Chapter 12

GROUP TECHNOLOGY

by

Dr. Richard A. Wysk

 GROUP TECHNOLOGY

GROUP TECHNOLOGY IS A MANUFACTURING

TECHNIQUE AND PHILOSOPHY TO INCREASE
PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY BY EXPLOITING THE
“UNDERLYING SAMENESS” OF COMPONENT
SHAPE, DIMENSIONS, PROCESS ROUTE, ETC.
• Group Technology is the realization that
many problems are similar, and that by
grouping similar problems, a single
solution can be found to a set of problems
thus saving time and effort. (Solaja 73)
• First book formalize the concept:
Mitrofanov,S.P. 1958, "The Scientific
Principles of Group Technology"
WHY GROUP TECHNOLOGY?

• AVERAGE LOT SIZE DECREASING

• PART VARIETY INCREASING
• INCREASED VARIETY OF MATERIALS
WITH DIVERSE PROPERTIES
• REQUIREMENTS FOR CLOSER
TOLERANCES
 HIGH FL
EX
PR IBI
OD LIT
TRANSFER UC Y
TIO
LINE NC
AP
AC
ITY
SPECIAL
VOLUME

SYSTEM
FLEXIBLE
MANUFACTURING
SYSTEM

MANUFACTURING
Cells

STD. AND GEN.

MACHINERY

LOW HIGH
VARIETY
EVERYDAY EXAMPLES

1. FAST FOOD CHAINS

2. DOCTORS, DENTISTS
AND ALSO MANUFACTURING

A FAMILY OF PARTS
PRODUCTION
FAMILY
• LACK OF COMMON DATABASE FOR
MFG., DESIGN...
• DON’T “REDESIGN THE WHEEL”
• AUTOMATED PROCESS PLANNING
• DATABASE TO DRIVE THE
AUTOMATED FACTORY
BENEFITS OF GROUP TECHNOLOGY
REDUCTIONS IN
THROUGHPUT TIME
SET-UP TIME
OVERDUE ORDERS

PRODUCTION FLOOR SPACE

RAW MATERIAL STOCKS
IN-PROCESS INVENTORY

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
TOOLING COSTS
ENGINEERING TIME AND COSTS

NEW PARTS DESIGN

NEW SHOP DRAWINGS
TOTAL NUMBER OF DRAWINGS
Cont’d
OTHER BENEFITS OF GROUP TECHNOLOGY

EASIER TO JUSTIFY AUTOMATION

STANDARDIZATION IN DESIGN
DATA RETRIEVAL
EASIER, MORE STANDARDIZED PROCESS PLANS
INCREASES IN QUALITY
GT AFFECTS MOST EVERY OPERATING AND STAFF FUNCTION.
IT IS MORE THAN MERELY A TECHNIQUE, BUT A TOTAL
MANUFACTURING PHILOSOPHY.
DESIGN
DATA ENGINEERING
SALES
PROCESSING

MAINTENANCE INVENTORY

TOOL PLANNING
ENGINEERING

ESTIMATING PURCHASING

INDUSTRIAL ASSEMBLY
RELATIONS
QUALITY MANAGEMENT
CONTROL

R&D MFG.
ENGINEERING
COST GT SHIPPING &
ACCOUNTING RECEIVING
THREE TECHNIQUES TO FORM PART FAMILIES
1. TACIT JUDGMENT OR VISUAL
INSPECTION
• MAY USE PHOTOS OR PART
PRINTS
• UTILIZES SUBJECTIVE
JUDGMENT

2. PRODUCTION FLOW ANALYSIS

• USES INFORMATION CONTAINED
ON THE ROUTE SHEET
(THEREFORE ONLY MFG. INFO)
• PARTS GROUPED BY REQUIRED
PROCESSING
Cont’d
3. CLASSIFICATION AND CODING
• CODES GEOMETRY/DESIGN AND MFG.
INFO ABOUT A COMPONENT
• CODES ARE ALPHANUMERIC STRINGS
• EASIER TO USE FOR OTHER ANALYSES
TYPES OF CLASSIFICATION AND CODING SYSTEMS

GT CODING CAN BENEFIT MANY FACETS OF THE

FIRM AND FALL INTO ONE OF 3 CATEGORIES:

1. SYSTEMS BASED ON PART DESIGN

ATTRIBUTES
2. SYSTEMS BASED ON PART MFG.
ATTRIBUTES
3. SYSTEMS BASED ON DESIGN AND MFG.
ATTRIBUTES
EXAMPLES:

PART DESIGN ATTRIBUTES PART MFG. ATTRIBUTES

BASIC EXTERNAL SHAPE MAJOR PROCESSES

BASIC INTERNAL SHAPE MINOR OPERATIONS
MATERIAL FIXTURES NEEDED

LENGTH/DIAMETER RATIO

SURFACE FINISH

TOLERANCES-----MACHINE TOOL
OPERATION SEQUENCE

MAJOR DIMENSION
TOOLING
BATCH SIZE
GT CODE--A SEQUENCE OF NUMERICAL DIGITS

THREE MAJOR STRUCTURES:

1. MONOCODE (OR HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE)

A CODE IN WHICH EACH DIGIT AMPLIFIES THE

INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE PREVIOUS DIGIT

• DIFFICULT TO CONSTRUCT
• PROVIDES A DEEP ANALYSIS
• USUALLY FOR PERMANENT INFORMATION

cont’d
2. POLYCODE (OR CHAIN-TYPE STRUCTURE)
EACH DIGIT IS INDEPENDENT OF ALL OTHERS,
PRESENTS INFORMATION NOT DEPENDENT
ON PREVIOUS ONES
• EASIER TO ACCOMMODATE
CHANGE

3. MIXED CODE
HAS SOME DIGITS FORMING MONOCODES, BUT
STRINGS THEM TOGETHER IN THE GENERAL
ARRANGEMENT OF A POLYCODE
 MAPPING FROM POPULATION
SPACE TO CODE SPACE

POPULATION
SPACE
H

P
CODE
SPACE

C
 HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE

32XX Ele
a uli c c tr i c
H ydr al

321X 323X
Mechanical

Re
Transmission
r
we

c
e iv
Po

in
g
3231 3233
322X
3232

UN
ad

UNF thread

C
re

th
th

re
No

ad
3221 3223
3222
 HYBRID STRUCTURE

Polycode Monocode Polycode

 REDUCTION OF MFG. COSTS BY VARIOUS
STEPS OF GROUP TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS
(ADAPTED FROM HAM442)

NOT ALL COST SAVINGS ARE IMMEDIATE...

Improvements in Engineering Design
Materials Management & Purchasing Benefits
Production Control Benefits
Manufacturing Engineering Benefits
Tooling & Setup Benefits
Management Benefits
Overall Cost Reduction &
Increased Productivity

0 6 12 18 24 36
Time (months)
• PROLIFERATION OF PARTS
SELECTION OF OPTICAL INSTRUMENT PARTS IN ONE COMPANY,
ILLUSTRATING THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN CERTAIN COMPONENTS

• NOTE: SOME OF THE ABOVE ARE ALMOST THE SAME

GT FOR DESIGN APPLICATION
Design concept can be coded.
Conceptual design
Code is a rough model of the
conceptual design.
Coding (rough model)

Design
archive
Retrieval existing designs

Existing designs

Retrieve designs of similar

Design modification shape or function and use
them as the examples.

New Design
TECHNIQUE:

1. DETERMINE PART AND MACHINE REQUIREMENTS

2. NUMERICALLY CODE EACH PART
GEOMETRY (& SIZE)
MATERIAL
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS (TOLERANCE,
SURFACE FINISH)
3. FORM A FAMILY OF SIMILAR PARTS WHICH USE
(LARGELY) THE SAME SET OF MACHINE TOOLS
4. LAY OUT OF EACH CELL (A GROUP OF MACHINE
TOOLS) TO MAKE A FAMILY OF PARTS
5. DESIGN GROUP TOOLING
EXAMPLE:

THIRTEEN PARTS WITH SIMILAR MANUFACTURING

PROCESS REQUIREMENTS BUT DIFFERENT
DESIGN ATTRIBUTES
FUNCTIONAL LAYOUTS ARE INEFFICIENT

Lathe Milling Drilling

L L M M D D

D D
L L M M
Grinding
L L M M G G

Assembly
L L G G
A A
Receiving and A A G G
Shipping

PROCESS-TYPE LAYOUT
 GROUP TECHNOLOGY LAYOUT

L L M D G

A A
Receiving L M G G

L M D Shipping
 CELLULAR LAYOUT
Department #2 Department #1

D D M I D
I
L
Department #3
M
M
L L D M I
 1st Digit
FORM CODE
5th Digit Supplim-
part class 3rd Digit 4th Digit entary
2nd Digit additional
main shape rotational plane surface holes teeth & code
Positions
with a 0 machining matching forming
Digit
digit External Internal Machining 6 7 8 9
1 shape shape of plane Other holes
element element surfaces and teeth

Original shape of raw materials

Rotational

2
Machining Other holes
3 Main shape Rotational teeth and
of plane
machining

Dimensions
surfaces forming

Accuracy
Material
4

5 Special Main shape

6
Non-rotational

Main bore Machining Other holes

7 Main shape & rotational of plane teeth and
machining surfaces forming
8
Main shape Opitz coding and classification system.
9 Special
(Reprinted with permission from H. Opitz, A
Classification System to Describe Workpieces, Pergamon Press.)
 Engineering
TYPICAL drawing
PROCESS
Process
PLANNING planner
SYSTEM Code or
XXX other form
of input
Process planning
system

Process

Industrial engineer Production

• Time standard Part planner
• Operation programme • Scheduling
instruction r • MPP
• Layout APT Program

APT Processor
& post-processor
 PROCESS PLANNING

“PROCESS PLANNING” IS THAT FUNCTION WITHIN A MANUFACTURING

FACILITY THAT ESTABLISHES WHICH MACHINING PROCESSES AND
PARAMETERS ARE TO BE USED (AS WELL AS THOSE MACHINES CAPABLE
OF PERFORMING THESE PROCESSES) TO CONVERT (MACHINE) A PIECE
PART FROM ITS INITIAL FORM TO A FINAL FORM PREDETERMINED
(USUALLY BY A DESIGN ENGINEER) FROM AN ENGINEERING DRAWING.
(I.E. THE PREPARATION OF THE DETAILED WORK INSTRUCTIONS TO
PRODUCE A PART)

Process planning bridges design and

manufacturing

Bridge

Design Manufacturing
VARIANT PROCESS PLANNING
USES THE SIMILARITY AMONG COMPONENTS
TO RETRIEVE EXISTING PROCESS PLANS
(WHICH CAN BE MODIFIED)

OVERVIEW:
TWO STAGES FOR VP SYSTEMS
1. PREPARATORY STAGE
• EXISTING PARTS CODED &
CLASSIFIED (I.E. GT IS A
PREREQUISITE)
• PART FAMILIES ORGANIZED
• STANDARD PLANS DEVELOPED
• DATABASES CREATED
(NOTE: THIS STAGE IS LABOR INTENSIVE)
Cont’d
 1. PREPARATORY STAGE OF
VARIANT
PROCESS PLANNING
Part Drawing

Coding

Family One
Standard
Plan
File
Family Formation
(Indexed
by Family
Matrix)
Process Plan
2. PRODUCTON STAGE OF VARIANT
PROCESS PLANNING

Coding Family Search

Standard
Plan
File

Process Plan

Editing Standard Plan

Retrieval