AA:2.1 INTRODUCTION

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AC:2.1.1 The Questions

What? - By adding electronics, sensors, actuators, computers and mechanisms human capabilities can be augmented to improve manufacturing.

Why ? - In many cases there are valid reasons for assisting humans

- tedious work -- consistency required

- dangerous

- tasks are beyond normal human abilities (e.g., weight, time, size, etc)

- economics

When?

AC:2.1.2 Why Bother with Automated Manufacturing?

Without production, a company has nothing of real value to sell.

A company which is poor at production is guaranteed to go out of business eventually.

Competition drives production, and every advantage counts.

Automation can act as valuable weapons against competitors.

Advantages of Automated Manufacturing,

- improved work flow

- reduced handling

- simplification of production

- reduced lead time

- increased moral in workers (after a wise implementation)

- more responsive to quality, and other problems

- etc.