Methods of Production
Depending upon how many units and the processes involved there are generally 3 main methods of manufacturing. one-off production, batch production and high-volume production., When designers are developing product then they need to be aware of production scale and the methods that are available. Designers need to consider this at an early stage so that materials, tooling and processes can be considered during design. Other things that need to be considered are:
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One-Off Production
Batch Production
Batch production is a method of manufacturing where identical or similar items are produced together for different sized production runs. The method allows for products to be mass-produced in batches with small to major changes to the product, from car doors through to children’s toys.
Each batch goes through a single stage of the production process before moving onto the next stage to make the desired product. It’s a key solution used by businesses of various sizes across multiple industries.
Each batch goes through a single stage of the production process before moving onto the next stage to make the desired product. It’s a key solution used by businesses of various sizes across multiple industries.
Changes may occur between different batches, such as products constructed in different colours, sizes, and styles. If a product needs to be altered, this variation can be changed as the production process switches from one batch style to the other.
What makes this form of producing products different from larger types of manufacturing such as mass production or continuous production? Firstly we need to consider the tooling. In one of production use generic tools whereas in batch production there is less of a reliance on generic tools and more use of tooling and processes that are specialised but can be adapted. For example a person may use a pair of shears to cut out material for a garment whereas the use of a straight knife cutting machine would be used to cut up to 100 pieces of matrerial at the same time. (as shown above in the middle)
It’s that the full process can be carefully quality controlled at different stages of the production process. This is a key benefit of the production process where a batch can be assessed to reduce the amount of wastage on a product.
What makes this form of producing products different from larger types of manufacturing such as mass production or continuous production? Firstly we need to consider the tooling. In one of production use generic tools whereas in batch production there is less of a reliance on generic tools and more use of tooling and processes that are specialised but can be adapted. For example a person may use a pair of shears to cut out material for a garment whereas the use of a straight knife cutting machine would be used to cut up to 100 pieces of matrerial at the same time. (as shown above in the middle)
It’s that the full process can be carefully quality controlled at different stages of the production process. This is a key benefit of the production process where a batch can be assessed to reduce the amount of wastage on a product.