Book excerpt: Process Planning covers the selection of processes, equipment, tooling and the sequencing of operations required to transform a chosen raw material into a finished product. Initial chapters review materials and processes for manufacturing and are followed by chapters detailing the core activities involved in process planning, from drawing interpretation to preparing the final process plan. The concept of maximising or 'adding value' runs throughout the book and is supported with activities.Designed as a teaching and learning resource, each chapter begins with learning objectives, explores the theory behind process planning, and sets it in a 'real-life' context through the use of case studies and examples. Furthermore, the questions in the book develop the problem-solving skills of the reader.ISO standards are used throughout the book (these are cross-referenced to corresponding British standards).This is a core textbook, aimed at undergraduate students of manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering with manufacturing options and materials science. - Features numerous case studies and examples from industry to help provide an easy guide to a complex subject - Fills a gap in the market for which there are currently no suitable texts - Learning aims and objectives are provided at the beginning of each chapter - a user-friendly method to consolidate learning