Precision Engineering

“Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people.” — Booklist (starred review) The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future. The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras—and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider. Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today’s cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia. As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?

Advances in engineering precision have tracked with technological progress for hundreds of years. Over the last few decades, precision engineering has been the specific focus of research on an international scale. The outcome of this effort has been the establishment of a broad range of engineering principles and techniques that form the foundation of precision design. Today’s precision manufacturing machines and measuring instruments represent highly specialised processes that combine deterministic engineering with metrology. Spanning a broad range of technology applications, precision engineering principles frequently bring together scientific ideas drawn from mechanics, materials, optics, electronics, control, thermo-mechanics, dynamics, and software engineering. This book provides a collection of these principles in a single source. Each topic is presented at a level suitable for both undergraduate students and precision engineers in the field. Also included is a wealth of references and example problems to consolidate ideas, and help guide the interested reader to more advanced literature on specific implementations.

The Key Words In Manufacturing Are Cost And Quality. While This Has Been Generally True Throughout The History Of Manufacturing, We Have Today Entered Into A Highly Competitive Stage Where Quality Has Assumed Overwhelming Importance. There Is No Survival Without It. Quality ``Just Does Not Happen, It Is Caused``. Quality Circles, Total Quality, Iso 9000, Etc. Are Some Measures To Improve Quality.The Broad Purpose Of The Present Book Is To Explain The Concept Of Part Accuracy And Machine Tool Accuracy And The Interaction Between Them. It Considers In Detail The Influence Of Various Factors Affecting Accuracy. The Factors Considered Are Stiffness, Vibrations, Thermal Effects, Tool Wear, Geometrical Inaccuracy Inherent In The Machine Tools Themselves, Cutting Conditions, Location And Others. The Interaction Of Dimensions In A Chain Of Machining Processes Is Also Included. The Standards Relevant To Accuracy Are Explained. Processes To Obtain Precision Parts Are Described. The Treatment Is Not Just Descriptive. Analytical Expressions And Numerical Examples Are Included. The Scope Of The Book Is Novel And The Subject Matter Will Be Highly Useful Not Only To An Academic In The Area Of Manufacturing But Also To An Engineer On The Shop Floor.

The Latest Techniques of Ultra-Precise Manufacturing for Creating Mechanical, Electronic, and Optical Products Precision Engineering gives expert guidance on the application of manufacturing to micro and nano levels, using state-of-the-art miniaturization technology. The book fully explores these new in-demand techniques, providing clear explanations of precision engineering fundamentals, the theory and design of precision machines, and the mechanics of ultra-precise machining. Filled with over 200 skills-building illustrations, this vital engineering resource examines topics ranging from atomic bit processes for manufacturing and atomic force...to scanning and electronic and optical microscopy. You will find timely information on the tool materials for precision machining...the mechanics of materials cutting...advances in precision grinding...ultra-precision machine elements...rolling element, hydrodynamic, and hydrostatic bearings...gas lubricated bearings... microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)...and much more. Presenting practical know-how on everything required to create actual products, Precision Engineering features: A full account of tool materials for precision engineering The latest methods of precision grinding Detailed analysis of ultra-precise machine elements In-depth coverage of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) Inside This Cutting-Edge Guide to Precision Engineering Methods • Tool Materials for Precision Machining • Mechanics of Materials Cutting • Advances in Precision Grinding • Ultra-Precision Machine Elements • Rolling Element, Hydrodynamic, and Hydrostatic Bearings • Gas Lubricated Bearings • Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)

The current focus of manufacturing is towards flexible automation and miniaturization.

by Professor Pat McKeown Cranfield Precision Engineering, UK Member of Joint Organising Committee IPES6/UME2 PROGRESS IN PRECISION ENGINEERING Metal working companies in tool making, prototype manu facture and subcontract machining often use the label "precision engineering" to indicate that they are accustomed to working to finer tolerances than is normally expected in series production. But what we are concerned with in this and our preceding international conferences is much wider and deeper than this. Precision engineering is a grouping of multidis ciplinary scientific and engineering skills and techniques, firmly based on dimensional metrology, by which a wide range of new advanced technology products is made possible. In the last 5 - 10 years we have witnessed dramatic progress in precision engineering, particularly by the rapid development of its important sub-sets, micro-engineering and nanotechnology. I t is a part icular pleasure for me and my colleagues on the Organising Committee to welcome you to Braunschweig on the occasion of this the first joint international meeting in high precision manufacturing/precision engineering to be held in Germany. Our aim is to bring together the world's leading precision engineering practitioners from areas of application as diverse as optics for astronomy, micro and nano machining process research, design and development of ul tra preclslon machine tools and metrology equipment, advanced materials, bio medical research and new sensor/transducer systems.

Faced with ever-increasing market demands, manufacturing industry is forced to seek innovation and technological breakthrough. This state-of-the-art text aims to integrate broad aspects of precision and production engineering to cope with rapid changes in market needs and technological developments as we enter the 21st century. It addresses basic theory, extensive research in advanced topics, industrial applications, and relevant surveys in related fields. Major subjects covered by this book include: Advanced manufacturing systems; Ultra-precision machining and micro machining; Nanotechnology for fabrication and measurement; Chemo-mechanical processes; Rapid prototyping technology; New materials and advanced processes; Computer-aided production engineering; Manufacturing process control; Planning. This volume contains the proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Precision Engineering (ICPE), which was held in July 2001, in Yokohama, Japan. ICPE is a well-established conference in the field of production and precision engineering, covering a wide range of topics for future-oriented manufacturing systems and processes; it is organized by the Japan Society for Precision Engineering (JSPE). This book can be used as a reference for graduate and undergraduate courses in precision and production engineering, and also for researchers and industrial engineers to capture current trends in this field.