Tag: Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing

10/24/17

“How can we make manufacturing more efficient while having it more ecologically friendly?”

 

Everyone likes efficient manufacturing and a clean environment. However, in the popular imagination, these feats seem to be mutually incompatible. But what if we were to create a method that was able to accomplish both? Well, let’s use our engineering mindset to figure this out. If we were to analyze our manufacturing operations, then we would find out that much of the production activities are actually unnecessary. So what if we were to simply trim these processes out? The result would be a manufacturing procedure that is simultaneously less expensive, more cost-efficient, and better for the environment. This is known as lean manufacturing and is being implemented in factories all over the world.

Life-cycle Assessment

Life-cycle Assessment

Life-cycle Assessment

10/23/17

“How can we fully analyze the environmental consequences of a product?”

 

Many new technologies such as electric vehicles market themselves as being sustainably built because they produce no emissions during operation. However, upon further inspection, we can see that these machines consume quite a lot of resources during manufacturing, putting their ecological value into question. So how can we completely analyze a material object for its environmental impact? Well, let’s use our engineering mindset to think about this. First, let’s look at the entire life process of such an object, from the resources required to manufacturing to shipment to operation and finally decomposition. Then, let’s quantify how the environment was harmed during each part of the cycle. This method is known as Life-cycle Assessment and is used by sustainably minded individuals and organizations to obtain the true environmental impact of materials. From now on, whenever you see that a company touts its product as sustainable, just keep in mind that it might be so for only one part of its entire process.

Environmental Consequences of Mass Production

Environmental Consequences of Mass Production

Environmental Consequences of Mass Production

10/21/17

“What is the impact of mass production on the environment?”

 

Mass Production has been very successful in generating immense amounts of wealth and material objects. However, does this come with a cost? Since many objects need to be produced within a given amount of time this process expends energy and materials at an expedited rate in addition to operating the factories. Furthermore, Mass Production encourages consumerism, which in turns leads to higher levels of goods being produced. We can try to avoid these problems by investing in companies who use more sustainable manufacturing operations such as factories that utilize lean manufacturing or renewable energy.

Mass Production

Mass Production

Mass Production

10/20/17

“How can we make a large amount of items in a small amount of time?”

 

In the modern globalized world, we are able to receive items at a very quick rate. However, traditional, hand-done, manufacturing methods are very time consuming and can only make a few products at a time, definitely not enough to satisfy our insatiable demand. So how can we completely “reinvent the wheel” of manufacturing so to say? Well, what if instead of making every object uniquely, we divide it into multiple standardized parts and simply make those parts at an expedited rate? This is known as Mass Production (a practice very well used on this blog) and has become by far the most dominant method of manufacturing in the world.

Robot Welding

Robot Welding

Robot Welding

10/14/17

“How can we use robots to do welding?”

 

Welding is one of the most important industrial processes. Because of it, we are able to construct machines with intricate metal designs. However, if it is performed by human hands, then things can become prone to error and harm the welder. So how can we use our engineering mindset to solve this problem? Well, what if we were to simply use industrial robots to weld? Well, engineers have already thought of this a long time ago, and now robot welding has become a mainstay of factories around the world.

Lathes

Lathes

Lathes

10/13/17

“How can we shape metal with rotation?”

 

Metals are some of the most useful materials in the world. Their strength and endurance can be used for a great variety of applications, whether it be in building structures of everyday tools like spatulas. However, how exactly can we shape metal? Well, let’s use our engineering mindsets to think of a solution. We know that if we use one cylindrical bar of metal to scrape the edge of a surface, it can be deformed to our liking. And if we were to rotate our bar with this metal, then the entire profile will be shaped to its specification. So what if we were to put our metal bar onto a machine that would rotate at very high speeds and push it against a sharp razor? Well, this is the idea behind a machine called a lathe and was one of the most important machines during the start of the industrial revolution.