A taxonomy-based design methodology for CIM laboratories in engineering education

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) as a driving strategy to reverse declining trends faced by U.S. manufacturers in the global marketplace has gained widespread acceptance in recent years. Despite this recognition and the identification of the benefits of CIM, its implementation has been far from easy for a multitude of reasons. Educational deficiencies constitute one of the most formidable of the many barriers that impede the realization of CIM. The development of effective laboratories for CIM instruction is a very important part of the educational process and central to the concept of CIM education. While several institutions all over the U.S. have sought to develop "hands on" teaching facilities, the number of elements and technologies of a CIM system, and the problems associated with the development of such facilities cause the end result to vary considerably.;A methodology for the design of effective CIM Laboratories has been developed and presented in this dissertation. The methodology has been arrived at by using the perceptions of various institutions nationwide, a series of interviews with manufacturing professionals, an analysis of the projected factory of the future, the Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Packaging Engineering (CIMPE) Laboratory at UMR, the author's personal experiences in teaching CIM and developing laboratories, and an intensive interdisciplinary literature search. This dissertation may thus be used as a guide by institutions who wish to develop effective CIM laboratories or assess and upgrade existing facilities.