Industry

• Industry and the way we manufacture is constantly changing and evolving
• The industrial Revolution in the late 1700s was due to the development of the emerging technology of the time: steam power
• The industrial revolution brought significant changes to the way things were made and saw momentous and influencial changes and innovation in manufacturing equipment
• Prior to the industrial revolution, products were generally made in small workshops or at home, but emerging technology enabled products to be made faster and more economically in factories
• A factory usually consists of buildings housing machinery where workers make goods or operate machines turning materials into products
• The first factories only contained a small number of machines and workers
• Modern factories tend to be located with access to transportation; they are located close to good road, rail or seaport links in order to get the raw materials in and then transport the goods produced out
• Factories usually consist of large warehouses, containing manufacturing machinery used for assembly-line production
• In some industries the factories are split into areas known as 'shops'
• In car manufacturing, the 'shops' generally include:

  • A pressing shop
  • An axle shop
  • A body shop
  • A paint shop
  • A plastics shop
  • A casting shop
• The tools and equipment needed in the workplace varies depending upon what is being manufactured
• Manufacturers that mass produce items such as drinks cans will use dedicated automated machinery that produces only those items
• Certain industries that make products in batches require greater flexibility. To enable them to vary batches they will use more adaptable equipment
• Press formers are adaptable because the die that does the cutting can be changed to press different products, such as wristwatch cases, stainless steel pans for cooking, knives and spoons, door handles and coins
• Machines that can be controlled by computers, computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines, among others can offer a wide range of different manufacturing processes
• CNC machines include lathes, milling machines, plasma cutters and water jet cutters. Robot arms can also be programmed to carry out different tasks