Today, robots are everywhere; in your cellphone, vacuum cleaner, toaster, and car. They are at the heart of the manufacturing process, and industry experts predict that factories will be flocking with more robots than humans in the next decade. Robots can work 24 hours a day without complaining, and they never take a break.
The use of robots in manufacturing has expanded the industry, making it more productive than ever before. As such, manufacturing robots are vital for growing businesses because they make operations quicker and more efficient, making it easier for production to scale as needed.
What is a robot?
A robot is an intelligent machine capable of performing tasks usually done by humans. These robots are a form of automated machinery that can carry out repetitive and monotonous tasks with extreme precision. They are increasingly becoming an essential part of the manufacturing process, allowing companies to produce more in less time and with limited resources.
What are the benefits of investing in manufacturing robots?
Increased production efficiency
Robots can function 24/7 consistently. As a result, you will not have to hire as many people, thus cutting salaries and other benefits of human labor. If your product is labor-intensive, then the costs of hiring people to make it can eat into your profits quite significantly, all of which you can avoid when you use robots who work tirelessly without complaint.
Robots don’t need breaks, yet they don’t get bored or tired from performing repetitive tasks for long hours. And robots don’t need to take time off to care for a sick family member or recover from surgery.
Reduced workplace accidents
Investing in robotics can help save lives by reducing workplace accidents due to human error or negligence. This is because manufacturing robots are much more precise than humans when doing tasks which means less chance to make mistakes that might cause injuries or even death. For instance, consider jobs like cleaning up chemical spills, working on oil rigs, and exploring mineshafts. In many cases, these jobs are dirty, dangerous, or both, but they must be done anyway.
Speed
Robots can produce many parts per hour with incredible accuracy in both large and small volumes. Therefore, if your company produces a lot of parts in large volumes, you would benefit from investing in robots as they will be able to produce more parts within a short period than human workers.
Cost
Robots are very efficient in saving costs as they don’t need any breaks, vacations, or sick days and don’t require any healthcare benefits either. Also, since there is no need for training or retraining employees with new techniques, robots eliminate these costs. Lastly, one-time investment in robotics reduces the ongoing maintenance costs considerably without sacrificing the quality of the end product.
Increased quality
The precision and consistency of manufacturing robots mean that products will be of higher quality than those produced by human workers.
Which industries use robots?
It’s paramount to note that many industries use robots to carry out tasks that human hands would otherwise have done. From handling food and packaging to remodeling houses and mining precious stones, robots make life easier in the workforce in multiple ways. For example, manufacturing robots free up the owners to focus on developing new products and improving the current products’ process. Robots perform in various industries for a wide range of tasks, including the following:
Automotive industry
Robots are used for welding the car body, painting and assembling parts, final assembly of components, and testing cars.
Robotics companies
These companies produce different types of robots and their respective sub-systems, like sensors, manipulators, controllers, etc.
Electronics industry
This industry uses robots for manufacturing circuit boards, for handling packages as they move on a conveyor belt, for gluing printed circuit boards together, and for applying solder paste or conductive paste to surfaces to make electrical connections on circuit boards.
Medical robotics
Robotics is used in this field to improve healthcare by automating tasks that are tedious or dangerous for humans.
Aerospace industry
Robots automate more than 50 percent of all welding done worldwide by robots in this industry. To increase competitiveness, aerospace manufacturers are looking at ways to use robots on more assembly lines.
Where can a robot make your business more productive?
When we think of manufacturing robots, we tend to get a somewhat negative image because we often hear about robots taking jobs from humans. However, that is not the case with all robots. Instead, these robots can do work that humans do not want. You can purchase robots to do various tasks, including repetitive tasks, lifting heavy things, moving them, and handling dangerous materials like chemicals.
Manufacturing robots improve manufacturing by carrying out tasks that humans previously had to do. They can carry out various tasks ranging from welding and riveting, assembly, painting and gluing, grinding, deburring, and polishing to handling packaging goods efficiently.
What does the future hold for robotic manufacturing?
Today’s technology has designed a future for the robotic manufacturing industry that would have been unconscionable just five years ago. Robots already help in several industries, especially those that require repetitive, dull tasks.
Robots are the future of manufacturing, and a change is coming to how humans will engage with robots and other forms of AI. With this new technology comes incredible innovations in robotics for both business and consumer sectors.
While we have seen advances in robotics that lead to better technology, production volumes, and more consistent quality, the most remarkable advances are yet to come. We are not at a point where robots can genuinely think for themselves yet, but a few simple robots could move us in that direction. As the costs come down and the robot capabilities continue to increase, we will likely see a lot of new ways that robots can make our lives easier.
Conclusion
Robots are becoming increasingly present in the manufacturing industry. In some cases, they can operate in hostile environments, while others can work overtime, even after humans have gone home for the day.
You can, however, program a robot to do what a person does, so why let an expensive human have all the fun? However, robots are gaining in both intelligence and value. Robots offer flexibility, speed, accuracy, and efficiency. With all the above, there is a lot of value in incorporating manufacturing robots into the manufacturing process.