Unit Manufacturing Processes

Manufacturing, reduced to its simplest form, involves the sequencing of product forms through a number of different processes. Each individual step, known as an unit manufacturing process, can be viewed as the fundamental building block of a nation's manufacturing capability. A committee of the National Research Council has prepared a report to help define national priorities for research in unit processes. It contains an organizing framework for unit process families, criteria for determining the criticality of a process or manufacturing technology, examples of research opportunities, and a prioritized list of enabling technologies that can lead to the manufacture of products of superior quality at competitive costs. The study was performed under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation and the Defense Department's Manufacturing Technology Program. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary Part I Fundamentals of Unit Manufacturing Processes 1 Why Manufacturing Matters 2 What are Unit Manufacturing Processes? Part II Research Opportunities in Illustrative Unit Manufacturing Processes 3 Mass-Change Processes 4 Phase-Change Processes 5 Structure-Change Processes 6 Deformation Processes 7 Consolidation Processes 8 Integrated Processes Part III Unit Manufacturing Process Enabling Technologies 9 Behavior of Materials 10 Simulation and Modeling 11 Sensor Technology 12 Process Control 13 Process Precision and Metrology 14 Process Equipment Design Part IV Policy Dimensions 15 Technical and Economic Contexts 16 Resources in Unit Process Research and Education 17 International Experience Biographical Information