Process selection involves the identification of the manner in which goods or services produced by the organization. It accomplishes through the way of nicely studying the supply of technology, facilities layout, and the capacity of manufacturing. In the following article, you will know the factors involved and stages in process selection.
Important Factors in Process Selection
The following are the main factors in process selection:
1) The number of components to be made.
2) The component size.
3) The component weight.
4) The precision required.
5) The surface finish and appearance required.
All these factors need to be considered at the material assessment stage. The focus at this stage is on Processability and Manufacturability.
Process selection greatly impacts the quality of the product or the service. It should be ensured that the process is suitable for the material involved in the process. In cognizance of the technical factors, the stress should also be put on the economic factors. The costs must stay within the budget. Other factors, such as economic batch size and the production rate, should also be taken care of.
Major 4 Stages in Process Selection Method
Following are the four main stages of the process selection method:
Stage 1: Drawing Interpretation
Such interpretations may be analyzed in three different stages in process selection, which are as follows:
i) The first stage is the geometry analysis stage. This stage allows for the identification of different candidates who meet the requirements of stated complex shapes. The size of the part should also be considered while making this decision.
ii) The second part involves manufacturing information in the design documents. The information involves dimensional tolerance, geometric tolerance, surface finish, various limits, and gauge references.
iii) The third and final analysis is related to the assessment. It involves the consideration of material on the basis of the required geometry. It also considers the desired properties of the material and processes.
Stage 2: Critical Processing Factors
The results from the first stage are used for identifying the critical processing factors. This is especially important for the outputs of geometry analysis and the material assessment. These two processes help in determining the limits within which all the planning needs to be made.
Stage 3: Consult Process Tables
The most important tool used for the purpose of correlating the data from the previous stage is a process selection table. This stage helps in determining the process to be used. Suppose there is more than one optimal process. In that case, economic data such as various costs related to material and labor, batch size, and production capacity should be considered for deciding on the best process.It is the third stage in process selection. In many cases, the decisions regarding the make or buy situation also need to be made. It is important to use costing information at the earliest possible opportunity in the process:
Stage 4: Identifying a Process
If the data is used for arriving at a decision, the process is complete. However, in many cases, the procedure may be required to be repeated in order to conclude. If the product needs further processing, then critical factors should be considered, and the third stage should be repeated.
Conclusion
The process selection decision involves various factors that helps in the decision of the strategy of the process. The stages in process selection are drawing interpretation, critical processing factors, consult process tables, identifying process.