ABSTRACT
Manufacturing has always been the key to success among nations in the world economy. This chapter describes a high-level overview of manufacturing techniques, their objectives and design principles. Manufacturing systems used for their production are designed and tailored to specific requirements. The design principles of manufacturing systems and their components are presented as well as some of the issues related to their enabling technologies and barriers. Several shifts in the focus of manufacturing processes can be observed, which can be conveniently divided into three major epochs: precomputer numerical control, computer numerical control (CNC), and knowledge epochs. Manufacturing was dramatically affected by the invention of CNC machines as they provide more accurate control and means for better quality. Due to the globalization of economies, responsiveness is becoming the cornerstone of manufacturing competitiveness. The chapter discusses the abilities of available manufacturing systems in terms of the rapid adjustment of capacity and functionality in response to the market demands.
