Book excerpt: First written in 1942, this authoritative book covers everything an engineer needs to know about manufacturing systems and processes. This book takes a systems-based, rather than process-only, approach to manufacturing. The authors present a modern description of processes and its evaluation, including recent developments in the subject. It is a comprehensive text that presents over 400 manufacturing processes. It discusses a systems orientation to manufacturing, since it is systems that make manufacturing efficient.· The Manufacturing System· Nature and Properties of Materials· Production of Ferrous Metals· Production of Nonferrous Metals· Foundry Processes· Contemporary Casting Processes· Basic Machine Tool Elements· Sawing, Broaching, Shaping, and Planning· Grinding and Abrasive Processes· Pressworking and Operations· Heat Treating· Plastic Materials and Processes· Electronic Fabrication· Nontraditional Processes and Powder Metallurgy· Thread and Gear Working· Operations Planning· Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing· Metrology and Testing· Quality Systems· Computer Numerical Control Systems· Process Automation· Operator-Machine Systems· Cost Estimating