机械专业英语董建国第26篇.pptVIP

Unit 26 TEXT READING MATERIAL Unit 26 TEXT Computer Integrated Manufacturing System Computer integrated manufacturing or CIM is the term used to describe the most modern approach to manufacturing. Although CIM encompasses many of the other advanced manufacturing technologies such as computer numerical control (CNC), CAD/CAM, robotics, and just-in-time delivery (JIT), it is more than a new technology or a new concept. Computer integrated manufacturing is actually an entirely new approach to manufacturing or a new way of doing business. To understand CIM, it is necessary to begin with a comparison of modern and traditional manufacturing. Modern manufacturing encompassed all of the activities and processes necessary to convert raw materials into finishes products, deliver them to the market, and support them in the fields. These activities include the following: (1) ?Identifying a need for a product. (2) ?Designing a product to meet the needs. (3) ?Obtaining the raw materials needed to produce the product. (4) ?Applying appropriate processed to transform the raw materials into finished products. (5) ?Transporting product to the market. (6) ?Maintaining the product to ensure a proper performance in the field. This broad, modern view of manufacturing can be compared with the more limited traditional view that focuses almost entirely on the conversion processed. The old approach separates such critical preconversion elements as market analysis research, development, and design for manufacturing, as well as such after-conversion elements as product delivery and product maintenance. In the other word, in the old approach to manufacturing, only those processes that take place on the shop floor are considered manufacturing. This traditional approach of separating the overall concept into numerous stand-alone specialized elements was not fundamentally changed with the advent of automation. While the separate elements themselves became automated (i.e., compute