The manufacturing sector is often one that regular consumers take for granted. In fact, with the rise of the assembly line and the eventual development of high-tech solutions that big factories employ, it may be difficult for ideas in manufacturing to “wow” us further.
Nevertheless, manufacturing-based businesses are among the quickest-developing in the world. This could spell out huge things for how we receive, interact with, and consume our mass-manufactured goods. Manufacturers benefit from the heightened speed, precision, efficacy, and customization possibilities now at their disposal. In this piece, we’ll discuss some of the big “buzz-worthy” advances that we should note in modern manufacturing.
The Internet of Things (IoT)
The “Internet of Things” is a term used to refer to the network of smart devices that can interact, communicate, and exchange information with one another. You might associate IoT best with wearables like smartwatches or GPS functionalities on your smartphones. However, manufacturing companies are also benefiting from this interconnectivity. Manufacturing equipment outfitted with sensors can survey, analyze, and transmit data to factories’ computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) to monitor and oversee production processes. This quick capture of almost real-time data enables better efficiency in factory operations, less downtime, less human error, and lessened manufacturing costs.
Laser beam machining
Laser beam machining pertains to the subtractive manufacturing process of using thermal separation to remove unwanted workpiece portions. The machines commonly employ air-bearing linear motion solutions, ensuring the accurate translation of the laser machining head. Such devices possess frictionless bearings that glide across a fragile air film and average the laser machine’s planar guideways’ errors. The efficiency with which laser machining equipment cuts through workpieces enables businesses or factories to increase their throughput while maintaining quality.
3D printing
Another manufacturing process that typically employs custom linear stages in its machining components is 3D printing. 3D printing involves adding a material (metal or plastic) to form a particular 3D shape or object. No longer considered a niche technology, 3D printing can now be utilized to mass-manufacture everything from toys and car parts to medical prosthetics and gears used in robotics—all at a much lesser cost than demanded in previous decades.
Nanotechnology and nano-manufacturing
Though costly and not as widely developed to be mainstream, nanotechnology could play a bigger role in tomorrow’s manufacturing sector. Nanotechnology, which involves manipulating matter on its atomic, molecular, or supramolecular levels, might soon be used by emergent manufacturers to add new properties to their products, such as enhanced heat or cooling properties and superior water resistance color-changing capabilities. Moreover, nanotechnology could branch out into its class of “nano-manufacturing” or processes completed by tiny machines. In the future, these tiny nano-machines might be applied to make batteries or high-efficiency solar cells.
Cloud storage and cloud computing
On the more intangible end, manufacturers benefit from better cloud storage and cloud computing for massive data volumes. Wireless cloud storage can enable mass uploading from the factory’s computer systems. If any computer crashes, all data can be safely recovered from the cloud. The development goes even further than storage—manufacturers can now participate in cloud computing for data across all factories in their chain and use the updated data sets for better decision-making in the production line.
Widespread automation
Think of even just one manufacturing process; chances are, factories have probably already automated it. Automation for bottling, labeling, and packaging has proven to be a boon to manufacturers worldwide. Automation has limited the need for manual intervention within the production line, ensured higher quality and consistency in production, and freed up workers to take on more human-dependent tasks, such as monitoring.
24/7 manufacturing operations
With all of the advancements that we’ve listed above, it will come as no wonder that 24/7 manufacturing operations will soon be possible for numerous businesses across many industries. This is made possible through industrial robots’ employment, which can perform repeatable tasks in the production line with great consistency and precision. This trims down labor costs and maximizes available time for high-volume, high-quality production.
The manufacturing sector is anything but boring and static. As consumers, we can expect these advancements to transform the manufacturing industry and how products are developed and consumed worldwide.
