Manufacturing technology is an ever-evolving discipline that changes rapidly from year to year, as new innovations help to make the industry safer, more advanced and more efficient. Here are just a few examples of the technologies that made a mark on the manufacturing industry in 2016, with continued growth projected in the coming years...
Augmented and virtual reality
The International Data Corporation predicts that by 2020, manufacturers will reduce service labor costs by up to one-third by incorporating augmented and virtual reality. Ford Motors is one example of a manufacturer that has successfully used virtual reality, specifically Autodesk VRED 3D visualization software, to improve their production. The Ford immersive Vehicle Environment (FiVE) Lab, led by VR and advanced visualization technical specialist Elizabeth Baron, allows Ford to virtually test thousands of product design details in high-definition. This lab gives Ford's global design and engineering teams the ability to collaborate on product and customer experience improvements in real-time.
The Internet of Things
By 2020, an estimated 75 percent of manufacturers will be able to create new revenue streams and increase efficiency as a result of adopting the Internet of Things (IoT). Leading manufacturers who were early adopters of the technology include Siemens, General Electric, Harley Davidson, Cisco and more. At Siemens specifically, machines and computers handle 75 percent of production autonomously, with 1,000 automation controllers in operation from one end of the production line to the other. Those parts communicate with production software and relay next steps directly to machines, decreasing overall failure rate.
Robotics
In the next five years, up to 80 percent of manufacturers are expected to embrace robotics in the warehouse as a way to improve supply chain efficiency. Robotics and automation firm FANUC, for example, developed the CR-35iA, a robot that can lift objects that weigh up to 77 lbs. These robots are specifically designed for safety and, in addition to preventing injury by saving factory workers from lifting heavy objects, are touch-sensitive and can turn off when humans come into close contact.
3D printing
3D printed products are increasingly entering the mainstream in recent years, and by 2020 it is estimated that 10 percent of consumer purchases will be produced on-demand using additive manufacturing.
This technology is also useful on the manufacturing floor, enabling more complex design capabilities and reducing lead time needed for parts. Major manufacturers are starting to grasp the convenience of 3D-printed parts, including airplane manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing. In October 2016, Airbus officially teamed up with 3D printing solutions company Stratasys for producing standardised airplane parts using additive manufacturing.
Security
High profile data breaches in recent years have led to an increased demand for more reliable security measures beyond traditional passwords. In the next five years, password memorization is expected to decrease by 50 percent as consumers and workers access mobile devices using biometric authentication. One such example in the works at Binghamton University in New York is a biometric brainprint, which has the potential to use brain waves in place of passwords as a form of identity verification. This can be used on the plant floor to grant employees access to highly sensitive areas, which are otherwise put at risk using weaker authentication methods such as passwords.
What do you consider to have been the most significant development in manufacturing technology in 2016? Let us know in the comments section below...
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