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LEON F. MCGINNIS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, JOHN FOWLER, Arizona State University, USA,
STANLEY GERSHWIN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, ROBERT LEACHMAN, University of California, Berkeley, USA
JIM IRWIN, IC Irwin Consulting,USA, DOUGLAS SCOTT & MITCHELL WEISS, PRI Automation, Billerica, MA, USA

ABSTRACT

The design of Fabrication plants for future high resolution products is a vital and daunting task. The distant vision of a totally automated factory with minimal service staffing comes to mind as a designer’s dream. However, reality demands that the complexities of design require very careful thought and engineering expertise when investing the enormous capital outlay that a modern plant requires. PRISM – a consortium of academic and commercial organisations – has been formed to address these issues. This paper examines the aims and requirements of such an organisation to satisfactorily build these future super high tech Fabrication facilities.