Manufacturing techniques, economics

An economic large-scale production of platinum temperature sensors is now possible due to the application of modern manufacturing techniques based on thin-film technology. This development has led to price levels which were previously the exclusive domain of NTC elements. 

In the production of a crystalline material to be sold as a consumer product, crystal size, shape, and uniformity are often quite important. Sometimes a crystal product can be manufactured most economically by a particular process, but the product may not have the desired sales appeal. In such instances more costly manufacturing techniques may have to be employed in order to achieve the desired crystal characteristics. Factors such as these must be considered in economic calculations on a crystallization process. Often, as in the case of table salt, size and uniformity of size are important for practical reasons. Fines are undesirable, since they may be lost as an objectionable dust, while coarse crystals may not fit through small salt shaker openings. Uniform size also aids in... 

New lithium-based and the more conventional Ni-Zn batteries may eventually replace lead-acid batteries as new technology and advanced manufacturing techniques reduce their costs. Metal-air batteries, both rechargeable (zinc) and nonrechargeable fuel-cell types (aluminum), may ultimately be successful as an economical primary source for short-trip transportation. The demand for increasing electronic equipment will require increased auxiliary power, which may be fulfilled by improved lithium-based and Ni-Zn systems. 

Despite this discouraging situation, the 1970s witnessed a constant improvement and adaptation of manufacturing techniques. This included improvements which were often decisive in the economic context of petroleum products yields were boosted and energy consumption reduced. The area which saw the most significant development was that of catalysts, whose performance was constantly improved thanks to advances in the knowledge of their action mechanisms. 

Traditional fibres used as reinforcement in polymer composites are generally either polymers or ceramics the polymer aramids, glass, carbon, boron, aluminium oxide and silicon carbide. Carbon is a high-performance fibre material that is the most commonly used reinforcement in advanced polymer-matrix composites. Glass fibre is readily available and may be fabricated into a glass-reinforced plastic economically using a wide variety of composite-manufacturing techniques. 

Another step in putting the concept into practice could be made in a development project with the Johnson Controls Interiors company (subsidised by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry of Lower Saxony). The goal of this project was to create a door panelling element with a material made of 100% renewable resources since the goal was an environmentally-friendly means of disposal. In addition to the priority of economic efficiency, the established manufacturing technique was to be used in order to meet the required component specifications. A biopolymer which by then had been developed made it possible for the natural fibre composite material to meet the requirements determined in the specifications sheet. 

White, S. R. Kim, C. Thermochemical modeling of an economical manufacturing technique for composite structures, 37th Int. SAMPE Symp. Exhib., 1992,240-251. 

With the slumping technique and the spin casting technique, the material consumed can be reduced drastically in comparison with the conventional technique, especially for workpieces with a large camber. Figure 4.19 shows the most economical manufacturing techniques for different diameters, thicknesses, and apertures. 

Fig. 4.19. The most economical manufacturing techniques for thin menisci for two relative apertures (f l, f 2) (A) conventional technique, (B) slumping technique, (C) spin casting technique...

Lithium cells have to be hermetically sealed. Intrusion of atmospheric humidity is not allowed. On the other hand some of the cell components are not allowed to escape because of their aggressiveness and their high vapor pressure. This is obvious for sulfur dioxide for instance. The cell geometry is governed by mechanical requirements both from the standpoint of the manufacturing technique and the application. There are prismatic, cubic, and flat formats in different dimensions with cubic or circle shaped electrode stacks. There are preferably round cells, which contain the electrodes either in cylindrically wound or bobbin versions. In the case of the pressurized cell types, the round can is of course the most economic version of a pressure vessel. 

It is readily available and may be fabricated into a glass-reinforced plastic economically using a wide variety of composite-manufacturing techniques. 

The materials engineer has control over three factors that affect the cost of a product (1) component design, (2) the material(s) used, and (3) the manufacturing technique(s). These factors are interrelated, in that component design may affect which material is used, and both component design and the material used influence the choice of manufacturing technique(s). Economic considerations for each of these factors are now briefly discussed. 

Fault tolerance is another big problem for nano-electronics. It seems evident that the manufacturing techniques may never be able to produce defect free chips, so fault tolerance will be key to the success of nano-electronics. For manufacturing defects, detecting and configuring around the defects is the most economical technique, since nano-electonics will be configurable devices. The... 

The efforts to produce economically attractive eomposite components have resulted in several innovative manufacturing techniques currently being used in the eomposites industry [111]. These fiber eomposites have many properties which make them an attractive alternative to traditional... 

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