process chain design

Exact planning and configuration of process chains contributes significantly to manufacturing excellence in micro manufacturing. In this type of manufacturing, production must adhere to very low tolerances. Furthermore, a multitude of manufacturing processes is available in micro manufacturing whereas some processes are better suited than others for given tasks. The methodology “Micro Process Planning and Analysis” (µ-ProPlAn), which is described in this article, provides suitable means for planning and configuration of such process chains with the necessary level of detail. To reduce the manual workload in comparing alternative process chains, this article proposes an extension, which enables an automatic selection of alternative processes based on a geometry oriented annotation of the µ-ProPlAn process models.

In the field of micro manufacturing, a highly precise adjustment of relevant process parameters is of major importance. The continuing miniaturization of work pieces and machines leads to very small tolerances. The occurrence of so called size-effects interferes with a direct application of knowledge and experiences from macro manufacturing. Moreover, the high specialization of manufacturing technologies and processes in micro manufacturing requires a careful review of each process’s suitability with respect to the involved materials and components. This article presents a method that supports process designers with structured procedures and notations, to model and evaluate technological as well as logistic dependencies along the process chain. Thereby, it supports the selection and configuration of suitable processes for a given process chain.