Mechatronics and manufacturing

This unit aims to develop an understanding of the mechatronic engineer's role in the manufacturing industry, manufacturing processes including 3D printing, fundamentals and automation using a CNC controller. Different manufacturing systems: cellular and flexible manufacturing systems will be analysed. Recent advancement in the industry: Industry 4.0 and digital twins will be introduced. Modern manufacturing management will be presented and discussed to improve quality and productivity by removing non-value added processes to reduce the production cycle and increase the product life-cycle. This will include lean manufacturing, agile manufacturing and virtual manufacturing. This unit also includes the design of flexible manufacturing systems which is capable of producing a variety of products. The manufacturing support systems such as process planning and control and computer-aided process planning using a variant technique and a generative process planning technique with Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be covered in this unit. Finally, the design of flexible manufacturing systems for a variety of products will be studied to reduce production lot size and the design of assembly manufacturing lines will be optimised.