Renishaw White Paper aims to help make manufacturers more competitive

Called "Survival of the fittest - the process control imperative", the paper explores four areas where substantial savings can be found, if firms are prepared to change the way they control their machining processes. The paper says that, if reductions in manning levels, unproductive time - such as setting or waiting for operators – and inspection costs are to be achieved, companies need to focus on eliminating manual processes and directly address the root causes of these process failures. These two goals go hand in hand, says Renishaw, since much of the non-conformance in many processes arises from human intervention. But removing manual processes is not enough – firms also need to pay close attention to the operating environment, the machine itself, setting processes before cutting commences; and to in-process controls, once production starts. The paper outlines a simple model that explains the sources of process non-conformance and process control methods to address them.