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 ContentsFront MatterExecutive SummaryPart I Fundamentals of Unit Manufacturing Processes1 Why Manufacturing Matters2 What are Unit Manufacturing Processes?Part II Research Opportunities in Illustrative Unit Manufacturing Processes3 Mass-Change Processes4 Phase-Change Processes5 Structure-Change Processes6 Deformation Processes7 Consolidation Processes8 Integrated ProcessesPart III Unit Manufacturing Process Enabling Technologies9 Behavior of Materials10 Simulation and Modeling11 Sensor Technology12 Process Control13 Process Precision and Metrology14 Process Equipment DesignPart IV Policy Dimensions15 Technical and Economic Contexts16 Resources in Unit Process Research and Education17 International ExperienceBiographical Information