A company is awarded a significant contract. The production requirement for each month increases, but the factory doesn’t have more space or employees who have experience or additional hours in the day. A temporary increase in production might be possible, but the addition of a shift could introduce new labor requirements training, supervision, and quality control.
Image credit: automatedsolutions.com.au
Situations like this reveal an important purpose of robotic automation. Robotics does not only mean replacing human beings with machines. The right software can change the way that manufacturers use their production capacity.
Look at the time that passes between the products
Inefficient manufacturing is not always apparent. Imagine a worker taking 15 seconds looking for a particular component after which they spend 10 seconds putting the material and then transferring it. On a single part, the difference in time is not significant. Repeated thousands of times, however, those seconds become an enormous amount of production time.
The same is true for wasted material. The same is true of waste materials.
Companies considering robot automation Australia projects may benefit from examining these small regular losses prior to making a decision on the equipment they require. ASA’s analysis of needs is designed to uncover problems with quality and bottlenecks, as in addition to additional constraints and waste during a project.
A Robot has to fit the Process Itself
The selection of a robot is a single decision in engineering. It might be necessary to incorporate tooling, security and controls sensors conveyors, fixtures, electronic integration and communication with the current production equipment. Engineers must consider reach, payload and how the robot is going to operate and interact with its environment.
ASA’s approach to FANUC robot automation encompasses conceptual development and design including CAD Simulation, offline Programming. Digital simulation lets engineers explore configurations, estimate cycle times, and evaluate the system prior to making it operating on the floor of a customer’s premises. It is particularly helpful when there’s a finite space available or when the new robotics requires integration with the production line.
The importance of repeatability in painting and dispensing
Controlled movement is especially important for certain manufacturing processes. Imagine coating hundreds or even thousands of parts. The goal isn’t just finishing each part quickly. It is important to control the speed, distance, and movement of each piece from the beginning to the final.
ASA is a specialist in painting and dispensing systems across a variety of industries, including automotive and aerospace. In these industries industrial robotic automation is able to offer repeatable programming and reduce exposure of employees to physically demanding or potentially hazardous processes.
The reduction of wasted materials and an increase in productivity can be achieved through better management.
The installation of the system isn’t enough. It is still necessary to have people to maintain it.
Automation doesn’t eliminate the need for manufacturing expertise. The knowledge needed to operate, maintain and control the process evolve.
The employees must know how to operate equipment in a safe manner be aware of abnormal behavior to identify faults, fix them, and perform appropriate maintenance. Production requirements can change over time, which means that processes and programs will have to be modified.
ASA provides training on site covering safety, programming troubleshooting, and mechanical and electric maintenance. They also provide servicing and support on a regular basis to assess equipment condition and address issues that may arise during the equipment’s operational duration.
Capacity is more than just making work faster
For Australian manufacturers, increasing capacity doesn’t necessarily mean purchasing more space or adding labor to repetitive processes. One of the best questions to ask is whether the current production process can still be improved.
ASA has been developing and integrated automation solutions since 2002. It has assisted companies in Australia as well as projects around the world. Its approach combines needs analysis along with engineering simulation FANUC integration as well as training and maintenance.
Automation for the sake of automation isn’t a goal. A system worth investing in should provide a company with quantifiable results, which include more reliable production, higher quality, safer processes as well as reduced waste or a higher capacity.