Industrial Automation Companies Ready to Help You

Designing a new product means figuring out how to produce it accurately time and time again. The management teams at manufacturing companies may think they want to use an automated system, but there are important considerations that require the expertise of industrial automation companies like integrators.

Here are the reasons why you should leverage the skills of integrators who meet specific industry standards.

Identifying Trouble Spots Using Software

You can run a product through a manufacturing simulation much like actors perform a dress rehearsal to make sure they don't have any questions before a play's opening night. Manufacturing automation software and 3D modeling allows companies to virtually manufacture a product to anticipate problems before they occur.

An integrator can make software recommendations based on your manufacturing needs. Some software options help the user program and simulate multiple robots at the same time in the same cell. Cells are designed, lines streamlined and mistakes caught long before the cell is even built, making the transition from concept to reality a smooth one. Other programs go beyond the simulation software that the robot's manufacturer provides. It helps pinpoint a problem and then offers steps on how to fix it.

As noted in the write-up Intuitive Robot Programming for Flexible Aerospace Manufacturing, the software should support offline programming and not interrupt production on the shop floor other than for the final test and fine-tuning. Changeovers are made as a parallel operation rather than a sequential one.

Identifying Concerns Using Experts

Think of integrators as experts who have gained extensive knowledge of all types of industrial automation companies. Bring them in at the earliest stage possible of product design. Companies producing a product in high-volume should heed the advice in the write-up Design Your Product for Producability, Design for Automation, to speak with integrators early on. Otherwise, a design change may be needed down the line to accommodate cost reduction. Once a design hits the manufacturing line, the costs of changing the product design can be substantial. This can eliminate the headaches of products that seem well-designed but may have trouble in manufacturing and assembly.

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Identifying Product Concerns

An integrator that has experience in various industries can objectively look at a manufacturing problem and offer solutions. A company made a product for the water industry and brought it to Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT), an integrator in Orion, Michigan, that showed the manufacturer had to properly build the product in sequence.

A company in the solar industry wanted to take a product from prototype to high-volume manufacturing. Automation solutions were needed for various parts of the fabrication and assembly processes, including waterjet cutting for a glass component. AMT advised the firm to change their product tolerance to enable the use of a standard robotic waterjet solution.

Identifying Trends

Maximizing the use of today's industrial automation will help you fine tune your operations. The article Motion Trends to Watch in 2016 highlights features like the autotuning of servo drives and the use of sensors to detect machine wear as early as possible. An integrator who acts as your partner will know how these trends can benefit your operations.

Identifying Integrators

Integrators who meet industry standards established through the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) are qualified to handle a variety of industrial automation needs. A listing is available on RIA's Meet the Certified Integrators website page. Each integrator has successfully completed a rigorous compliance program that recognizes their capabilities and high level of experience and expertise.

Make your operation as competitive as possible by leveraging all the resources on industrial automation that are available through A3.