Innovative Thinking

Previous deburring methods required a lot of time and effort to occur. An operator would unload cut parts from a plasma cutting machine, reload a sheet, and then manually grind the burrs and slagging off any edges. Once the operator finished grinding, the ground parts are retrieved by a material handler and carried away. These steps are repeated over and over, with the next batch of cut parts being unloaded, and going through the hand-grinding process. While the operation may sound coordinated to someone who runs a low-volume establishment, the truth is this kind of work is difficult and prone to issues on a wide scale.

The Factory of the Future, better known as Smart Factory, is a paradise of efficiency where words like defect, downtime, and delays exist only within historical facility logs. The facility is powered by a web of interconnected devices operating together in harmony for the satisfaction of clients and customers within time frames, and at a manageable cost.

Such a factory represents the epitome of technological development, illustrating a perfect mix between high-tech tools and skilled workers that complement each other. And while this may still be a fantastic dream, its much closer than one might think.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution in the world of manufacturing. Automating processes is a complex issue, with robots ranging from the size of an insect to as powerful enough to move automobile chassis. In recent years, a new term has been coined by manufacturers and machine builders to define a breed of robots that can work in conjunction with human presence: collaborative robots, or cobots.

Data has always been there around us; it’s only a matter of harnessing it that makes all the difference. The Industrial Internet of Things is poised to revolutionize manufacturing by arming devices with data and connecting them to a centralized system. In theory, this would enable them to do anything from providing in-depth data, learning machine’s workings and optimizing operations.

Despite the string of advancements in the field of automation, robotics remains a relatively young field, holding promises that would take years to mature on a large-scale. The success of robots however has sparked interest of several businesses, and many have started migrating towards this technology.

It’s strange how so many of us accept the existence of robots and the role they play in our life, but so little of us actually know about the brains behind such technology. FANUC is one of those companies that has its hands in everything, but is almost never publicly recognized for it. FANUC is the world’s largest maker of industrial robots, and has over 400,000 machines dedicated to this task.

While robots do bring numerous benefits in terms of efficiency, safety and reliability for an industry, at the same time they tend to overwhelm workers with the notion that their jobs are going to be replaced. The reaction is quite common, especially in small to medium sized firms for whom automation is more of a necessity to stay competitive.

A technological evolution is underway in the Heavy Fabrication industry, particularly those that involve large-part & large-plat foundry applications. Conventionally, the industry has relied heavily on human labor, hoists and cranes to get the job done, but the downward trend in the cost of robots has allowed these industries to look towards robotic automation.

Automation is the process of embedding industrial machinery like welders, material handlers, palletizers, cutters, dispensers, etc. into manufacturing industries. The utilization of hardware and software automation brings an increase in productivity, profitability and safety of the industry, and as a whole increase competitiveness.

While the Great Recession may have put a dent in several industries, it did push-start the rise of industrial robotics. The sudden spotlight drew attention from all corners and in 2013 more than 5000 patents were passed for robotic technologies. Plus, the annual order for robotics in North America surpassed its 20,000-unit threshold as a result of increased investment by several venture capitalists.