AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS
ROBOTICS IN REVIEW and
The COVID-19 pandemic is driving automation adoption in manufacturing sectors . We outline how manufacturers can benefit from these technologies highlight some startling new trends .
“ Automation is a key not only to post-pandemic recovery , but to post-pandemic growth and progress .”
Today , industrial robots are an essential part of many manufacturing processes across a broad range of market sectors . Robots , as part of a modern manufacturing strategy , bring a host of benefits including process consistency ; improvements in productivity quality and yield ; high levels of flexibility and the ability to free humans from dirty , tiring or hazardous working environments . Whether it is part handling ; assembly ; machine-tending ; welding ; cutting etc ., robots are playing an increasingly important role in our manufacturing facilities . “ Integrating robots into a manufacturing process can deliver significant improvements in productivity . Once the robot programme has been fine-tuned , the cycle time for every operation will be the same . This predictable performance , combined with the ability to operate around the clock at high levels of reliability , makes it possible to consistently achieve and maintain productivity levels . Robots also bring benefits in applications that require high levels of cleanliness such as those found within the medical , pharmaceutical and food sectors ,” explained
BARA , the British Automation and Robot Association .
“ The dynamic and highly competitive nature of today ’ s marketplace , combined with changing regulatory requirements in medical , healthcare and food plus the trend towards vehicle personalisation within the automotive sector , means that automation will continue to play an increasingly important role in a variety of manufacturing sectors ,” it continued .
Why automate ?
“ The common reasons cited by companies for believing that automation is not appropriate for them include : it ’ s too expensive , volumes are too low , product mix is too high or the process needs human intervention for dexterity or inspection purposes . It is true that automation requires both justification and a return on investment , and at lower volumes this will be a more difficult calculation . However , by taking into account other factors , such as ergonomic benefits ; improved health and safety ; quality and yield improvements ; reduced skill levels and the ability to implement changeovers more quickly , the case for automating may become much stronger ,” added BARA .
Taking a longer-term view on the investment required to automate , especially if the system includes robots , can make a significant difference .
16 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR May 2021