An Introduction To Group Technology

Group Technology (GT) as a manufacturing concept has gained steady interest within the machine building industry all over the world. Originally it was used more or less only in the so-called parts family manufacturing concept. With growing opportunities for using the computer in the design process, operating planning and layout planning, the potential advantages became more and more obvious. In order to implement GT successfully and with a view to improving the overall economic situation of a production company, it is necessary to consider all aspects of the com plete manufacturing system. Experience has shown, that in the first stage a general basis has to be formed. This is done by a clear and practical definition of three GT manufacturing systems, the devel opment of a set of classification systems for work pieces, working operations and man ufacturing equipment, and in building a data bank from which a data basis for the GT planning process can be evaluated. A second stage of implementation then considers the particular aspects of GT. These are, firstly, a concept for layout and investment planning based on a representative parts spectrum; secondly, for application of the GT-idea in the design process three similar types of parts are to be developed as a logical supplement to the standard and recurring parts practice; thirdly, a three stage process planning and work measurement system can be developed for the so defined spectrum of similar parts.

Group Technology and Cellular Manufacturing (GT/CM) have been widely-researched areas in the past 15 years and much progress has been made in all branches of GT/CM. Resulting from this research activity has been a proliferation of techniques for part-machine grouping, engineering data bases, expert system-based design methods for identifying part families, new analytical and simulation tools for evaluating performance of cells, new types of cell incorporating robotics and flexible automation, team-based approaches for organizing the work force and much more; however, the field lacks a careful compilation of this research and its outcomes. The editors of this book have commissioned leading researchers and implementers to prepare specific treatments of topics for their special areas of expertise in this broad-based philosophy of manufacturing. The editors have sought to be global both in coverage of topic matters and contributors. Group Technology and Cellular Manufacturing addresses the needs and interests of three groups of individuals in the manufacturing field: academic researchers, industry practitioners, and students. (1) The book provides an up-to-date perspective, incorporating the advances made in GT/CM during the past 15 years. As a natural extension to this research, it synthesizes the latest industry practices and outcomes to guide research to greater real-world relevance. (2) The book makes clear the foundations of GT/CM from the core elements of new developments which are aimed at reducing developmental and manufacturing lead times, costs, and at improving business quality and performance. (3) Finally, the book can be used as a textbook for graduate students in engineering and management for studying the field of Group Technology and Cellular Manufacturing.

Mass productio!l and mass consumption, so far considered virtues in a free economic soceity, have changed. Various problems have occurred including economic stagnation, energy crisis, shortage of material resources, prolifera tion of pollution, lack of skilled labor, rapid changes of product design, technical innovation, and others. Moreover, individual manufacturing firms must take steps to adopt multi-product, small-lot-sized (batch type) produc tion as a type of production in order to adapt themselves to a market movement characterized by a diversified and specialty-oriented society and a short product life cycle. The number of manufacturing firms worldwide that use a type of multi-product, small-lot-sized production is expected to increase. This is so even in the United States, which has been said to be a country of mass production. Multi-product, small-lot-sized production has been considered to be a milestone to flow-type mass production, which has been thought to be the most effective production system. Intensive efforts have been made to investigate mass production systems from both theoretical and practical viewpoints. Few studies have been made for multi-product, small-lot-sized production (batch-type manufacturing). Considering the present business circumstances faced with various difficulties, it is strongly required to establish some theories useful for making practically effective and flexible multi-product, small-lot-sized production systems. Several effective approaches to the batch-type manufacturing systems have been developed. Group technology (GT) is one such method that has steadily obtained great interest from progressive manufacturing firms all over the world.

Symmetries and Groups in Signal Processing: An Introduction deals with the subject of symmetry, and with its place and role in modern signal processing. In the sciences, symmetry considerations and related group theoretic techniques have had a place of central importance since the early twenties. In engineering, however, a matching recognition of their power is a relatively recent development. Despite that, the related literature, in the form of journal papers and research monographs, has grown enormously. A proper understanding of the concepts that have emerged in the process requires a mathematical background that goes beyond what is traditionally covered in an engineering undergraduate curriculum. Admittedly, there is a wide selection of excellent introductory textbooks on the subject of symmetry and group theory. But they are all primarily addressed to students of the sciences and mathematics, or to students of courses in mathematics. Addressed to students with an engineering background, this book is meant to help bridge the gap.

Introduction to Group Theory with Applications covers the basic principles, concepts, mathematical proofs, and applications of group theory. This book is divided into 13 chapters and begins with discussions of the elementary topics related to the subject, including symmetry operations and group concepts. The succeeding chapters deal with the properties of matrix representations of finite groups, the vibrations of molecular and crystals, vibrational wave function, selection rules, and molecular approximations. These topics are followed by reviews of the basic of quantum mechanics, crystal field theory, atomic physics, hybrid functions, and molecular orbital theory. The last chapters describe the symmetry of crystal lattices, the band theory of solids, and the full rotation group. This book will be of value to undergraduate mathematics and physics students.

Information Technology: An Introduction for Today’s Digital World introduces undergraduate students to a wide variety of concepts they will encounter throughout their IT studies and careers. The book covers computer organization and hardware, Windows and Linux operating systems, system administration duties, scripting, computer networks, regular expressions, binary numbers, the Bash shell in Linux, DOS, managing processes and services, and computer security. It also gives students insight on IT-related careers, such as network and web administration, computer forensics, web development, and software engineering. Suitable for any introductory IT course, this classroom-tested text presents many of the topics recommended by the ACM Special Interest Group on IT Education (SIGITE). It offers a far more detailed examination of the computer than current computer literacy texts, focusing on concepts essential to all IT professionals—from operating systems and hardware to information security and computer ethics. The book highlights Windows/DOS and Linux with numerous examples of issuing commands and controlling the operating systems. It also provides details on hardware, programming, and computer networks. Ancillary Resources The book includes laboratory exercises and some of the figures from the text online. PowerPoint lecture slides, answers to exercises, and a test bank are also available for instructors.