Scales of production

Question 1

What is tolerance in the context of production drawings?

Answer 1

Tolerance refers to the total amount a dimension may vary and is the difference between the upper (maximum) and lower (minimum) limits. It is used to control the parts as it is impossible to make everything to an exact size.

Question 2

What are the different scales of production?

Answer 2

The different scales of production are job production, batch production, mass production, and continuous flow production.

Question 3

What is job production?

Answer 3

Job production involves producing one-off products where every item produced is different. It is labor-intensive.

Question 4

What is batch production?

Answer 4

Batch production involves producing a specified quantity of a product. Batches can be repeated as many times as required. This production method is flexible and can be used to produce batches of similar products with only a small change to the tooling, such as using templates and jigs.

Question 5

What is mass production?

Answer 5

• Mass production involves producing large numbers of identical products for a relatively low cost. The production is usually broken down into sub-assemblies of smaller components. This form of mass production can be labor-intensive or completely automated, depending on the product being manufactured.

Question 6

What is continuous flow production?

Answer 6

Continuous flow production involves uninterrupted 24 hours/day production of a basic commodity such as steel, chemicals, oil, or basic food products. This type of production continues because it is expensive to shut down and then re-start. Only a small workforce is needed to maintain the process.