Manufacturing Engineer

AFCMD Manufacturing Operations Division Manual

HQ AFCMD 84-1 AFSC

Manufacturing Engineering Introduction

1. The objectives of Manufacturing Engineering are to assure the effectiveness of contractor producibility efforts, of contractor methods, processes and manufacturing equipment.(34-1)
2. To obtain these objectives, AFPRO Manufacturing Engineers must be familiar with contractor's efforts in manufacturing planning, methods, processes and equipment, with the contract requirements, with the constraints on contractor operation, and with evaluation and surveillance techniques.(34-2)

Manufacturing Engineering Mission and Responsibilities

• The activities, tasks, assessments, and support referred to is equally applicable and significant for both the full-scale development and production phases of system acquisition. (35-1)
  

  • Manufacturing Engineering. That specialty of engineering which requires such education and experience as is necessary to understand and apply engineering procedures in manufacturing processes and methods of production. Manufacturing Engineering requires the abilities to plan manufacturing, to research and develop the tools, processes, machines, and equipment, and to integrate the facilities and systems for producing quality products with optimal expenditure. (35-2a)
  • Manufacturing Process. Those techniques, including planning, used to transform material from one state to another. (35-2b) (... from gold into airplanes for example! -ed.)

• The emphasis of manufacturing engineering will always be on evaluation of specific manufacturing processes and methods. However, the maturity of the specific programs at a given plant will determine whether the concentration should be on evaluating planning for development programs, on evaluating the producibility of development programs preparing to transition to production, or on evaluating the effectiveness of production programs. (35-3e)

• The manufacturing engineer should considering the following:

  1. The degree to which problems with the process would jeopardize delivery schedules.
  2. The history of the problems with the process or the uniqueness of the process.
  3. The opportunities for cost improvement.
  4. The degree of difficulty anticipated in effecting change.
  5. The need to reserve some time for unstructured time for exploration of unfamiliar processes.
  6. The assurance that sufficient time is available to evaluate and follow up a given process to obtain the desired results.
  (36-3d)

• In the event contract provisions provide no basis for requiring contractor change and the manufacturing engineer feels strongly that a change is warranted, he should consult with the ACO to explore alternative bases for change, including contract modification. (36-3g(e))

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