Automation in Manufacturing

In the last couple of years, unprecedented disruptions in manufacturing have resulted in lots of shifting and pivoting on the plant floor. It may come with little surprise that manufacturing leaders now more than ever are striving for ways to improve their processes to drive greater throughput and reduce costs. This ongoing desire for both cost-cutting and increased efficiency is prime for manufacturers who are looking to adapt more automation technology in the realm of Industry 4,0 for successful outcomes.

Automation, in the context of manufacturing, is generally thought of as using equipment to automate systems or production processes to increase efficiency and reduce the requirement of any manual input. Automation can assist in speeding up production and greatly reducing costs as processes will reduce the amount of manual labor from employees, allowing them to focus their expertise on strategic oversight of their assigned function.

Industrial automation involves using machines to carry out work normally performed by humans. It has become associated with electromechanical systems that are programmed to perform different tasks and processes. Industrial automation may not always be a solution for manufacturers, but most companies can benefit from using one of the many different types of automation, which we cover in more detail below.

Fixed Automation

Also known as ‘hard automation’, ‘fixed automation refers to a system that has a fixed task and is not easily changed from one product style to another. It is characterized by high production rates and a high barrier to entry. The programming is contained within the machines in the form of cams, gears, wiring and other hardware. Fixed automation is suitable for products that are made in large volume—a good example would be machining transfer lines found in the automotive industry, automatic assembly machines and specific chemical processes. Changeovers can occur, but it would require a line to be shut down and for technicians to manually swap tooling.

Programmable Automation

Programmable automation is used by manufacturers to produce products in batches. These batches can range from a few dozen products to several thousand. Each time the production equipment must be reprogrammed and changed to accommodate new product specifics; this requires downtime. Programmable automation has generally lower production rates than fixed automation, but this is simply because equipment is designed to facilitate product changeover. The cost of lengthy downtime has led to an extension of programmable automation known as flexible automation.

Flexible Automation

The key disadvantage with programmable automation is the downtime that occurs when equipment is changed to accommodate new products. Flexible automation is an extension designed to overcome this problem. It does this by performing changeovers automatically, the downside is it can limit equipment to run parts that share similar tools or require additional devices to make changeovers possible. This means the variety of products is much smaller with flexible automation in order to ensure this automatic changeover can be done quickly. Since programs need to be changed, flexible automation is often connected to a network. This adds value because it means that manufacturers can operate production remotely. Flexible automation also means products are no longer produced in batches as a mixture of products can be made simultaneously.

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