A manufacturer gets an enormous contract. The monthly production demands are increased, but the manufacturing facility hasn’t suddenly gained more floor space, experienced employees or even hours per day. Adding another shift might help temporarily, but it may create new labor or training, supervision and quality-control requirements.
Situations like this reveal an important purpose of robotic automation. Robotics goes beyond replacing people with machines. When used in the right way it could alter the way manufacturers make use of the resources they already have.
Image credit: automatedsolutions.com.au
Watch the second-to-second time between the products
Inefficiency in manufacturing doesn’t have to be dramatic. An operator may spend 15 seconds assembling the component before implementing 10 seconds of materials, and then a couple of seconds moving it to the next step. It may appear to be a small difference for one component. Repeated thousands of times but those seconds turn into an enormous amount of production time.
The same applies to wasted material. The same is true of waste materials.
Companies considering robotic automation Australia projects can benefit from examining these small, repeated losses before deciding what equipment they need. ASA’s analysis of requirements is designed to uncover bottlenecks and quality issues as along with the waste that can be a problem during a project.
Robots must be able to integrate into the process.
The choice of a robot represents only one decision in engineering. It may be necessary to incorporate tooling, security and controls sensors as well as conveyers, fixtures electrical integration, and communication with the existing production equipment. Engineers need to consider reach and payload when making decisions about how the robot will move about its workspace and interact with the environment surrounding it.
ASA provides conceptual development, system design, CAD simulation and offline programming as part of its approach to FANUC’s robotic automation. Digital simulation lets engineers explore configurations and estimate durations of the cycle before the system is operational at the factory floor of the customer’s. This is especially helpful in cases of space limitations or when new robotics have to be incorporated into existing production lines.
Dispensing and painting demonstrate why Replicability is Crucial
Certain manufacturing processes illustrate the importance of controlled movement. Imagine applying a coating to hundreds of parts. It’s not enough to finish each part in a short time. From the start of production all the way to the finish moving, speed as well as the distance to be applied must be controlled.
ASA has specialists who work on paint and dispensing processes across a variety of industries, including automotive and aerospace. In these environments industrial robotic automation allows for regular, programmatic movements and reduces exposure of employees to physically challenging or potentially hazardous processes.
Reduced wasted materials and an increase in productivity is possible by better control.
The System Will Still Need people after the installation.
Automation does not eliminate the need for manufacturing expertise. The knowledge required to manage, maintain, and operate the process shift.
Employees need to be trained to operate equipment with care as well as to spot abnormal behavior, troubleshoot faulty components, and perform necessary maintenance. The processes and procedures can be modified later on if production requirements shift.
ASA offers training on-site that covers programming, safety as well as troubleshooting techniques and electrical and mechanical maintenance. The company also provides maintenance and support for checking equipment condition, and addressing wear throughout the lifetime of the system.
Capacity means more than just working faster
For Australian producers, expanding capacity doesn’t necessarily mean buying more space or adding labor to repetitive processes. It’s often better to ask if the production process could be redesigned.
ASA is designing and integrating automation solutions since 2002. It supports companies in Australia, as well as international projects. Its approach combines analysis of needs with engineering, simulations FANUC robotic integration and training and even servicing.
Automating just for the sake of it isn’t the goal. A successful system must give a manufacturer something measurable in yield, more stable production that is consistent in quality, more secure processes, less waste, or more capacity from the existing factory.