DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, D.E.I.

Course Code: MEM820
Course Title: AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

QUESTION BANK SESSION: 2024-25

UNIT-1: INTRODUCTION TO MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

1. Mention the historical development of manufacturing from 1950 onwards.
2. What do you understand by a product cycle from the engineering prospective?
3. Draw the product cycle activity chart and explain the major activities under Production Management
System.
4. Explain briefly in relation with Production Management System:
a) Capacity planning c) Inventory management
b) Material requirements planning d) Engineering database
5. What do you understand by Simultaneous Engineering? Draw the Simultaneous Engineering model of
manufacturing & explain.
6. Investigate what would be the appropriate mathematical model (LP, IP, Queuing, Simulation,
PERT/CPM) that could be employed in various steps of the product cycle.
7. A part undergoes five operations, as shown in table, on five different machines. The table gives the
setup, queue and processing times. The average inspection, moving, and waiting times before moving
add up to 10 h for each operation. Find the MLT for a batch size of 100.
Operation no. (i=1,2,3,4,5) 1 2 3 4 5
Setup time + Queue time (in h) 4 2 6 3 4
Processing time (in min.) 4.8 3.6 12 2.4 3
8. Consider a transfer line with two machines, M1 and M2. The processing times on M1 and M2 are given
by 5 min. and 3.5 min., respectively. The material transport time from M 1 to M2 is 0.5 min. The setup
time for the transfer line is 150 h. Find the MLT for a batch size of 100.
9. A job shop specializes in one-of-a-kind orders. A typical part goes through eight operations on eight
conventional machines. Each operation on an average takes 20 min. of processing time, 15 min. of
work handling time, and 10 min. of tool changing time. Average setup time is 6 h. Moving, inspection,
and waiting times add up to 12 h. A new programmable machine performs all the eight operations in a
single setup. Programming the machine takes 20 h but is done offline. Setup time is 10 h. Machining
and tool changing times are reduced to 80% and 50% of their conventional values. Work handling time
is the same as for one machine. The waiting, inspection and moving times are the same as in the
conventional setup. Compute the MLT in both the cases.
10. Explain the meaning of computer aided design (CAD). Mention the important reasons for using a CAD
system to support the engineering design functions.
11. Explain the steps in the design process. Give the application of computers in design.
12. What do we expect a geometric modeling system to accomplish, in a broad sense, in the total
manufacturing scene? What should be the basic requirement of geometric modeling such that the data
generated would be unambiguous? Specify the range of applications for which the typical geometric
modeling is used.
13. What are the limitations found in the general wireframe modeling systems? Explain with an example.
14. What are the different CAD software packages known to you?

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UNIT-2: COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING
1. What do you understand by Numerical control of machine tools? What are the various factors
responsible for the level of acceptance of numerical control? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of NC tools?
2. What are the various fields of application of NC machine tools? Give a block diagram showing the
structure of NC machine tools. Explain with neat sketches, the function components of Decoder and
Reader.
3. What do you mean by coding? Name different methods of coding and explain each method. Show how
the following can be represented:
i) 3268295 in decimal system
ii) 27 in binary system.
What are the advantages of binary system and decimal system?
4. Show how NC machine tools can be classified. Give the important points of all types of NC machine
tools. Explain with neat sketches the functioning of closed-loop and open-loop NC systems.
5. What is the important information which the programmer must have about the machine tool? What are
the zero systems? Explain all the zero systems with suitable examples. How the specifications of
dimensions are done?
6. Write the NC block to establish the part coordinate system on the turning center for the job shown
below.

7. Write the manual part program for the work shown below. The work is already rough turned and the
tool is required to be programmed for finish turning. Assume the appropriate values of feed-rate, speed,
tool functions, etc.

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 8. Write a manual part program for drilling holes (ϕ 0.375 mm) in the work part shown below. Part is ¾”
thick.

9. Write the complete APT program for profile milling the work shown below. The stock (material)
thickness is 10 mm. The postprocessor call statement is MACHIN/MILL,02. The cut will be made with
a 20 mm diameter end mill. The speed and feed-rate are 1200 RPM (CW) and 50 mm/min. respectively.
Outside tolerance on the circular approximation is 0.01 mm whereas the inside tolerance is not allowed.

UNIT-3: MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS’ CONTROL & ARCHITECTURE

1. What do you mean by Control system architecture? Name the different levels of real-time control in the
hierarchical control systems. Explain the Equipment-level control systems.
2. Differentiate clearly between Factory-level and Cell-level control systems.
3. Explain the range of communication functions necessary within a factory?
4. What is the importance of LAN in computer integrated operations of an automated factory?
5. What are the characteristics of LANs? Explain each one in details.
6. What are factory networks? Explain Multi-network solutions.
7. Explain open system interconnection (OSI) model. Also explain all the seven layers of OSI reference
model.
8. What is manufacturing automation protocol (MAP)? Explain the factory communication using MAP.
9. What is database management system (DBMS)? Explain the role of DBMS in CIM.
10. What are the different concepts on which MRP is based upon? Explain. What are the various inputs to
the MRP system?
11. Give the structure of MRP system. Show how MRP works.
12. Mention in detail about the output reports of MRP. Also mention the benefits of MRP.
13. Differentiate clearly between MRP & MRP II.
14. Name few of manufacturing simulation software known to you. What is the importance of simulation
in manufacturing?

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 15. Write short notes on:
i) Database organization iii) Network topologies
ii) Network to network interconnections iv) Programmable controllers.

UNIT-4: MANUFACTURING FLEXIBILITY

1. Define manufacturing flexibility. Explain in detail, the different types of flexibilities.
2. What are the various tests of flexibility that a manufacturing system must satisfy in order to be
classified as flexible?
3. What is an FMS? Give the various definitions given for an FMS. Explain what are the various
components of an FMS?
4. Explain where to apply the FMS technology? What are FMS work stations? Explain the functions of
the handling systems in FMS.
5. What are the various types of FMS based on number of machines and levels of flexibility?
6. What are the various FMS layout configurations? Explain the configurations with a neat sketch.
Explain for each configuration what type of material handling system is to be used?
7. What are the basic functions performed by the FMS computer control systems? For controlling the
FMS, what types of data files are to be used and for monitoring the performance of FMS, what system
reports are needed? Explain.
8. List the various factors in planning an FMS and explain the analysis methods for FMS. Mention the
applications and benefits of FMS.
9. Explain with suitable examples what a user expects from a flexible manufacturing system?
10. Flexible Manufacturing Systems use CNC machines with AGVs with Robot or Conveyors. What
differentiates the system for a transfer line?
11. Give the architecture of a typical FMS?
12. Give the flow chart for the automated operation of FMS.

UNIT-5: FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

1. What do you mean by Computer-controlled machines? What is a numerically controlled machine?
What are the basic components of CNC? Name the different NC part programming software available.
2. What do you understand by pallet & fixtures? What do you mean by flexible fixturing? What is the
effect of flexible fixture on capital and operational cost?
3. What are machine centers & their components? Explain with suitable sketches.
4. What is machine center management? What are the various functions of the management control
system? Explain the fundamental kinds of scheduling problems.
5. Give a flow chart for the operation of a machine center.
6. What do you mean by automated inspection system? Explain the different inspection methods.
7. What is a coordinate measuring machine (CMM)? Explain. What are the important characteristics of
potential applications for which CMMs are most appropriate? What are the advantages of CMM over
manual inspection methods? What are the various software used for this purpose?
8. What do you understand by material handling system? What are the principles of effective material
handling? How the material handling equipment is classified?
9. Explain the flexibility in the material handling system.
10. What are conveyors and how are they classified? Show how they are used for material handling
purposes?

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11. What are the three different principles according to Kwo’s analysis in the design of recirculating
conveyors?
12. A Recirculation conveyor has a total length of 300 m. Its speed is 60 m/min. and the spacing of part
carriers along its length is 12 m. Each carrier can hold two parts. Robots are used to load and unload the
conveyor at its load and unload stations. The time required to load a part is 0.20 min. and the unload
time is the same. The required loading and unloading rates are both 4 parts/min. Evaluate the conveyor
system design with respect to the three principles developed by Kwo.
13. What is an automated guided vehicle (AGV)? What are the various categories of AGVs? Draw the
typical AGV layout and Explain.
14. What are the Guidance technologies of AGVs?
15. What are the AGVs dispatching rules? Explain various heuristic rules for ranking the machine center
request for vehicles.
16. Give a model for the analysis for an AGV system.
17. What is an AS/RS? How AS/RSs are classified? Explain. Also mention their applications.
18. Define an industrial robot. Under which type of industrial automation, the robot is placed? Give the
complete anatomy of an industrial robot.
19. What are the common robot configurations? Explain with neat sketches. Explain what work volume
and drive system are vis-à-vis the robot.
20. What are the various robot control systems? Explain what are end effectors and robot sensors.
21. What are the deciding factors for deciding where and when to use a robot? Explain the basic guidelines
for selecting the right application for robot.
22. What is accuracy and repeatability in robots? One of the joints of a certain industrial robot has a type
L-joint with a range of 0.5 m. The bit storage capacity of the robot controller is 10 bits for this joint.
The mechanical errors form a normally distributed random variable about a given taught point. The
mean of the distribution is zero and the standard deviation is 0.06 mm in the direction of output link of
the joint. Determine the control resolution, accuracy and repeatability for this robot joint.
23. What are the basic phases in implementing a robot application and mention the guidelines for
implementing a robot application.
24. What are the human considerations in implementing a robot application? What are the potential safety
hazards in implementing robotics? What are the main reasons of accident occurrence while working
with robots? What is required to make a robot application safe?
25. Based on the notation scheme for defining manipulator configurations, make sketch of TRT, VVR,
VROT, TRL, OLO, LVL robots as per the sketch shown below:

26. Based on the notation scheme for defining manipulator configurations, make sketch of TRT:R,
TVR:TR, RR:T robots using diagram similar to one shown above.

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