Computer-integrated manufacturing - key to survival for prototyping and production

Computer-aided manufacturing has moved forward beyond the era when it was regarded as a luxury which few companies could afford. Now, it has become a virtual necessity in order to compete with the schedule and cost constraints demanded by the commercial market arena This paper will describe in detail the computer interfaces inherent in a computer-integrated, prototype manufacturing line. It will also describe a more conventional computer-aided manufacturing system for a production environment which provides up-to-the minute, comprehensive information about the product as it is being built. Yields, statistical process control, technical history, scheduling, defects per unit, defects per process are all available from the CAM system. The system falls just short of complete integration and operation of equipment, but is able to provide dynamic monitoring for cost/yield/and process updating.