ADVANCE MNAUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES

Advance Manufacturing
The modern method of producing or incorporating fully
automatic and refined computerized designs and operational systems product is known
as advance manufacturing technology. The basic aim on which these advance
manufacturing technologies are working is to produce a high quality product with
minimum cost in shorter period of time.
What is manufacturing: The process of converting Raw materials into fine high quality
product is known as manufacturing. Manufacturing is a very comprehensive activity
which includes many processes and steps, which are implemented on raw materials to
convert them to a fine useable product. The raw material is chemically and physically
treated and then transformed into a final product. The quality of the final product is so
fine and the raw material is refined to such a limit that it is difficult to judge from naked
eye about the core raw material used in the manufacturing of the product. The strength
of an industrialized nation depend on its manufacturing industry

History and Present Scenario

History of manufacturing process is quiet old. Manufacturing process was started in
early 4000BC by itself. At that time the manufacturing processes are wood work, stone
work and metal work. But in present the process of manufacturing is changing along the
globe quite rapidly. As the time is going on, there comes a dramatic change in the
processes, equipment and systems used to design the product. The productions of all
products like automobiles, computer chips are getting modernized due to the
competitive challenges in the market with the introduction of new emerging
technologies. It is now very easy for the production companies to produce new and
better products more quickly and at much lower cost than ever before because of the
recent advancements in the field of information systems, business practices,
engineering techniques and manufacturing sciences.

Development in the field of Manufacturing

After the development of the computer system many manufacturing machines and
advance software’s are developed up till now. The major developments are:

1- CNC machines
2- Group Technology
3- Robotics and control
4- CAD/CAM Adaptive Control

1- CNC Machines: In CNC machines pre-programmed computer software dictates

the movement to factory tools and machineries. This process is used to control
all machinery which includes grinders and lathes to mills and routers. With the
help of CNC machine three dimensional cutting can be done with help of single
set of prompts. To operate CNC machine live operators are require to give
command to CNC machine via levers, buttons and wheels
2- Group Technology: Group technology is a manufacturing technique. In this
technique Parts which are same in geometry, function and manufacturing
process are manufactured in one location with the help of small number of
machinery or process. The basic principle of group technology is to make groups
of similar problems and then find a single solution for same sort of problems this
technique will automatically save time and energy. The group of similar parts is
known as part family and the group of machineries used to process an individual
part family is known as machine cell. It is not necessary to process each part of
a part family. The manufacturing process in which a part of a family is produced
by a machine cell is known as cellular manufacturing. By implementing GT in
manufacturing process efficiency can be generally increased.
3- Robotics and Control: Robotics is the science and technology of design and
manufacturing a robot and its application in different fields Robotics and control
are multidisciplinary areas which form cohesive interdisciplinary collaborations.
Robotics and control have its own identity in the industrial field. The discipline
which focuses on the mathematical modeling of systems, analyzing their
behavior and using control theory to create a controlling system that will cause
the system to behave in a desired manner is known as control engineering.

4- CAD/CAM Adaptive Control: Adaptive control system is the logical extension of

CNC mechanism. In this mechanism all the inputs are given by programming for
example cutting speed in A CNC and feed rates. The exact determination of
these operative parameters depends on the experience and knowledge of a
programmer regarding the work-piece, tool materials, coolant conditions and
 other related factors. By implementing adaptive control in our manufacturing
system we can increase the production rate and can decrease the cost related to
machinery.

Advanced Manufacturing Processes

Introduction:

For improved manufacturing and competitiveness, innovative methodologies and

cutting-edge technologies are used that is known as an advanced manufacturing
process. Advanced manufacturing techniques are used to enhance and refine the
quality of the product (Tao 2017). By adopting innovative technologies, business and
manufacturing sector get a boost and the organizations remain competitive in the
market.

There are several types of manufacturing processes and industries but few of them are

 Joining
 Shearing
 Molding
 Casting
 Forming
 Machining
These manufacturing processes are used in the manufacturing of

 Plastics
  Food
 Beverages
 Chemical
 Gasoline
 Pharmaceutical
 Refined oils.
Whereas the advanced manufacturing technologies according to Tao (2017) that are
implemented and in a way of deployment in many organizations include:

 Cloud computing
 Advanced electronics and control systems
 Robotics
 Artificial intelligence
 3-D printing
 Virtual and augmented reality
 Sensors and smart industries
 Data mining tools
 Big data analytics

Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT)

The hierarchy of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) can be illustrated as

AMT
Advanced Manufacturing
Technologies

Sustaining Market Innovative

Place and Methods in
Competition Production

Digital Economy
(Cutting-Edge ICT (Computer
Manufacturing Technologies)
Processes)
Furthermore, on industrial scale advanced manufacturing processes and technology
provide

 Increase flexibility
 Prime product quality
 Better market responsiveness
 Improved added value
 Reduce the number of manufacturing units
 Lower time-to-market
 Decrease record of machinery
 Lower the number of dedicated plants.

Conventional vs. Advanced Manufacturing

As far as conventional manufacturing is concerned, it has no flexibility because it is
established on fixed production units and customized plants. Whereas advanced
manufacturing processes are more responsive, effective and systematic incorporating
more flexible production processes and capital units.

Advanced manufacturing processes do not need large capital investments, the industry
can be customized from traditional to advance by altering requirements of production.
ICT (Information Communication Technology) is used to combine the business affairs
and manufacturing into continuous production operation.

Therefore, advanced manufacturing technologies can be categorized into following

types in perspective of their deployment.

 Effective Production: It includes computer simulation, modeling, control

procedure, designing and physical prototyping. Despite sequential engineering it
emphasis on simulations. More relevant technologies in constructive production
also involve casting precision, joining and machining techniques etc.

 Smart Production: Information communication technology (ICT) is used in

logistics systems and manufacturing. Systems and production lines are
monitored, repaired and maintained through intelligent machines and ICT.

 Rational organization: it provides efficient exploitation and coordination

between manufacturing capitals. The rational organization incorporates both
knowledge and actual resources.
 Leading Manufacturing Sectors
According to a survey conducted in 2014, peak five large-scale sectors of
manufacturing were:

1. Machinery
2. Manufacturing of Aircrafts
3. Manufacturing of semiconductor devices.
4. Manufacturing of Automotive parts
5. Manufacturing sector for aeronautical systems, navigation and detection and
search instruments.
The leading manufacturing sectors in terms of jobs will be:

1- Machinery
2- Manufacturing units of sheet metal work
3- Automotive seating and internal trimming units.
4- Manufacturing of automotive parts
5- Manufacturing of structural and fabricated metal
Whereas, significant industries that are expected to lead in terms of percentage growth
will be:

1- Manufacturing of electronic and printed circuit assembly

2- Manufacturing of optical recording and blank magnetic media
3- Manufacturing of air purification, blowers, commercial fans and industrial
equipment’s.
 Development in Chinese Solar
Companies

The success of Chinese solar industries is the advanced equipment utilized for the
manufacturing of solar sheets and not its cheap labor. Out of the ten top producers of
solar cells, only one of them was Chinese. But in the last year, out of the top five
producers’ four of them were China-based and growth rate of their solar industry is very
fast. Their production gets doubled every year (Bullis 2011).

Nonetheless, the general perspective of this rapid production and growth is believed to
be their cheap labor. But according to Stuart Wenham who is a senior executive of
China’s biggest Solar cell manufacturer, the reason behind is the implementation of
advanced manufacturing techniques that has lower the cost and improved the
performance of solar cells (Bullis 2011).

Innovative Manufacturing Process Developed by

China
According to Bullis (2011), China has lead in solar panel manufacturing. Chinese solar
manufacturer identifies scaling and cutting-edge technologies. Including Suntech, many
other manufacturers make silicon wafers at an industrial scale to develop solar cells.
Solar cell manufactured in this way decreases the cost of a solar panel by 15-20
percent. Furthermore, many Chinese companies are also trying to put this success into
the next technological generation. By improving production equipment, the efficiency of
solar cells is increased and can generate electricity up to 500 megawatts.

Moreover, during this up gradation of equipment and panel capacity, the researchers
and workers of the company will learn more skills and factor about the technology
involved in doping levels of silicon wafers, material and thin films coated on the surface
of panels. As a result of these experiments, Chinese companies were able to develop
more efficient and powerful designs that further lower the impurity percentage from a
silicon wafer (Bullis 2011).
As discussed earlier, improvements in solar cell manufacturing have increased the
power ratings of the module. Advancements have raised bus-bars to multi bus-bars,
mass production of Shingle cells and half cells that are gaining popularity among
producers of solar modules (Bullis 2011). Similarly, the quality of the product is not
compromised in the implementation of innovative techniques and processes. The
organization is also deploying dual glass configuration, which is known as a bifacial
solar panel.

Solar cells are assembled by the interconnection of cell-matrix in tight packaging of

many protective layers (Blakeley 2011).

Solar Module Technology

Silicon modules available in the market can be classified into two broad categories on
the bases of technology i.e. mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline panel. Multi-
crystalline technology is still controlling the market but mono-crystalline seems to
replace it (Blakeley 2011).

There is an increasing figure given by Blakeley (2011) about n-type (mono-crystalline)

over multi-crystalline in last years and its further exceeding to 60% till 2027 as illustrated
below.

MonoCrystalline Expected Upheavel

60%
50%
45%
40%
35%

2016 2017 2021 2024 2027

Percentage Increase
There are two reasons for the transfer of technology from multi-crystalline to mono-
crystalline. A wire-based diamond sawing was successfully implemented by the
manufacturers in non-wafer production that substantially decrease the cost. It was more
cost effective as compared to conventional slices of the wafer (Blakeley 2011).

Moreover, the mono-crystalline was more compatible and highly efficient with the cells.
A market share of mono-crystalline and multi-crystalline is illustrated as below.

The performance indicator of the solar module is its power rating, efficiency, CTM
losses and optical gains. Cell technology plays a vital role in performance indication.
Back cell contact technology (IBC) provides improved performance with high
efficiencies and power ratings (Blakeley 2011). The efficiency gain by leading
manufacturers after implementing different technologies is shown as:
Advanced Manufacturing Processes in Solar
Cell Manufacturing
Nonetheless, the manufacturing processes of these modules must also be developed
(Bullis 2011). Advanced manufacturing processes in modules manufacturing are
discussed here.

 Ribbon: this process is used during the interconnection of the module. Cross-
sectional dimensions and composition are significant parameters of this
process. Due to the advancement of technology in module manufacturing the
ribbon width decreases as the manufacturer move towards more bus bars.
Therefore, the thickness of ribbon is increased to tackle this risk and maintain
the cross-section (Bullis 2011).

 Encapsulation: the cell’s rear side is encapsulated in this process to

increase the reflectivity of light. Different poly films, silicones are used for this
purpose but EVA is the most substantial one. White EVA is mostly used as
encapsulate. Whereas, in dual glass modules, poly films are more preferred
encapsulates (Bullis 2011).

 Back Sheets: this process is very important during module manufacturing as

it reduces the cost and enhances the quality of the product. Different
configurations with different polymers are offered in Back sheet market by the
manufacturers. It can be classified into two major product groups as fluoro-
polymer and non-fluoro-polymer (Bullis 2011).

 Glass: in the module manufacturing process of glass coatings is very

significant. As it increases the transmission of light waves (Bullis 2011).
 Industry Revolution
The 4th industrial revolution has digitally transformed everything in the market i.e. both
manufacturers and consumers. Because of this digital transformation, 80% of the
manufacturers expect a reduction in cost and better product quality. It has transformed
the supply-chain, business models and production processes as well. Now
manufacturers focus on development and production trends in the global market
(Fatorachian 2018).

The 4th industrial revolution and advanced manufacturing processes can be interlinked
by advanced systems, additive manufacturing and robotics. This technological
revolution has erased the difference in a production location, a difference in labor costs
and increased the temporal and spatial flexibility (Fatorachian 2018).