Digital Manufacturing Scheduling With Inspection-Driven Rework
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern manufacturing processes face challenges in achieving high production rates and versatility while maintaining product quality, often resulting in high rejection rates due to initial non-compliance with specifications, which reduces manufacturing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A digital manufacturing facility with a control system that schedules and configures multiple manufacturing units using CNC programming, includes an optimizer to assess production results, reconfigure processes, and repeat necessary steps to meet specifications, minimizing material loss and optimizing production flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional batch production units are used to manufacture multiple different products, then production versatility is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to high rejection rates
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing system is segmented into multiple independent production units, each capable of manufacturing specific product types. This segmentation allows the system to maintain specialized expertise for each product type while still achieving versatility through the combination of multiple units, thereby reducing rejection rates for each specific product.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes operational parameters of production units based on the specific product being manufactured. By adjusting parameters such as processing conditions, tooling configurations, and quality thresholds according to product requirements, the system maintains high manufacturing precision across diverse product types.
2Productivity
If traditional manufacturing processes are used without repeated production steps, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to correct defects
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary quality assessment after each production step and proactively identifies defects before they propagate to subsequent steps. This preliminary detection allows for immediate correction or rework of defective items, maintaining high product quality without significantly impacting overall production rate.
Solution Approach 2:
A feedback mechanism is implemented where quality assessment results from each production step are fed back to the production units. This feedback loop enables real-time adjustments and repeated production steps when defects are detected, ensuring high manufacturing precision while minimizing disruption to productivity through efficient rework processes.
3Manufacturing precision
If comprehensive quality inspection is performed at each production step, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased inspection time
Solution Approach 1:
The quality inspection system applies different inspection intensities and methods to different production steps and product types based on their specific quality risks. Critical production steps receive more rigorous inspection, while less critical steps use streamlined inspection methods, thereby maintaining high quality compliance without uniformly increasing inspection time across all steps.
4Adaptability or versatility
If production units are configured for high versatility to meet customer requirements, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Production units are designed with universal capabilities to handle multiple product types through configurable parameters and interchangeable tooling. This multi-functionality approach allows a single production unit to perform various manufacturing tasks by changing software configurations and tooling attachments, achieving high versatility without proportionally increasing physical system complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
An improved manufacturing facility and a manufacturing method are provided herein to manufacture a product in according to a specification in a digital manufacturing order. Therein manufacturing system units to be used are automatically scheduled (S2) and controlled (S3). While performing the manufacturing method it is determined (S4) whether inspection data for a production result meet assessment criteria. Upon determining that a production result does not meet an assessment criterium a derived manufacturing order is generated that specifies which production step(s) need to be repeated to obtain a production result that is more likely to meet the assessment criterium. The scheduling is updated in accordance with the derived manufacturing order and optionally newly received manufacturing orders resulting in a continuous manufacturing process.