding digits.
• The problem associated with poly code is that is tends to be
relatively long
• The use of a poly code allows for convenient identification of a
specific part attribute
1. Cont…

c) Mixed code

• The mixed code is an attempt to achieve the best


features of mono codes and poly codes.
• Mixed codes seem to best serve the needs of both
design and production.
1. Cont…
Important Coding Schemes Structures
1. Cont…
Opitz Classification System

• This is the most common and widely used coding system


• This system was developed by H.Optiz of the University of
Aachen in Germany
• The Opitz coding scheme uses the following digit sequence:
12345 6789 ABCD

 The first five digits, 12345, are called the form code.
 describes the primary design attributes of the part, such
as external shape (e.g., rotational vs. rectangular) and
machined features (e.g., holes, threads, gear teeth, etc.
1. Cont…

 The next four digits, 6789 are called supplementary


code.
 describes some of the attributes that would be of use in
manufacturing (e.g., dimensions, work material, starting
shape, and accuracy).

 The extra four digits/letters, ABCD, are referred to as the

secondary code.
 It is intended to identify the production operation type
and sequence
1. Cont…
Basic structure of OPTIZ System
1. Cont…
Basic structure of OPTIZ System
1. Cont…
Example

Given the rotational part design in figure . determine the form code
in the Optiz parts classification and coding system.
1. Cont…
Solution

With reference to the figure ,the first five digit code is developed as follows:
Length-to-diameter ratio, L/D = digit 1 = 1
1.5 External shape: stepped on both ends with screw digit 2 = 5
thread on end digit 3 = 1
Internal shape: part contains a digit 4 = 0
through-hole
digit 5 = 0
Plane surface machining: none
Auxiliary holes, gear teeth, etc.: none

Hence the form code for the given part is 15100


Review Questions

1. Define group technology.

2. Define cellular manufacturing

3. Explain what is meant by a part family

4. Name some of the possible machine cell designs in


group technology

5. Explain benefits of group technology


Acknowledgements

1. Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing - Materials,


Processes, and Systems 4th ed - M.P. Groover
(Wiley, 2010)

2. Bolz, H. A and Hagemann, G. E (ed.), ‘‘Materials


Handling Handbook’’, Ronald Press

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