Manufacturing implementation, quality assessment & control

TWI has a long history of assisting industrial companies to improve product and process yields and establishing techniques for monitoring and control.

Factory layout

Services and facilities include:

Product inspection and testing
Metallographic sectioning and materials analysis
Product/production line troubleshooting
Manufacturing systems analysis/modelling
Design for manufacture/service life.

The Manufacturing Support Group's technology strategy is to develop new techniques and technologies based on flexible robotics to facilitate automated manufacturing of high variety, fabricated products with low cost, short lead time and high quality.

Factory layout

Hot topics:

Cost Reduction
- Lean manufacturing
- High speed/optimised processing
- Lights out factories
- Automation
- Cost analysis
Product Variety
- Mass customisation
- Agile manufacturing
- Flexible automation & systems
Manufacturing Simulation
- process simulation
- discrete event simulation
- dynamic simulation
- factory planning and optimisation

A number of projects have been performed by TWI for industrial members both singly and collectively. Find out more about the processes by looking at the Knowledge Summaries. The outcome of a significant amount of work performed at TWI is given in a number of published papers and reports.

Projects performed in the Manufacturing Implementation, Quality Assessment and Control area

The Core Research Programme (CRP). Member companies have free access to these generic R&D projects. The work forms the basis of TWI's multi mllion pound funded programme of industrially aligned research. The projects relevant to the Manufacturing Implementation, Quality Assessment and Control area are given below.

Development of accelerated product-life test methods for electronics products
Process cost modelling

Single Client Projects (SCPs). TWI and EWI conduct several hundred of these strictly confidential projects per year. The following list gives an indication of the types of projects undertaken. The Case Studies, which have all been cleared with the sponsoring companies, give further details.

Electromechanical timer production line analysis and troubleshooting
Soldering process failure investigation and problem resolution
Manufacturing process design review for new fluid flow control devices
New product design review on electric switches for domestic consumer products
TWI investigates micro materials Case Study
Microfocus inspection system a winner Case Study

Postgraduate Training Partnership (PTP) work ongoing which is relevant to the Manufacturing Implementation, Quality Assessment and Control area

Modelling the reliability of solder joints
The development of competence (focussing of technological innovation)

Related Knowledge Summaries

TWI Published papers and reports related to the Manufacturing Implementation, Quality Assessment and Control area

S M Stevens: 'Fourier transform infrared spectrometry for the analysis of polymers', TWI Bulletin, Vol. 29, No. 5, Sept/Oct 1988, pp 210-213