Computer-assisted production control

A review of current textile dying techniques found that, in most cases, manufacturers use the same dye constituents in differing ratios to impart different colors to their products. This practice facilitates computer-assisted production control. Most textile dyers use three dyes a yellow, a red, and a blue to produce the desired effect. Although there are numerous yellow, red, and blue dyes from which to choose, an individual textile manufacturer may use only a small selection to produce the myriad hues in his product line. Thus, the ability to determine dye-constituent ratios, as well as the actual dyes used in a coloring process, is virtually essential to definitively compare dyed fibers. 

Monitoring and control of the production process will be performed by a combination of instrumentation and control equipment plus manual involvement. The level of sophistication of the systems can vary considerably. For example, monitoring well performance can be done in a simple fashion by sending a man to write down and report the tubing head pressures of producing wells on a daily basis, or at the other extreme by using computer assisted operations (CAO) which uses a remote computer-based system to control production on a well by well basis with no physical presence at the wellhead. 

Commercial Endeavors. The field of biotech communications continues to evolve, and computer-assisted speech therapy aids are becoming more commonplace. The devices can help people with communication disorders understand sounds develop perception of pitch, volume, or even voice and assist in breath control or fluency during speech production. These devices, which have proven useful to people of all ages, are meant to be used with a trained therapist. 

From start-up (sulphur ignition) the plant is fully computer controlled and operated for a given (pre-set) type of product and production rate. The change of product type and/or production rate is still performed by the operator and computer-assisted in terms of control and relevant process parameters. 

Spray coating is used before and after a product is assembled particularly if already assembled and has complex shaped and curved surfaces. Many different types of spray equipment are in use to handle the different forms of paints used. They are classified by their method of atomization (airless, air, rotary, electrostatic, etc.) and by their deposition assist (electrostatic or nonelectrostatic, flame spray, etc.). Spraying techniques may fall into several of these categories. They range from simple systems with one manual applicator to highly complex, computer-controlled, automatic systems. They can incorporate hundreds of spray units. Automatic systems may have their applicators mounted on fixed stands, on reciprocating or rotating machines, on robots, and so on. 

Color labs are outfitted with laboratory size equipment that simulates the larger machines used for production internally and by their customers. Typical processing equipment found in the lab are small extruders, two-roll mills, ban-burry mills, and media mills. Small rotational, injection and blow molding machines are used to duplicate the customers process. Instruments and computers are required for testing physical properties and color. Most labs have a computer-controlled color measuring system and a light booth to evaluate color. The spectrophotometer with computer is initially used to assist in colorant formulation and later as a quality control (QC) tool to provide certification of the quahty of match to standard. The light booth provides a standardized set of conditions to visually observe color and appearance. 

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