| People required | - Manufacturing engineers to read engineering drawings and are familiar with processes used in the factory using their knowledge, skill and experience
- Tool designers
- Cost estimators |
| Decision details | - Processes and sequence description
- Equipment selection
- Tool use for design (delegated)
- Methods
- Estimating production costs (delegated)
- Specifying parameters of cutting tools and cutting conditions |
| Process planning for parts steps | raw materials
- basic processes
- secondary processes
- property-enhancing processes
- finishing operations
finished product |
| Raw materials | - Chosen based on functional requirements
- Chosen based on limits of possible processes |
| Basic process | Establishes initial geometry
e.g. Metal casting, forging, sheet metal rolling
- This determines secondary processes |
| Secondary processes | Modifies the initial geometry
e.g. machining, stamping, bending |
| Property-enhancing processes | - Treatments to strengthen metal
- This step isn't always required |
| Finishing operations | Provide a coating on work surfaces
e.g. electroplating, painting |
| Route sheet | - Specifies details of the process plan
- "route sheet is to the process planner what the engineering drawing is to the product designer"
Lists all the manufacturing operations in order |
| Process planning for assemblies | - Consists of line balancing to allocate work elements to particular stations
- For single stations, the route sheet shows a list of the assembly steps |
| Make or buy decision | Even if cost to buy is greater than cost to make, doesn't mean you should buy
Need to consider equipment at fixed cost and labour overhead. Only add these costs to the cost to buy if they would also be used in other areas of production, THEN compare cost to buy with cost to make |
