HOW NC, DNC AND CNC

INCREASE THE
PRODUCTIVITY IN YOUR
PLANT
Productivity
Production is a process of combining various material inputs and immaterial inputs
(plans, know-how) in order to make something for consumption (the output). The
methods of combining the inputs of production in the process of making output are
called technology. Technology can be depicted mathematically by the production
function which describes the relation between input and output.

Productivity is a measure of output from a production process, per unit of input. For
example, labour productivity is typically measured as a ratio of output per labour-
hour, an input. Productivity may be conceived of as a metric of the technical or
engineering efficiency of production. As such, the emphasis is on quantitative
metrics of input, and sometimes output. Productivity is distinct from metrics
of allocative efficiency, which take into account both the monetary value (price) of
what is produced and the cost of inputs used, and also distinct from metrics
of profitability, which address the difference between the revenues obtained from
output and the expense associated with consumption of inputs.

An increase in productivity is characterised by a shift of the production function

(steepening slope) and a consequent change to the output/input relation. The
formula of total productivity is normally written as follows:

 Total productivity = Output quantity / Input quantity

According to this formula, changes in input and output have to be measured

inclusive of both quantitative and qualitative changes. [3] In practice, quantitative and
qualitative changes take place when relative quantities and relative prices of different
input and output factors alter. In order to accentuate qualitative changes in output
and input, the formula of total productivity shall be written as follows:

 Total productivity = Output quality and quantity / Input quality and quantity

Sources of productivity growth

In the most immediate sense, productivity is determined by:

 the available technology or know-how for converting resources into outputs desired in
an economy; and
 the way in which resources are organised in firms and industries to produce goods
and services.

Average productivity can improve as firms move toward the best available
technology; plants and firms with poor productivity performance cease operation;
and as new technologies become available. Firms can change organisational
structures (e.g. core functions and supplier relationships), management systems and
work arrangements to take the best advantage of new technologies and changing
market opportunities. A nation's average productivity level can also be affected by
the movement of resources from low-productivity to high-productivity industries and
activities.

National productivity growth stems from a complex interaction of factors. As just

outlined, some of the most important immediate factors include technological
change, organisational change, industry restructuring and resource reallocation, as
well as economies of scale and scope. Over time, other factors such as research
and development and innovative effort, the development of human capital through
education, and incentives from stronger competition promote the search for
productivity improvements and the ability to achieve them. Ultimately, many policy,
institutional and cultural factors determine a nation's success in improving
productivity.

Increases in productivity
Companies can increase productivity in a variety of ways. The most obvious
methods involve automation and computerization which minimize the tasks that must
be performed by employees. Recently, less obvious techniques are being employed
that involve ergonomic design and worker comfort. A comfortable employee, the
theory maintains, can produce more than a counterpart who struggles through the
day. In fact, some studies claim that measures such as raising workplace
temperature can have a drastic effect on office productivity. Experiments done by the
Japanese Shiseido Corporation also suggested that productivity could be increased
by means of perfuming or deodorising the air conditioning system of workplaces.
Increases in productivity also can influence society more broadly, by improving living
standards, and creating income. They are central to the process
generating economic growth and capital accumulation. A new theory suggests that
the increased contribution that productivity has on economic growth is largely due to
the relatively high price of technology and its exportation via trade, as well as
domestic use due to high demand, rather than attributing it to micro economic
efficiency theories which tend to downsize economic growth and reduce labour
productivity for the most part. Many economists see the economic expansion of the
later 1990s in the United States as being allowed by the increase in worker
productivity that occurred during that period. The growth in aggregate supply allowed
increases in aggregate demand and decreases in unemployment at the same time
that inflation remained stable.
Numerical control
Numerical control (NC) refers to the automation of machine tools that are operated
by abstractly programmed commands encoded on a storage medium, as opposed to
manually controlled via handwheels or levers, or mechanically automated via cams
alone. The first NC machines were built in the 1940s and 1950s, based on existing
tools that were modified with motors that moved the controls to follow points fed into
the system on punched tape. These early servomechanisms were rapidly
augmented with analog and digital computers, creating the modern computer
numerical control (CNC) machine tools that have revolutionized the manufacturing
process.

In modern CNC systems, end-to-end component design is highly automated

using computer-aided design(CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
programs. The programs produce a computer file that is interpreted to extract the
commands needed to operate a particular machine via a postprocessor, and then
loaded into the CNC machines for production. Since any particular component might
require the use of a number of different tools-drills, saws, etc., modern machines
often combine multiple tools into a single "cell". In other cases, a number of different
machines are used with an external controller and human or robotic operators that
move the component from machine to machine. In either case, the complex series of
steps needed to produce any part is highly automated and produces a part that
closely matches the original CAD design.

Description
Modern CNC mills differ little in concept from the original model built at MIT in 1952.
Mills typically consist of a table that moves in the X and Y axes, and a tool spindle
that moves in the Z (depth). The position of the tool is driven by motors through a
series of step-down gears in order to provide highly accurate movements, or in
modern designs, direct-drive stepper motors. Closed-loop control is not mandatory
today, as open-loop control works as long as the forces are kept small enough.

As the controller hardware evolved, the mills themselves also evolved. One change
has been to enclose the entire mechanism in a large box as a safety measure, often
with additional safety interlocks to ensure the operator is far enough from the
working piece for safe operation. Most new CNC systems built today are completely
electronically controlled.
CNC-like systems are now used for any process that can be described as a series of
movements and operations. These include laser cutting, welding, friction stir
welding, ultrasonic welding, flame and plasma cutting, bending, spinning, pinning,
gluing, fabric cutting, sewing, tape and fiber placement, routing, picking and placing
(PnP), and sawing.

Small CNC Turning Machine

Tools with CNC variants

 Drills
 EDMs
 Lathes
 Milling machines
 Wood routers
 Sheet metal works (Turret Punch)
 Wire bending machines
 Hot-wire foam cutters
 Plasma cuttings
 Water jet cutters
 Laser cutting
 Oxy-fuel
 Surface grinders
 Cylindrical grinders
 3D Printing
 Induction hardening machines

Direct numerical control

Direct numerical control (DNC), also known as distributed numerical

control (also DNC), is a common manufacturing term for networking CNC machine
tools. On some CNC machine controllers, the available memory is too small to
contain the machining program (for example machining complex surfaces), so in this
case the program is stored in a separate computer and sent directly to the machine,
one block at a time. If the computer is connected to a number of machines it
can distribute programs to different machines as required. Usually, the manufacturer
of the control provides suitable DNC software. However, if this provision is not
possible, some software companies provide DNC applications that fulfill the purpose.
DNC networking or DNC communication is always required when CAM programs are
to run on some CNC machine control.
Numerical Control Advantages
It’s important to know which areas of machining will benefit from it and which better
done the conventional way. It is absurd to think that a two horse power CNC will win
over jobs that are currently done on a twenty times more powerful manual mill.
Equally unreasonable are expectations of great improvements in cutting speeds and
federates over a conventional machine. If the machining and tooling conditions are
the same, the cutting time will be very close in both cases.

CNC offers industry many advantages that increase productivity

and produce quality products
Some of the major areas where the CNC user can and should expect improvement:

 Setup time reduction

 Lead time reduction
 Accuracy and repeatability
 Contouring of complex shapes
 Simplified tooling and work holding
 Consistent cutting time
 General productivity increase

Setup time reduction

In many cases, the setup time for a CNC machine can be reduced, sometimes quite
dramatically. It is important to realise that setup is a manual operation, greatly
dependent on the performance of CNC operator, the type of fixturing and general
practices of the machine shop. Setup time is unproductive, but necessary – it is a
part of the overhead costs of doing business. To keep the setup time to a minimum
should be one of the primary considerations of any machine shop supervisor,
programmer and operator.

Because of the C NC machines, the setup time should not be major problem.
Modular fixturing, standard tooling, fixed locators, automatic toll changing, pallets
and other advanced features make the setup time more efficient than a conventional
machine. With a good knowledge of modern manufacturing, productivity can be
increased significantly.

The number of parts machined under one setup is also important, in order to assess
the cost of setup time. If a great number of parts is machines in one setup, the setup
cost per part can be very insignificant. A very similar reduction can be achieved by
grouping several different operations into a single setup. Even if the setup time is
longer, it may be justified when compared to the time required to setup several
conventional machines.

Lead time reduction

Once a part program is written and proven, it is ready to be used again in the future,
even at a short notice. Although the lead time for the first run is usually longer, it is
virtually nil for any subsequent run. Even if engineering change of the part design
requires the program to be modified, it can be done usually quickly, reducing the
lead time.

Long lead time required to design and manufacture several special fixtures for
conventional machines can often be reduced by preparing a part program and the
use of simplified fixturing.

Accuracy and Repeatability

The high degree if accuracy and repeatability of modern CNC machines has been
the single major benefit to many users. Whether the part program is stored on a disk
or in the computer memory or even on a tape it always remains the same. Any
program can be changed at will but once proven no changes are usually required
any more. A given program can be reused as many times as needed without losing a
single bit of data it contains. true, program has to allow for such changeable factors
as tool wear and operating temperatures it has to be stored safely but generally very
little interference from the CNC programmer or operator will be required. The high
accuracy of CNC machines and their repeatability allows high quality parts to be
produced consistently time after time.

Contouring of Complex Shapes

CNC lathes and machining centres are capable of contouring a variety of shapes.
Many CNC users acquired their machines only to handle complex parts. A few good
examples are CNC applications in the aircraft and automotive industries. The use of
some form of computerised programming is virtually mandatory for any three
dimensional tool path generations.

Complex shapes such as moulds can be manufactured without the additional

expense of making a model for tracing. Mirrored parts can be achieved literally at the
switch of a button. Storage of programs is a lot simpler than storage of patterns,
templates, wooden models and other pattern making tools.

Simplified Tooling and Work Holding

Nonstandard tooling that clutters the benches and drawers around a conventional
machine can be eliminated by using standard tooling, specially designed for
numerical control applications. Multi-step tools such as pilot drills, step drills,
combination tools, counter borers and others are replaced with several individual
standard tools. These tools are often cheaper and easier to replace than special and
nonstandard tools. Cost-cutting measures have forced many tool suppliers to keep a
low or even a nonexistent inventory, increasing th delivery time to the customer.
Standard, off-the-shelf tooling can usually be obtained faster than conventional
tooling.

Fixturing ad work holding for CNC machines have only one major purpose – to hold
the part rigidly and on the same position for all parts within a batch. Fixtures
designed for CNC work do not normally require jigs, pilot holes and other hole
locating aids.

Cutting Time and Productivity Increase

The cutting time on the CNC machine is commonly known as the cycle time and is
always consistent. Unlike a conventional machining, where the operator’s skill,
experience and personal fatigue are subject to changes, the CNC machining is
under the control of a computer. The small amount of manual work is restricted to
the setup and loading and unloading the part5. For large batch runs, the high cost of
the unproductive time is spread among many parts, making it less significant. the
main benefit of a consistent cutting time is for repetitive machine tools can be done
very accurately.

The main reason companies often purchase CNC machines is strictly economic – it
is a serious investment. Also, having a competitive edge is always on the mind every
plant manager. The numerical control technology offers excellent means to achieve
a significant improvement in the manufacturing productivity and increasing the
overall quality of the manufactured parts Like any means, it has to be used wisely
and knowledgably. When more and more companies use the CNC technology, just
having a CNC machine does not offer the extra edge anymore. The companies that
get forward are those who know how to use the technology efficiently and practice it
to be competitive in the global economy.

To reach the goal of a major increase in productivity, it is essential that users

understand the fundamental principles on which CNC technology is based. These
principles take many forms, for example, understanding the electronic circuitry,
complex ladder diagrams, computer logic, metrology, machine design, machining
principles and practices and many others. Each one has to be studied and mastered
by the person in charge.
How CNC increase productivity
1. Greater operator safety: CNC systems are generally operated from a console
away from the machining area, which is enclosed on most machines. Therefore, the
operator is exposed less to moving machine parts and to the cutting tool.

2. Greater operator efficiency: A CNC machine does not require as much

attention as a conventional machine, allowing the operator to perform other jobs
while it is running.

3. Reduction of scarp: Because of the high degree of accuracy of NCC systems,

scrap has been drastically reduced,

4. Reduced lead time for production: The program preparation and setup time
for computer numerically controlled machines is usually short. Many jigs and fixtures
formerly required arte not necessary.

5. Fewer chances for human error: The NCC program reduces or eliminates the
need for an operator to take trials cuts, make trial measurements, make positioning
movements or change tools.

6. Maximum part accuracy and interchange: CNC ensures that all parts
produced will be accurate and of uniform quality.

7. Complex machining operations: Complex operations can be performed

quickly with CNC and electronic measuring equipment.

8. Greater machine utilisation: Production rates could increase as much as 80%

because less time is required for setup and operator adjustments.
 Reference

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_numerical_control

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Productivity

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_control

 Industrial Engineering and Management – O.P. Khanna