Examples of Automation Used in Manufacturing
In this section, we’ll look at different examples of automated production processes, which could help you and your business identify which type of automation your manufacturing could benefit from.
Examples of Fixed Automation
Fixed automation is best for fast production of a singular style of product. Here are some examples:
- Automated assembly machines
- Chemical manufacturing processes
- Material handling conveyor systems
- Machining transfer lines
- Paint & coating automation processes
- Web Handling and converting systems
Examples of Programmable Automation
Programmable automation is best for manufacturers making batches of different products. Examples include:
- Numerically controlled (NC) machine tools
- Programmable logic controllers (PLCs)
- Industrial robots
- Production of frozen foods
Examples of Flexible Automation
Flexible automation is best for producing a variety of similar products quickly and performing changeovers automatically. The best example of flexible automation is a robot arm that can be programmed to perform different tasks such as insert screws, drill holes, sand, weld, insert rivets and spray paint. Manufacturers use industrial robots for:
- Arc Welding
- Spot Welding
- Materials Handling
- Machine Tending
- Painting
- Assembly
- Mechanical Cutting, Grinding, Deburring and Polishing
- Gluing, Adhesive Sealing and Spraying Materials
How Manufacturing Automation Can Help Businesses Meet Critical Production Monitoring KPIs
- Manufacturing automation can also be used to oversee your entire production process. When automation is used to improve the real-time collection of data and analytics in production monitoring, minor to serious problems can be detected early, and process efficiency can improve.
- Businesses who choose to conduct production monitoring manually can face several issues:
- The cause of issues and interruptions are difficult to identify – It’s not always easy to detect where or why bottlenecks in production occur. Many manufacturers still struggle to track and analyze data, but that’s what is required for continuous improvement.
- Manual efforts drain resources – Repetitive data entry by a human workforce is tedious, time consuming, and one small mistake could prove costly. It can also lead to errors that disrupt your entire supply chain or assembly line, cause major bottlenecks or clogs in the system, and takes your focus away from strategic tasks.
- Visibility isn’t clear –It’s difficult to exceed expectations and targets in times of stability and certainty, but operating in today’s volatile market without a contextual and real-time view of how your production is running could be the difference between success and failure.
What are the Benefits of Manufacturing Automation in Production Monitoring
Automated production monitoring software provides solutions for businesses looking to expand and improve their assembly line. It provides the following capabilities:
- Connectivity – Connect the plant floor to create a closed-loop system that measures productivity and other equipment KPIs in real time. A truly connected closed-loop system delivers accurate visibility in manufacturing. By connecting and automating your production monitoring, you’ll gain powerful analytics that will deliver proactive insights.
- Automation – Automate data capture to improve the efficiency of information and provide insights into the quality of manufacturing. Armed with these insights, your operators, managers, and executives can develop tactical and strategic plans to improve processes and achieve operational excellence.
- Tracking – Businesses can track data for instant feedback with clear visualizations of their production metrics in real time. Visualization may take the form of interactive dashboards for direct operator interface, robust reporting customized to each user, or autonomous or semi-autonomous actions to control quality and performance.
- Analysis – Analyze operations to identify bottlenecks and pinpoint problem areas for continuous production improvements. This analysis can improve overall equipment effectiveness, enhance scheduling and inventory practices, reduce downtime, and increase productivity per employee.
How to Successfully Implement Automated Production Monitoring Software
We have pulled together five steps for production monitoring success, following these should help your business implement PLEX automated software:
- Rally the Troops. Identify your core team and its leaders. These champions will be responsible for defining the vision of how production monitoring becomes a jumping off point for Smart Manufacturing in a way that works for their needs.
- Identify Pain Points. Start pragmatically with the lines, areas, or processes within your business that cause the biggest headaches.
- Target Your KPIs. Identify what is most important to your business right now. Is it improved production cycles, less downtime, or improved quality, or all three? Determine what you will use to achieve this success and be open to new measurements you may not have considered.
- Start Monitoring. Connect to your existing machines and equipment to close the loop in your production cycle. Once you’re connected and have real-time visibility, you’ll be able to unleash your businesses’ full potential. Your operators will be empowered to make decisions faster and with greater confidence, which will lead to bottlenecks and microstops becoming a distant memory.
- Keep Checking-in. Use your metrics to your advantage for on-going efficiencies. You may be surprised at the new opportunities that open after a few rounds of improvements.
Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform doesn’t just offer manufacturing automation, it also includes Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Supply Chain Planning (SCP), Quality Management Systems (QMS), and Asset Performance Management (APM).
