We have come a long way in the field of production and manufacturing. Not a very long time ago, everything in an industry was done with hands. It was the only option available at that time. At present, most of the industries make use of automated machinery that can complete the job with great accuracy and in less duration. The only job humans are left with is supervision. But still, there is a really huge window of improvement in these systems. They can be made more precise, repeatable and long lasting. That’s where precision engineering comes into play. It is a sub discipline of electronics, mechanical, software, electrical and optical engineering. The best part is that, since it is a program that is devised by computers, it becomes easy to reduce the mechanical errors, man-made faults and the devices and the structural mechanism used in the process can actually facilitate major industrial trends.
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| Precision Engineering |
What is precision engineering?
It is believed by all the great engineers, physicists and mathematicians that almost anything can be predicted with complete accuracy if all the factors are known. In fact, Newton once said that with the knowledge of all variables even the result of a flip of coin can be determined. Thus nothing should be left to chance. This way every motion can be predicted accurately and precisely. Using the measurements, the machines can be modified in such a way that the process becomes more profitable in every sense.
What is the goal of precision engineering?
As mentioned above, the goal is to improve the output of production unit. But to that the engineers follow a set of goals to make sure that every aspect of the process is improved. Otherwise, often the process gets better in way by compromising in others. Here is a list of common goals that most of the engineers follow.
- Make the movement of different parts and fittings extremely precise. Since the parts of any machine can be joined well with precision engineering, there are less chances of dispersion or any kind of mechanical accident.
- Make use of interchangeable parts as much as possible so that parts of other brands can be used easily.
- Take all necessary precautions to ensure long life of the whole unit.
- Under no circumstances should the new design compromise with safety.
- Improve the quality of products to such a grade that the inspectional methods are not needed anymore.
- Try to keep the processes independent from each other.
- Increase packing density and achieve miniaturization of parts.
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| Precision Engineering |
How is complete precision achieved?
Though precision engineering is a new discipline but the basic methods used in it are hundreds of years old. One can trace the use of precision instruments back to 2nd century BC. The same principles are used today in industries. The very first step is to take very precise measurements of the existing process. An engineer can easily get readings of the scale of nano meter using latest instruments. Using the readings, they determine the places where improvement is needed the most. They increase or decrease the size of parts to make them fit properly. Sometimes they even change the whole process if needed. After that a highly accurate computer model is created to test all the conditions.
A small working model is also created to ensure the precision. Finally, the production unit is created and installed in the plant. Obviously there are a lot more steps involved. But only the engineers need to know all that.
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