The automotive industry has been heavily automated for decades and has always been one of the first to introduce new products, advanced tools and components.
The equipment is usually used for one or two tasks, and each compilation is moved along the production line, where at each point there is a separate robotics. There is nothing wrong with this configuration, but it could be much more efficient.
Thanks to various new solutions - including IIoT, cloud computing, 3D printing, etc. - the entire production field is experiencing a small revolution, striving for complete automation. Some of these technologies have enabled the introduction of new strategies. For example, 3D printing allows internal and rapid development of components, subassemblies and even full versions.
Automation is becoming more and more concentrated and shapes several new trends.
CoBots
While a great part of production is automated, there is still a human element. Traditionally, robots do repetitive, dangerous jobs that people may not be able to handle.
Robotics is now working with its human counterparts. We call these new types of machines collaborative robots or bots.
BMW is cobots - Improving the safety and quality of manufactured goods and components. Other companies that do the same are, for example, Nissan and Ford.
3D print
Additive production, also known as 3D printing, is becoming increasingly common in the manufacturing industry. What was once mainly used by hobbyists and small projects has now been modernized. The technology is used to print using a variety of new materials, from concrete and steel to wood.
The nature of 3D printing, which essentially creates objects layer by layer from bottom to top, will have a huge impact on the way cars are assembled, for example. Advanced forms of welding, such as RF or radio frequency welding, are often used to make parts and components more durable.Such actions are much more precise than those used so far. Welding will always be required in one way or another, but 3D printing minimizes its need. This means that the resulting components and parts are just as durable, but made in less time. They can also be mounted much faster.
It is not surprising that the automotive industry has used the capabilities of this technology to help create and develop a variety of components for modern vehicles. The Wohlers report from 2015 stated that motor vehicles accounted for 16.1% of the 3D printing market this year. This number has increased significantly since then.
Companies such as Audi are currently using additive manufacturing techniques to print metal prototypes and spare parts for their vehicles. Rolls-Royce, Porsche and several others are going in the same direction. Prototyping using 3D printing no longer surprises anyone, it has become the basis for this type of activity.
As technology becomes more efficient, cheap and easily available, additional automotive organizations will incorporate it into their natural production processes.
In general, automation is nothing new in the automotive and manufacturing industries. Technologies have been available for decades to speed up, optimize and meet the most difficult and repetitive responsibilities. As modern technology has evolved, the automotive industry will also change.
Cobots can help automate and improve many existing processes, especially those that still require human touch. They can also make factories and devices at the factory safer and more friendly to their human counterparts. There is a lot of talk about advanced robotics.
source: industryeurope.com
