Manufacturing automation can be designed to prevent, detect, and mitigate errors before they reach consumers. Errors can enter the manufacturing stream from numerous sources. From flaws in the base material, to equipment that malfunctions, to problems with the design itself. But many of the most common—and preventable—errors can come from human...
The next generation of technological advancement opens possibilities to shorten manufacturing time, reduce production flaws, and mitigate recall liabilities. A new technological wave is transforming manufacturing, enabling some businesses to leap ahead while others struggle to adapt. These new technologies, collectively bringing about what is known as Industry 4.0, have the...
As Google Glass picks up steam with consumers looking to augment their daily lives, it has also received attention from the manufacturing industry as a possible new tool in the automated factory. Google Glass has been getting a lot of press over the past several months, but mostly for consumer augmented...
Current factory automation has its issues, whether it be volume, usability for small-to-medium businesses, or flexibility, there are plenty of areas where the current factory automation technology has room for improvement. That’s where the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s science agency, comes in. They are developing a...
In an industry that routinely deals with dangerous, volatile substances, automation could greatly increase both safety and efficiency. The munitions industry is unlike many other branches of manufacturing. Many manufacturers require safety precautions, but most aren’t working with products designed to explode. Many industries produce equipment that lives depend on, but...
Solar manufacturing is a heavily automated industry, but there are still opportunities for greater efficiency. Solar panel manufacturing could not exist at scale without modern factory automation. From forming silicon into ingots to slicing those ingots into paper-thin wafers to assembling the wafers into solar cells, nearly every stage requires a...
Manufacturers should view upgrading their factories as a chance to revisit their cybersecurity and data governance practices. The smart technology revolution that is currently taking the manufacturing sector by storm brings with it a range of operational advantages the full scope of which have yet to be fully grasped. From advanced...
Farming may be one of the oldest industries, but it’s also one of the most innovative. To many of us in the modern day, farming hardly seems like the most cutting-edge sector. It’s easy to view the “high tech” world powered by algorithms and microchips as at odds with rural farmlands...
With a boom in demand for CBD oil and marijuana, cannabis producers need efficient ways to increase production. It should come as no surprise that today’s cannabis industry is thriving. In 2020, legal marijuana sales hit a record of USD 17.5 billion, and that number is only rising for the foreseeable...
The high costs of manufacturing automation have long been prohibitive for HMLV manufacturers. Robots are changing that. For years, factory automation has delivered the highest ROI margins for large, high-volume manufacturers. For a production plant churning out thousands of parts a day, even the most marginal improvements will have an outsized...