There is this old misconception that a machine shop is where machines are built. In fact, a machine shop is a place where the process of machining is done. In the process, raw materials like plastics, wood, ceramics, metals and other composites are cut and formed to convert them into a required size or shape. Various tools are used inside a machine shop. There are many types of cutting tools, power tools, hand tools, and other machine tools that are used to manipulate raw materials to turn them into parts used in various industries. Machine shops play an important role in manufacturing parts for automotive companies, aircraft factories, shipyards, and other companies under the manufacturing industry. Modern technology has greatly changed the machining process. Today, machine shops are now able to adopt “lights-out” production or more popularly known as automation. For the best automation solutions for your business, visit IntelLiDrives
Globalization forced machine shops to compete with each other on a global scale. If they really want to survive the competition, staying ahead of competitors is vital. Automation is one specialty that could really set a machine shop apart from its competitors. Machine shop automation is now a necessity, not an option. How do machine shops benefit from automation?
As mentioned earlier, automation enabled machine shops to operate on lights-out production. Light-outs production means machines can work on unmanned shifts. This means a machine shop integrated with automation can continue the production on hours where human workers are at rest. With this kind of ability, automation has significantly increased the productivity of machine shops. And in business, high productivity could mean high profits.
There is a negative assumption that the adoption of automation in a machine shop is a highly expensive move. It may be factual in the sense that a machine shop will have to invest a huge amount of money upfront. However, it is important to consider the capabilities of automation regarding productivity. Productivity is a primary consideration when it comes to decisions regarding the investment of a huge amount of money. If the production rate can quickly recover the upfront cost in automating a machine shop, then it is a good investment.
However, it is also important to consider what type of machine shop automation does a company need. Will the company need a simple setup or a complex one? Is the automation upgrade cost-justifiable? Will the cost of full automation of the machine shop fits the need of the company? Does the company just need a simple semi-automation upgrade? These questions could help better evaluate the exact automation needs of a machine shop.
It is vital for a machine shop to carefully analyze its automation needs. Machine shop owners must be able to figure out what automation solution fits perfectly for the application being considered. In simple words, when considering the adoption of automation, there will be different solutions for every machine shop.
Automation can bring a ton of positive changes in the productivity of a machine shop. Due to the advances in technology, machining has been integrated with advanced motion controls, programmable controllers, robotic arms (that can pick up various types of materials) and most especially the 3D CAD software. The introduction of 3D CAD software is a highly advantageous addition to the automation process of many machine shops across the globe. The software can make digital models of certain parts that need to be manufactured. The good thing about 3D modeling is that you can test the design digitally. With the help of 3D software, a machine shop can build a digital prototype. The software can create real-life simulations.
Now, machine shops will be able to test a design without having to build, test, and redesign it again if something fails. This eliminates wasting materials for trying out a design. Creating a prototype and using the actual raw materials for testing it eats up a lot of costs in the production process. If the prototype failed the testing, then another prototype needs to be built again and tested. The cycle goes on until the prototype is proven perfect for its intended purpose. With the aid of 3D software, a machine shop can fine-tune the design digitally.
To summarize, automation plays an important role in today’s modern machine shops in terms of productivity and profitability. Machine shop automation is an essential upgrade to keep up with the competition. However, it is highly important to analyze what type of automation fits best in a machine shop’s needs. Automation is a gift of modern technology to the machine shop industry – it’s either you embrace it or be left behind the competition.
