Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) have been introduced where a computer has control of the entire production line. Machine tools, robots and conveyor belts are linked to the main computer, which not only controls the processes but is able to report the progress of each workpiece throughout the system.
These systems are also very adaptable and enable new products and specifications to be implemented by making simply inputting data to the FMS program software. This automatically updates the system and does not involve the retraining of staff or manual resetting of machinery. .
The introduction of computers has also greatly changed the way design and testing of products is carried out. The conventional methods of drawing designs by hand and building prototypes for testing have been replaced by Computer-assisted Design Technologies (CAD). Engineering designers now work at computer screens, where they can draft and visualise the products they are designing. The two and three dimensional designs produced using CAD, can be quickly and easily modified, if required. CADs ability to simulate eventual performance has greatly decreased the time new products spend in the design and testing stage, which would normally have been expected to consume a major part of the overall manufacturing time. Using CAD has required Engineering Designers to have a computer literacy not previously necessary and has largely dispensed with the use of technical and engineering drawing, by hand, that was previously an essential skill.
Computer-assisted Manufacturing technologies (CAM), an extension of CAD design which determine the quantities of materials needed and instructions required to produce an item, have further changed the engineers role. Traditionally, engineers had to interpret their plans into working instructions for use on the production line and estimate quantities of raw material required. .
The combination of CAD/CAM technology relies on the capability of computers to process, store, display and transmit large amounts of data, quickly and without degradation of quality or content.