The terms Industry 4.0, Big Data, the Internet of Things, and the Digital Factory are being pitched around like a rugby ball, and almost always with a decided lack of clear definition. Let’s set the record straight.
NuTec Tooling Solution has released the compiled results of their first annual Industrial Automation Impact Survey conducted at the end of 2017. The survey evaluated the degree to which industrial automation has influenced production, purchasing habits, and future strategies using feedback from plant managers, operators, and engineers. The findings were released in the form of an infographic.
Self-powered wireless sensors that harvesting environmental energy are an answer to two key problems for industrial use.
It takes more than technology to support human-robot interaction. Designers are studying philosophy to apply how people and machines work together.
The field of human-robot interaction is vast and complex, addressing perception, decision-making, and action.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) – in collaboration with General Motors (GM) and Oceaneering – has designed a state-of-the-art, highly dexterous, humanoid robot called Robonaut 2 (R2). The development of R2 was approached from a dual-use environment for both space and terrestrial application: NASA needed an astronaut assistant able to function in space, and GM was looking for a robot that could function in an industrial setting. With this in mind, R2 was made with many capabilities that offer an enormous advantage in industrial environments.
As in other industries, medical device manufacturers face challenges in developing and commercializing their products quickly and affordably while maintaining compliance with industry regulatory standards. Partnering with outsourced providers often helps OEMs streamline functions from design and engineering to distribution, helping to accelerate time to market, control costs, and push multiple products through the pipeline simultaneously with limited resources.
Part I of our series on successful medical device outsourcing addressed how to carefully select a manufacturing partner, plan for the process, and understand the specific benefits a prospective manufacturing partner can provide and how to maximize them.
The first industrial revolution mobilized production by water and steam power – the second, by adding electric power. The third was the digital revolution and the use of electronics to automate production. The fourth industrial revolution – taking place today – centers on the “digital factory,” or automating the entire manufacturing process, from design to production.
In Part 1 of this blog, we looked at the industrial revolution taking place today that involves automating the entire manufacturing process, from design to production.
Here, we’ll focus on how manufacturers can best determine whether complete automation is practical for a specific industry or process, and what to consider when deciding on whether to opt for complete robotic automation.
Innovations in computing hardware and software have made it easier than ever to collect minute details of manufacturing processes. Small, low-powered sensors can be embedded in almost any machine for data collection, and thanks to wireless technology, these devices can continuously and unobtrusively provide measurements of performance and environmental data. Analysis of this data offers vast opportunities for fine-tuning performance and process.