Hard, Fixed, and Flexible Industrial Automation
There is no doubt that hard and flexible automation processes have changed the nature of manufacturing. Smart factories now account for $500 billion in the global economy with that number rising each year. The benefits are many – automation streamlines equipment and processes, with greater efficiency and quality. From increased productivity, output, accuracy and safety of production lines to creating new areas of expertise in design, operations, installations and maintenance of automated machinery, robotics and equipment, automation is essential for a company’s success.
There are a number of automation benefits for manufacturers. Advances in automation technology has opened up greater capabilities for manufacturers. Automation is not limited to simply high-volume production environments. In today’s smart factories, automation is used for high-volume and low-volume, high-mix production. Varying industrial automation types can serve a wide range of production requirements for manufacturers. Production requirements will, in fact, determine whether a hard or fixed automation process, or a flexible automation process, is better-suited for a company’s production goals. Here is the basic differences between the two: (more…)
Industrial Robot Types and Applications
In today’s production environment, manufacturers have several different industrial robot types available to provide them with custom automation solutions. Industrial robot applications perform such tasks as welding, pick and place, advanced assembly, shipping, raw material handling, quality control, and product packaging. Easily adaptable with a number of configurations and designs, industrial robots allow manufacturers to integrate robotic automation in their industrial processes. (more…)
Determining the Cost of Automation for Your Business
It’s clear that manufacturing automation is not going away anytime soon; in fact, there’s been an increase in automation since the 2008 recession. An obvious benefit of using manufacturing automation workflows is cost-effectiveness.
How Much Money Will You Save?
There’s no exact formula for determining how much money your company will save, but there are a few critical areas of your organization you can look at to find an answer. (more…)