A manufacturing company wins a big contract. The monthly production requirement increases but the company has no room and employees with experience or more hours to work during the day. While adding another shift may temporarily aid, it might be the cause of additional labor in the form of supervision, training, or quality-control needs.
Image credit: automatedsolutions.com.au
Situations like this reveal an important purpose of robotic automation. Robotics doesn’t just replace humans with machines. It can be used to alter the method by which manufacturers use their existing capacity for production.
You can check out the time difference between products
Manufacturing inefficiency isn’t always dramatic. If an operator takes 15 seconds arranging a part after which another 10 seconds are spent applying the material, and a few minutes transferring it to the next operation. The time difference could seem minor for a single component. The seconds add up when multiplied by thousands.
The same is true for the waste materials. A tiny amount of surplus coating or dispensing material that is multiplied throughout a production run that is high-volume could result in a significant expense.
Before selecting the equipment they need, businesses considering robotic automation Australia could benefit from analyzing these tiny losses. ASA’s analysis of needs is designed to reveal problems with quality and bottlenecks as in addition to the waste that can be a problem in a plan.
Robots should be able to be integrated into the process.
Selecting a robot is only one option in the engineering process. Guardings, tools, controls, sensor, conveyors and fixtures are also necessary. Engineers should consider the payload, reach and range as well as how the robot will operate and interact with its surroundings.
ASA offers conceptual development, system design, CAD simulation and offline programming as part of its plan to FANUC’s robotic automation. Engineers are able to explore configurations for the system and estimate cycle times before the finished system is installed on the floor of the factory. This is especially useful in cases of space limitations or when new robotics have to be incorporated into existing production lines.
Painting and Dispensing demonstrate why Repeatability Matters
Certain manufacturing processes show the importance of controlled movement. Imagine applying a coating on hundreds of components. It’s not enough just to finish each part quickly. It’s important to control the speed, distance and the movement of every component from beginning to very end.
The experts at ASA are proficient in painting and dispensing across industries like aerospace and automotive. Industrial robotic automation in these environments will allow for repeatable movement and reduce the risk of employees to physical demanding processes or those that could be hazardous.
The reduction of waste and improvement in productivity can be achieved by better control.
The System Still Needs People After Installation
Automation does not eliminate the need for skilled manufacturing. It requires new skills to manage and maintain the process.
Employees should be trained to safely use equipment as well as to spot abnormal behavior as well as troubleshoot components that are malfunctioning and perform necessary maintenance. The demands for production can shift in time, meaning that programs and processes will require adjusting.
ASA offers on-site training that covers programming, safety troubleshooting, and mechanical and electrical maintenance. It also offers servicing and ongoing support to monitor the condition of equipment and address wear over the system’s operating lifespan.
Capacity Is About More Than Being able to work faster
In Australia, expanding production capacity doesn’t always mean the addition of workers to repetitive tasks or buying bigger buildings. The more important question to consider is whether the existing manufacturing process could be improved.
ASA has created and integrated automation systems in Australia since 2002. We also provide support for projects abroad. The approach combines needs analysis, engineering, simulation, FANUC robot integration training, as well as servicing.
The goal isn’t to automate just for the sake of automation. A system worth its weight in gold ought to bring tangible benefits to a manufacturer, such as better production reliability, better quality methods, less risky processes, and less waste.