The Center for Automation and Intelligent Systems Research at Case Western Reserve University, founded in 1984, provides the setting and the administrative and funding mechanisms for coordinating and focusing the capabilities of faculty members and students from many disciplines and departments to deal with significant realworld problems encountered in the automation of production. The center serves as an interface between separate basic research efforts in the various disciplines and academic departments and the multidisciplinary group efforts needed to deal effectively with nontrivial real problems.

The Center for Automation and Intelligent Systems monocrystal turbine blades for jet engines that are made Research at Case Western Reserve University, founded by investment casting. Essentially, the part is made by in 1984, provides the setting and the administrative and pouring liquid metal into a ceramic mold, but the environment funding mechanisms for coordinating and focusing the capabilities in which this is done must be tightly controlled. of faculty members and students from many There are several other subprocesses that are also tightly disciplines and departments to deal with significant realworld controlled, such as making the mold. The total process is too complex for a single expert The center serves as an interface between separate system; rather, several different expert systems are needed basic research efforts in the various disciplines and academic and should be coordinated in some way, perhaps by a more departments and the multidisciplinary group efforts global expert system. Currently, we are constructing an needed to deal effectively with nontrivial real problems. Wax patterns appear to be essential for the factory of the future.