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Advanced manufacturing is the use of
innovative Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entit ...
technology to improve products or processes, with the relevant technology being described as advanced, innovative or cutting edge. Advanced manufacturing industries increasingly integrate new innovative technologies in both products and processes. The rate of technology adoption and the ability to use that technology to remain competitive and add value to define the advanced manufacturing sector. ''World class manufacturing'' (WCM) integrates the latest-generation machinery with process/work systems to facilitate manufacturing based business development governed around manufactured products only, duly based over a high accent on product substitution or new product development. Advanced manufacturing centers upon improving the performance of US industry through the innovative application of technologies, processes and methods to
product design Product design as a verb is to create a new product to be sold by a business to its customers. A very broad coefficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products. Thus, it is a major aspect of ...
and production. A survey done in 2010 by
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
defined advanced manufacturing and stated that:: "A concise definition of advanced manufacturing offered by some is manufacturing that entails the rapid transfer of science and technology (S&T) into manufacturing products and processes." (PCAST, April 2010.)


Product technologies

Organizations practicing advanced manufacturing make products characterized as: * Products with high levels of design * Technologically complex *
Innovative Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entit ...
* Reliable, affordable, and available * Newer, better, more exciting * Products that solve a variety of problems * Flexibility


Process technologies

The
manufacturing process Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...
technologies described in definitions of advanced manufacturing include: * Computer technologies (e.g., CAD, CAE, CAM) (Paul Fowler, NACFAM, UK Manufacturing Advisory Service Southeast, C.B. Adams, St. Louis, OECD) * High-Performance Computing (HPC) for modeling, simulation, and analysis (Council on Competitiveness) *
Rapid prototyping Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data. Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printing ...
(
additive manufacturing 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...
) * High Precision technologies (Paul Fowler, NACFAM) *
Information technologies Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
(Paul Fowler, NACFAM) * Advanced
robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...
and other intelligent production systems (US Department of Labor, ETA, C.B. Adams, St. Louis) *
Automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
(UK Manufacturing Advisory Service Southeast; C.B. Adams, St. Louis) * Control systems to monitor processes (UK Manufacturing Advisory Service Southeast) * Sustainable and green processes and technologies (US Department of Labor) * New industrial platform technologies (e.g.,
composite material A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
s) (UK Manufacturing Advisory Service Southeast) * Ability to custom manufacture (PCAST; Paul Fowler, NACFAM; Grow Oklahoma Campaign) * Ability to manufacture high or low volume (scalability) (PCAST; Paul Fowler, NACFAM; Grow Oklahoma Campaign) * High rate of manufacturing


Use of business/management methodologies

A number of organizations also included
business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separ ...
or
management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...
methodologies in their definition of advanced manufacturing. For example, one organization defines "advanced manufacturing as the insertion of new technology, improved processes, and management methods to improve the manufacturing of products." (National Defense University, 2002, as reported in PCAST) Another organization lists advanced manufacturing as "encompassing
lean production Lean manufacturing is a production method aimed primarily at reducing times within the production system as well as response times from suppliers and to customers. It is closely related to another concept called just-in-time manufacturing (J ...
techniques, enhanced
supply chain In commerce, a supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products to customers through a distribution system. It refers to the network of organizations, people, activ ...
integration, and technology assimilation". In fact, the Wikipedia definition of advanced manufacturing is "advanced planning and scheduling" described as "a manufacturing management process by which
raw material A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials that are feedstock for future finished products. As feeds ...
s and production capacity are optimally allocated to meet demand". Overall, the following business or management methodologies were listed as being a part of advanced manufacturing: *
Quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach place ...
s (US Department of Labor) * Lean production technologies *
Supply chain In commerce, a supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products to customers through a distribution system. It refers to the network of organizations, people, activ ...
integration * Advanced Planning and Scheduling (Wikipedia, online, accessed June 2010)


Other definitions

There are also definitions of "advanced manufacturing" that are used by one or a few sources.


Traditional vs. advanced manufacturers

Traditional
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...
is defined as the act of converting raw materials into finished products by using manual or mechanized transformational techniques. The purpose of such activities is to add value to achieve targeted objectives, which do not preclude society's overall interests. In one report, the distinction between traditional sectors of manufacturing (listed as auto, steel) and others (listed as
aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and ast ...
,
medical device A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...
,
pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...
) is the basis for a definition of advanced manufacturing, with the characteristics of the two differing in terms of volume and scale economies, labor and skill content, and the depth and diversity of the network surrounding the industry (New England Council and Deloitte, as referenced in PCAST document).


Successful manufacturers

Other sources define advanced manufacturers as those that "succeed" in today's competitive environment. One source states that: "What differentiates certain companies is a unique ability to create a competitive advantage in this environment. These manufacturers think and do faster and, by definition, these advantages make them advanced." (
Industrial College of the Armed Forces The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (Eisenhower School), formerly known as the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), is a part of the National Defense University. It was renamed on September 6, 20 ...
) The White House survey lists some experts as defining advanced manufacturing "solely by advances that led to decreased cost or increased
productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...
." (PCAST)


Research and development

One organization listed "aggressive
research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
" as being part of the definition of advanced manufacturing (
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...
). Although research and development were not explicitly included in most definitions, the innovative technologies listed by many are most likely the result of extensive research and development. Development of a sound product, which satisfies given criteria with least pain, is a common challenge, most unusually, haunting the manufacturer. The domain of competition is quite large because manufacturers compete at inter-manufacturing and intra-firm levels, producing near net products. The customer desires a component which promises functions most reliably, while addressing socio-techno-environmental attributes.


Dynamic

Finally, several sources pointed out that any definition of advanced manufacturing will need to change with the changing times, and that the definition will vary for different companies and different industries. The White House survey states: "Most discussants agree that an appropriate advanced manufacturing definition should be dynamic in nature and be treated as more of a benchmark". That is, there is a constant iteration of improving manufacturing frontiers. Therefore, what is classified as "frontier" is constantly changing and likewise, advanced manufacturing is constantly changing. (PCAST) Another source stated that: "Advanced manufacturing is like a
chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...
". It changes in response to the needs of whichever company has incorporated it into its manufacturing process (St. Louis, C.B. Adams). An expert is quoted as saying: "Advanced manufacturing, by its very nature, defies definition, because it is going to be different for the
chemical industry The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials ( oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. ...
than it is for the metal fabrication industry and any other industry " (Tom White, as quoted by C.B. Adams).


Conclusion

The term "advanced manufacturing" encompasses many of the developments in the manufacturing field during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, including high tech products and processes and clean, green, and flexible manufacturing, among others. No one definition captures everything said about advanced manufacturing, although the majority of definitions found on the web include the use of innovative technology to improve products and/or processes, and may also include the use of new business/management methodologies. Accordingly, the definition that probably comes closest to being comprehensive is that given by Paul Fowler of the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM), celebrating its 20th anniversary this year: "The Advanced Manufacturing entity makes extensive use of computer, high precision, and information technologies integrated with a high-performance workforce in a production system capable of furnishing a heterogeneous mix of products in small or large volumes with both the efficiency of
mass production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
and the flexibility of custom manufacturing in order to respond quickly to customer demands " (Quoted in PCAST). In foreseeable future categorical developments facilitated with integration with computers will be largely impacted by the state of raw material and energy availability.


See also

*
Fourth Industrial Revolution The Fourth Industrial Revolution, 4IR, or Industry 4.0, conceptualizes rapid change to technology, industries, and societal patterns and processes in the 21st century due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation. The term has bee ...
*
Smart manufacturing Smart manufacturing is a broad category of manufacturing that employs computer-integrated manufacturing, high levels of adaptability and rapid design changes, digital information technology, and more flexible technical workforce training. Other ...
*
Open manufacturing Open manufacturing, also known as open production, maker manufacturing, and with the slogan "Design Global, Manufacture Local" is a new model of socioeconomic production in which physical objects are produced in an open, collaborative and distribute ...


References

{{Reflist Manufacturing Innovation