Manufacturing Systems: Theory and Practice

This text, developed at MITs laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, provides an overview of manufacturing from the ground up. Each topic is discussed in terms of the four fundamental manufacturing attributes: cost, rate, flexibility, and quality, and the presentation emphasizes both theoretical developments and practical applications. This new edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and includes a new section on CAD CAM and CNC technologies, virtual reality, metrology, process planning, new tools and software, and simulation.