Machine Shop Theory

Jay-ar Lomonsod Program & Section – BSME2-

M2
Justin Blake Nash E. Pelegrino Instructor:
Engr, Roy Tancongo
Nico Jay V. Ledesma Group Name: TUNAY
with Jay-Ar
Doumar Anthony Tubac
Christian Agua
Adrian James Tabay

INTRODUCTION TO NUMERICAL CONTROLLED MACHINES AND AUTOMATION

Numerical Controlled Machines
What are Numerical Controlled Machines?
- Numerical control, popularly known as the NC is very commonly
used in the machine tools. Numerical control is defined as the form of
programmable automation, in which the process is controlled by the
number, letters, and symbols. In case of the machine tools this
programmable automation is used for the operation of the machines.
- In other words, the numerical control machine is defined as the
machined that is controlled by the set of instructions called as the
program. In numerical control method the numbers form the basic program
instructions for different types of jobs; hence the name numerical
control is given to this type of programming. When the type of job
changes, the program instructions of the job also change. It is easier
to write the new instructions for each job, hence NC provides lots of
flexibility in its use.
- The NC technology can be applied to wide variety of operations
like drafting, assembly, inspection, sheet metal working, etc. But it
is more prominently used for various metal machining processes like
turning, drilling, milling, shaping etc. Due to NC all the machining
operations can be performed at the fast rate resulting in bulk
manufacturing becoming quite cheaper.
Advent of the Computer Numerical Controlled Machines
- In the initial years of NC, punched tapes were for feeding the
instructions to the machine tools via the control unit. The APT language
also marked the arrival of the computer numerical controlled machines,
popularly known as the CNC machines. Another language, PRONTO, was
discovered by Parick Hanratty, who carried out various experiments at
GE and released the language in the year 1958.
- In CNC machines programs are fed in the computer was used to
control the operations of the machines. Thus the control unit used that
would read the punched cards in the NC machines was replaced by the
microcomputer in the CNC machines. The CNC brought major revolution in
the manufacturing industry. The next development has been the combination
of computer aided manufacturing (CAM) and computer aided designing (CAD)
called as CAD/CAM.
Automation
- The application of machines to tasks once performed by human
beings or, increasingly, to tasks that would otherwise be impossible.
Although the term mechanization is often used to refer to the simple
replacement of human labor by machines, automation generally implies
the integration of machines into a self-governing system. Automation has
revolutionized those areas in which it has been introduced, and there
is scarcely an aspect of modern life that has been unaffected by it.
- The term automation was coined in the automobile industry about
1946 to describe the increased use of automatic devices and controls in
mechanized production lines. The origin of the word is attributed to
D.S. Harder, an engineering manager at the Ford Motor Company at the
time. The term is used widely in a manufacturing context, but it is also
applied outside manufacturing in connection with a variety of systems
in which there is a significant substitution of mechanical, electrical,
or computerized action for human effort and intelligence.

- In general usage, automation can be defined as

a technology concerned with performing a process by means of programmed
commands combined with automatic feedback control to ensure proper
execution of the instructions. The resulting system is capable of
operating without human intervention. The development of this technology
has become increasingly dependent on the use of computers and computer-
related technologies. Consequently, automated systems have become
increasingly sophisticated and complex. Advanced systems represent a
level of capability and performance that surpass in many ways the
abilities of humans to accomplish the same activities.
- Automation technology has matured to a point where a number of
other technologies have developed from it and have achieved a recognition
and status of their own. Robotics is one of these technologies; it is a
specialized branch of automation in which the
automated machine possesses certain anthropomorphic, or humanlike,
characteristics. The most typical humanlike characteristic of a modern
industrial robot is its powered mechanical arm. The robot’s arm can be
programmed to move through a sequence of motions to perform useful tasks,
such as loading and unloading parts at a production machine or making a
sequence of spot-welds on the sheet-metal parts of an automobile body
during assembly. As these examples suggest, industrial robots are
typically used to replace human workers in factory operations.
Principles And Theory Of Automation
1. Power Source

- An automated system is designed to accomplish some useful

action, and that action requires power. There are many sources
of power available, but the most commonly used power in today’s
automated systems is electricity. Electrical power is the most
versatile, because it can be readily generated from other
sources (e.g., fossil fuel, hydroelectric, solar, and nuclear)
and it can be readily converted into other types of power (e.g.,
mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic) to perform useful work.
In addition, electrical energy can be stored in high-
performance, long-life batteries.

- The actions performed by automated systems are generally of

two types: (1) processing and (2) transfer and positioning. In
the first case, energy is applied to accomplish some processing
operation on some entity. The process may involve the shaping
of metal, the molding of plastic, the switching of electrical
signals in a communication system, or the processing of data in
a computerized information system. All these actions entail the
use of energy to transform the entity (e.g., the metal, plastic,
electrical signals, or data) from one state or condition into
another more valuable state or condition. The second type of
action—transfer and positioning—is most readily seen in
automated manufacturing systems designed to perform work on a
product. In these cases, the product must generally be moved
(transferred) from one location to another during the series of
processing steps. At each processing location, accurate
positioning of the product is generally required. In automated
communications and information systems, the terms transfer and
positioning refer to the movement of data (or electrical
signals) among various processing units and the delivery of
information to output terminals (printers, video display units,
etc.) for interpretation and use by humans.

2. Feedback Controls

- Feedback controls are widely used in modern automated systems.

A feedback control system consists of five basic components: (1)
input, (2) process being controlled, (3) output, (4) sensing
elements, and (5) controller and actuating devices. These five
components are illustrated in Figure 1. The term closed-loop
feedback control is often used to describe this kind of system.
 - The input to the system is the reference value, or set point,
for the system output. This represents the desired operating
value of the output. Using the previous example of
the heating system as an illustration, the input is the desired
temperature setting for a room. The process being controlled is
the heater (e.g., furnace). In other feedback systems, the
process might be a manufacturing operation, the rocket engines
on a space shuttle, the automobile engine in cruise control, or
any of a variety of other processes to which power is applied.
The output is the variable of the process that is being measured
and compared to the input; in the above example, it is room
temperature.

- The sensing elements are the measuring devices used in the

feedback loop to monitor the value of the output variable. In
the heating system example, this function is normally
accomplished using a bimetallic strip. This device consists of
two metal strips joined along their lengths. The two metals
possess different thermal expansion coefficients; thus, when
the temperature of the strip is raised, it flexes in direct
proportion to the temperature change. As such, the bimetallic
strip is capable of measuring temperature. There are many
different kinds of sensors used in feedback control systems for
automation.

- The purpose of the controller and actuating devices in the

feedback system is to compare the measured output value with the
reference input value and to reduce the difference between them.
In general, the controller and actuator of the system are the
mechanisms by which changes in the process are accomplished to
influence the output variable. These mechanisms are usually
designed specifically for the system and consist of devices such
as motors, valves, solenoid switches, piston cylinders, gears,
power screws, pulley systems, chain drives, and other mechanical
and electrical components. The switch connected to the
bimetallic strip of the thermostat is the controller and
actuating device for the heating system. When the output (room
temperature) is below the set point, the switch turns on the
heater. When the temperature exceeds the set point, the heat is
turned off.

3. Machine programming

- The programmed instructions determine the set of actions that

is to be accomplished automatically by the system. The program
 specifies what the automated system should do and how its various
components must function in order to accomplish the desired
result. The content of the program varies considerably from one
system to the next. In relatively simple systems, the program
consists of a limited number of well-defined actions that are
performed continuously and repeatedly in the proper sequence
with no deviation from one cycle to the next. In more complex
systems, the number of commands could be quite large, and the
level of detail in each command could be significantly greater.
In relatively sophisticated systems, the program provides for
the sequence of actions to be altered in response to variations
in raw materials or other operating conditions.

- Programming commands are related to feedback control in an

automated system in that the program establishes the sequence
of values for the inputs (set points) of the various feedback
control loops that make up the automated system. A given
programming command may specify the set point for the feedback
loop, which in turn controls some action that the system is to
accomplish. In effect, the purpose of the feedback loop is to
verify that the programmed step has been carried out. For
example, in a robot controller, the program might specify that
the arm is to move to a designated position, and the feedback
control system is used to verify that the move has been correctly
made. The relationship of program control and feedback control
in an automated system is illustrated in Figure 2.

-
Advantages and Disadvantages of Automation
- Advantages commonly attributed to automation include higher
production rates and increased productivity, more efficient use of
materials, better product quality, improved safety, shorter workweeks
for labour, and reduced factory lead times. Higher output and increased
productivity have been two of the biggest reasons in justifying the use
of automation. Despite the claims of high quality from good workmanship
by humans, automated systems typically perform the manufacturing process
with less variability than human workers, resulting in
greater control and consistency of product quality. Also, increased
process control makes more efficient use of materials, resulting in less
scrap.
- Worker safety is an important reason for automating an industrial
operation. Automated systems often remove workers from the workplace,
thus safeguarding them against the hazards of the factory environment.
In the United States the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
(OSHA) was enacted with the national objective of making work safer and
protecting the physical well-being of the worker. OSHA has had the effect
of promoting the use of automation and robotics in the factory.
- Another benefit of automation is the reduction in the number
of hours worked on average per week by factory workers. About 1900 the
average workweek was approximately 70 hours. This has gradually been
reduced to a standard workweek in the United States of about 40 hours.
Mechanization and automation have played a significant role in this
reduction. Finally, the time required to process a typical production
order through the factory is generally reduced with automation.
- A main disadvantage often associated with automation, worker
displacement, has been discussed above. Despite the social benefits that
might result from retraining displaced workers for other jobs, in almost
all cases the worker whose job has been taken over by a machine undergoes
a period of emotional stress. In addition to displacement from work, the
worker may be displaced geographically. In order to find other work, an
individual may have to relocate, which is another source of stress.
- Other disadvantages of automated equipment include the high
capital expenditure required to invest in automation (an automated system
can cost millions of dollars to design, fabricate, and install), a higher
level of maintenance needed than with a manually operated machine, and
a generally lower degree of flexibility in terms of the possible products
as compared with a manual system (even flexible automation is less
flexible than humans, the most versatile machines of all).
- Also there are potential risks that automation technology will
ultimately subjugate rather than serve humankind. The risks include the
possibility that workers will become slaves to automated machines, that
the privacy of humans will be invaded by vast computer data networks,
that human error in the management of technology will somehow endanger
civilization, and that society will become dependent on automation for
its economic well-being.
- These dangers aside, automation technology, if used wisely and
effectively, can yield substantial opportunities for the future. There
is an opportunity to relieve humans from repetitive, hazardous, and
unpleasant labour in all forms. And there is an opportunity for future
automation technologies to provide a growing social and economic
environment in which humans can enjoy a higher standard of living and a
better way of life.

Sources:
https://www.brighthubengineering.com/manufacturing-technology/55670-
what-is-numerical-control-machine/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shai-Agassi