The Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is a concept that encompasses the set of technological strategies that manufacturing organizations have had to develop to maintain a highly competitive level in the face of the new challenges they are facing (demand for high quality products, low cost, and greater variety, manufactured in small batches and with shorter production times). The CIM represents a cultural movement within the company, which goes hand in hand with digital transformation and the adoption of new technologies in production and management processes
The CIM involves an overhaul or redesign of the entire organization so that the different functions of the organization can work together effectively. The integrated flow of information, the extensive use of computers and a high degree of automation are the result of the new models of contemporary organization. Technologies, however, are used as a means rather than an end; the crucial point is the understanding of how to properly use the available resources to achieve the organization's objectives.
In this topic, you will be reviewing the concepts related to CIM and its importance for a manufacturing organization to perform competitively in these times of turbulence and accelerated change.To learn more about the expectation that companies have about the CIM and its application, check out the following video:
NVIDIA. (2021, April 13). NVIDIA Omniverse - Designing, Optimizing and Operating the Factory of the Future [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-DaWgg4zF8
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15.1 Components of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)
The concept of computer-integrated manufacturing begins to be used during the 1970. In the academic context, this term was defined as the set of communication and control elements necessary to integrate a manufacturing system.
In the early stages of integrated manufacturing, priority was given to the interconnection of technical elements: manufacturing cells, large-scale automation, CAD/CAM systems, interfaces, among others. Currently, a more integral concept is used, in such a way that it encompasses the entire organization and its functional units.
According to Zabor (2022), the vital component of CIM is the retrieval of data from the organization, which is performed with the help of sensors, support systems and information processing modules that are operating in the production plants.
In its most complete version, the CIM is a very complex system, so it is usually out of the real possibilities of small and medium-sized companies due to the large investment it represents.
When planning a new manufacturing facility, the strategic vision must be long-term, encompassing all phases of integration, only in this way can the organization fully benefit from the
CIM. In a facility that is already in operation, the implementation of the CIM can be done in a modular way.
The chart 1 shows some examples of the elements that make up a CIM system.
Basic elements of the CIM |
Software examples |
Business planning and support |
ERP systems (Enterprise Resource Planning) |
Product design |
CAD/CAM/CAE systems |
Manufacturing process planning |
CAPP (Computer Aided Process Planning) system |
Automation and process control |
Systems involving PLC's, micro controllers, sensors, and actuators |
Production performance monitoring systems |
Automated inspection systems Example: COGNEX |
The foundation of CIM systems lies in an information exchange platform shared by all elements of the organization and can take any of the following forms:
This data exchange platform (usually a database) must contain accurate, detailed and current information on products, designs, machinery, processes, materials, production, finance, purchasing, sales and marketing.
Figure 1 shows the typical modular structure of a CIM.
Figure 1. Typical structure of a CIM system
Click on each type of module for more information.
It includes systems for production planning and control, finance and administration, sales, quality control, human resources, purchasing, receiving, and shipping, and other support organizations.
It integrates basic function such as product design and conceptualization, material selection, design documentation and management of engineering changes made to products during their life cycle.
Closed tolerances are sought and opened where they are not really needed, there should only be closed tolerances where they are required for the correct functioning of the part. There is what is called economy of tolerances, the more demanding the tolerances of the parts, the higher the manufacturing cost.
In this module you will find CAM technology, flexible manufacturing systems, flexible cells and all automation processes that occur on the production floor. In the past, this module of the CIM was the focus of all the CIM's attention and although it has undergone great development and is the executing part of the CIM, it is no longer considered to be the only one.
It consists mainly of automatic data acquisition and processing systems. They are responsible for sending performance information from production systems to other administrative systems for further analysis and decision-making.
As can be seen, a complete CIM system is deployed throughout the manufacturing organization and is far from simple or something that can be built all at once. Rather, it should be the result of a strategy of the organization's management and an effort of one or more work teams within the organization. A well-implemented integrated manufacturing system is something that identifies the organization in such a way that it is very difficult for a competitor to copy it, which can turn it into a real competitive advantage.
15.2 Development of CIM techniques
Programmable automation was developed from the need to simplify the mass production of parts and products when their diversity was high and their volume low. Its main objective was to speed up production, while maintaining a uniform quality of results and providing the organization with the possibility of responding to new and constant market requirements. With the development of computers, its application quickly spread to the rest of the areas involved in manufacturing.
The need for the integration of the manufacturing organization has gone through different stages. At first, when the first automation solutions were implemented in isolation, and only in certain processes of the manufacturing system, the so-called automated islands were generated. Each island responded to the design features included by its manufacturer, which represented a real headache when trying to link them with any other system within the organization. These types of problems, plus turbulent market demand and the general manufacturing environment of the time, set the stage for the creation of the ICAM (integrated computer aided manufacturing) program in the United States in the early 1980.
As a result of ICAM's work, several problems were identified that prevented true integration. Due to the lack of comprehensive automation planning, the benefits were only local; productivity, efficiency and quality were improved only in the islands, without providing a benefit to the organization as a whole.
The idea of integrating various technologies into a manufacturing system had clear advantages.
Benefits of computer integrated manufacturing |
Inventory reduction |
Reduction of manufacturing costs |
Quality improvement |
Increased manufacturing flexibility |
Improved on-time delivery |
Enables dynamic market management |
The benefits of integrated technologies are difficult to quantify because they give the organization a competitive advantage by linking new equipment with existing equipment, software belonging to different areas of the organization with database management systems and communication systems with other information technologies in an efficiently managed process.
15.3 CIM evolution
The development of CIM to the present day is a natural continuation of the evolution of manufacturing systems. A brief overview of this transformation is shown in chart 2.
Evolution of CIM systems |
|
1600 |
Manual work, handicraft. |
1750 |
Mechanization and first manufacturing systems. |
1900 |
Mass production systems. |
1930 |
Very large mass production systems. |
1950 |
Early developments of numerical control for automation. |
1955 |
Beginnings of CAD and developments in computer numerical control and distributed numerical control. |
1970 |
CAD developments. Application of CAM-based systems and introduction of the CIM concept. |
1980 |
Application of CIM systems. Advanced systems of CAM, CAPP, CAQC (Computer Aided Quality Control), AS/RS (Automatic storage and retrieval systems) and FMS. |
1986 |
Introduction of the distributed CIM concept. |
1997 |
Introduction of the virtual CIM concept. |
2000 |
Virtual CIM framework and architecture. |
2005 |
Development of the collaborative CIM concept. |
2006 |
Resource scheduling for a virtual CIM system. |
2010 |
Incorporation of Big Data technology for data management in manufacturing processes. |
2015 |
loT devices begin to incorporate industrial sensors and the transformation to Industry 4.0 begins. |
2017 |
Use of artificial intelligence as part of the CIM and evolve to the "Smart Industry" model. |
2022 |
Introduction of the NVIDIA OMNIVERSE large-scale Smart Industry integration and simulation platform. |
Chart 2. Evolution of CIM systems over time
In the 1970, the concept of CIM was defined for the first time and since then, its creator, Dr. Joseph Harrington, was already talking about the need to integrate not only the strictly manufacturing processes, but all the processes of the organization.
Figure 2 illustrates the evolution over time of the relationship between the level of integration within the organization and the concept of CIM.
Figure 2. Evolution of integration with the CIM concept
Today, CIM as an organizational culture has become a central part of Industry 4.0. Smart Manufacturing (figure 3) uses IoT technology to interconnect all objects in the factory and with the incorporation of multiple sensors can collect and digitize almost all the information needed to accurately describe the system. With Big Data tools, all data are automatically processed, from input to output, ensuring continuity and adaptability in the production chain. At the same time, the personnel in charge can almost completely and instantly control the entire system from a cloud computing platform.
Figure 3. Structure of an intelligent manufacturing system
Intech Group. (2022). What is a SMART Factory? Retrieved from https://intech-group.vn/smart-factory.htm
For educational purposes only.
According to Zabor (2022), the structure of modern Smart Industry is based on 4 pillars.
Today, manufacturing giants such as Siemens, Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes and NVIDIA have been focusing on the development of new technologies that will soon be revolutionizing the CIM universe once again (figure 4).
Figure 4. NVIDIA Isaac Sim
Nvidia. (2022). NVIDIA OMNIVERSE™ DOCUMENTATION. Retrieved from https://docs.omniverse.nvidia.com/app_isaacsim/app_isaacsim/overview.html
For educational purposes only.
CIM success story in a Mexican company
A successful case of a Mexican company with regional capital that has implemented the CIM is the company NEMAK located in Santa Catarina Nuevo. It has plants around the world such as the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, and South America. Nemak manufactures automotive parts for various brands such as Ford, Nissan, GM, Chrysler, Mitsubishi among many others, and has more than 50% of aluminum head production worldwide.
One of the factors that has brought Nemak to the pinnacle of global manufacturing is the way it does business and the integration of all its processes through CIM. Nemak has automated most of its manufacturing processes by having multiple manufacturing cells that are operated by automated systems for storage and material handling, has implemented robotic arms, as well as intelligent inspection and quality testing systems. Nemak has not only automated its manufacturing processes but has also extended this practice to its ERP support systems that allow it to plan the material, human and economic resources necessary to develop its processes.
To learn more about how Nemak has implemented the CIM concept in its manufacturing processes, we recommend the following video:
Nemak Global. (2021, October 20). Innovative Lightweighting [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t-E0t4w5PI
The following link do not belong to Tecmilenio University,
when accessing to them, you must accept their terms and conditions.
CIM was born from the search to offer a comprehensive response to the automation needs of manufacturing organizations. It proposes a change in the organization's culture by trying to integrate the most important processes through information systems.
The CIM seeks to incorporate production processes (automation, interconnection, and information exchange mechanisms between equipment) and auxiliary manufacturing processes (supply chain, engineering areas) together with the company's own business processes (aggregate manufacturing planning, finance, sales, and other administrative functions).
This creates a system that, in addition to controlling and assisting in the execution of the various individual processes, can share the information generated in them among all its elements. This is the current concept of computer-integrated manufacturing.
In the beginning, the implementation of computer-integrated manufacturing systems focused on the automation of production processes rather than on the company, at this stage industrial automation was greatly developed. As time went by, attention was redirected towards the development of communication platforms between all the components of the manufacturing system, a process that was improved until it reached the complex network we have today.
Current technological advances in data networking, Big Data, increased computational capacity, electronic integration, and the Internet of Things (IoT) have greatly simplified the complexity of implementing a CIM, laying the groundwork for the emergence of the Smart Industry.
The challenges that await you as a professional in the field of Industry 4.0 will be staggering, the current technological advances never cease to amaze, but the discoveries of the future are in your hands.
Make sure that you:
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To learn more about product design, watch the following video:
To learn more about NVIDIA, watch the following video:
To learn more about CIM/FMS, watch the following video:
To learn more about CIM, we recommend reading :
To learn more about CIM system, we recommend reading :
To learn more about FMS, we recommend reading:
The student will carry out a search and analysis of information on the CIM concept and its evolution to the Smart Industry to describe its elements, as well as its implementation in companies.
To identify the components of computer-integrated manufacturing and its evolution as pillars of Industry 4.0.
Read the explanation of topic 15. Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM).
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