Opportunity of Lights-Out Manufacturing Automation with Industrial Robots
Published on : Friday 26-06-2020
Development in advanced automation and industrial robotics is expected to create an opportunity for lights-out manufacturing automation in the global market. The incorporation of lights-out manufacturing will limit human intervention to run and operate machines for a specified duration of time. In addition, the machines operate automatically with no need for operators or surveillance. More specifically, it is much more intricate than just switching off the lights while the machines are in operation.
Considering the potential of lights-out manufacturing, it is primarily being in use to save money while increasing production capacity, but plants need to meet the right equipment and ability to address potential challenges before implementing it. There is a wide enhancement in the evolution to more automated processes in the manufacturing plants. These advanced industrial robots are based on automated technologies such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), natural language programming (NLP), machine learning, software, and vision systems that make robots have become the most visible symbols of lights-out manufacturing.
“Hirotec America Inc., a provider of weld assembly equipment for the automotive industry, it focuses to expand its closure panel solutions to more robotic centric”
According to Rethink Robotics and International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the growth in the advancement of robot technology will increase its use on the manufacturing factory floor. Moreover, it is estimated that there will more than 3 million stocks of operational industrial robots in the global market by the end of 2020.
“Robots are uniquely more suitable for any manufacturing task that is entitled to dirty and dangerous. Moreover, if the manufacturing process does not require mental dexterity, human skills, or problem-solving skills, then it can be done by a robot” – Universal Robots
The benefits of lights-out manufacturing automation include saving labor costs, increased capacity and productivity, energy efficiency, and consistency in operational efficiency. The industry officials stated that the parts manufactured by automated robots are more consistent than without automation. Moreover, there is a wide possibility of temperature variation which later results in deviations in work can be reduced through the focus in lights-out manufacturing, as it can be done in constant working conditions.
It is expected that the well-executed lights-out machining manufacturing automation by industrial robots will create the tremendous potential to improve the manufacturing process and further raise the production capacity in the industrial plants, but the companies need to invest in suitable amounts in the qualities of industrial robots to improve their processes.