High Precision Manufacturing and the British Economy

Abstract

In Industry Year, this James Clayton Lecture appropriately addresses the field of manufacturing engineering and aims to contribute to a wider understanding of how our economy and standard of living critically depend on those who design, manufacture and sell the products of high quality necessary to compete in world markets. The two main thrusts worldwide, in manufacturing engineering are: Automation—in particular, computer integrated, flexible manufacture to reduce overall cost and lead time and in which CADCAM, FMS and CIM are crucially important technologies Manufacture with higher precision—on which a wide range of advanced technology products are totally dependent—and in which precision engineering, micro-engineering and nanotechnology are generally less well understood and practised than by our main international competitors The paper traces recent developments in precision engineering in general and several new and non-conventional high precision ‘machining’ processes in particular, including those by which ‘atomic-bit machining’ is possible. Principles and modern techniques for controlling the accuracy of tool to workpiece in two- and three-dimensional work-zones of high precision production machines are reviewed and illustrated. Today's precision engineering, which can be defined as work at the forefront of design and manufacturing technology, can also be expected to become the general engineering of tomorrow. Its importance to the future of the UK economy cannot be overstated.