continuous flow
Never stopping movement
Continuous flow describes movement or production that proceeds without interruption or segmentation.
In manufacturing, continuous flow means materials move through production stages without stopping between steps, contrasting with batch processing: The plant switched to continuous flow to reduce inventory.
Water, electricity, and traffic can all achieve continuous flow when nothing impedes steady movement.
- production lineSequential manufacturing process
- fluid dynamicsScience of flowing matter
- circulationMovement through a system
- convectionHeat transfer via motion
- kaizenPhilosophy of incremental progress
just in time · stream · water cycle · heat transfer · river · perfusion · electrical current · running water · pipeline · moving parts · continuum · feedback loop · diffusion · drip irrigation · IV drip · steady state · thermodynamics · endless
- chemical reactionscondensation, combustion, oxidation, hydrolysis, oxidation-reduction
- breathing equipmentrespirator, nasal cannula, oxygen mask, oxygen tank, BiPAP
- industrial managementassembly line, mass production, factory floor, production line, division of labor
- JIT systemsjust-in-time, kanban, TPS, kaizen, value stream mapping
- manufacturingfactories, factory, car factory, assembly plants, electronics factory
- wave poolwaves, wave machine, wave height, standing wave, hydraulic pumps
continuous flowstop-and-go
Repeatedly pausing and resuming
on-and-off · fits and starts · halting · spasmodic · episodic
continuous flowstagnation
Absence of flow or progress
standstill · stoppage · cessation · blockage · dead stop
flow, continue, flowing, continuing, continuous, flows, continued, continues, discontinue