New Technologies in Industry and Production
Step into the modern factory. See how automation, robots and computers have changed industry, meet CAD and CAM, and learn the named production systems: flexible manufacturing, just-in-time and lean.
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Inside the modern factory 🏭
Walk into a modern factory and you may see very few people. **Robots** weld car bodies, **computers** design the parts, and machines run day and night. This module is about how new technologies have changed **industry** and the way products are **made**.
Words to know 📖
Four ideas run through this module:
CAD and CAM ⚖️
Two computer tools work together to design and make a product.
Match each term 🔗
- Automation
- CAD
- CAM
- Robotics
- Machines doing tasks with little human effort
- Designing a product on a computer
- Computers controlling the machines that make it
- Programmable robots carrying out industrial tasks
Which technology? 🎯
A designer creates a 3D model of a chair on a computer, ready to edit and test. Which technology is this?
- CAD, computer-aided design
- CAM, computer-aided manufacture
- Just-in-time
- Lean manufacturing
Named production systems ⚙️
Factories also use named **production systems**. A **flexible manufacturing system**, FMS, can switch quickly between making different products. **Just-in-time**, JIT, brings materials in exactly when they are needed, so little stock is stored. **Lean manufacturing** cuts out waste of time, materials and effort. Examiners expect these terms by name.
Match each system 🔀
- Flexible manufacturing system
- Just-in-time
- Lean manufacturing
- CNC machine
- Switches quickly between making different products
- Materials arrive exactly when needed, with little stock
- Cuts out waste of time, materials and effort
- A machine controlled by a computer to cut or shape material
Why automate? ✅
Select the TWO benefits of using automation and robots in a factory.
- They work consistently, giving the same quality every time
- They can work day and night without tiring
- They invent creative new designs on their own
- They are always free, with no setup cost
From design to product 🪜
An interactive activity.
Industry in words 🧩
Using machines to do work with little human effort is called _____. Designing a product on a computer is _____, and computers controlling the machines that make it is _____. A system that brings materials in exactly when needed is _____. Cutting out waste of time and materials is _____ manufacturing.
Spot the true statements 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Choose the technology 🧭
An interactive activity.
Automation and industry ✍️
An interactive activity.