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Robotics in Manufacturing: A Primer
October 1, 2014 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Those who have worked in the world of manufacturing for years consider robots to be a commodity. These people have witnessed many different robots executing the most diverse operations.
Robots move quickly in production departments of various sizes and within various applications, sometimes in large spaces, sometimes in very narrow areas. Yet the diffusion of robots is not at all similar to that of a commodity good, even though robots share many of the same characteristics. So why not robotize your departments for good?
The answer could be quite simple. Perhaps, despite their efforts, robotics developers have not made their case clearly enough. It’s time, then, to do justice to this futuristic technology.
Why should you consider robotizing factory departments? Let’s start with the hard variables. It may seem counterintuitive, but robots cost less than other technologies used for the same tasks, such as cutting, welding, and palletizing. Robots cost less when compared to the cost of specialists or other personnel who perform tough work in hostile environments, such as machine tending, foundry operations, etc. And robots use less in terms of energy consumption: Robots can work in the dark, for example, and do not need heating.
Robots cost less, work better and ensure higher quality. A robot does not have muscles to get tired, nor does it get distracted. The accuracy and repeatability of operations are almost unlimited--millions and millions of cycles--and this leads to products of an extremely high standard, which stays constant over time. But there’s more. If the finished product is constantly of high-quality, then waste and rework costs are reduced to a minimum. Lower costs equal higher revenue.Read the full article here.Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of SMT Magazine.