Title: Advances in Manufacturing Technology
Publish date: 10/4/2018
Post:
According to those in the know 2018 is going to be all about manufacturing agility and efficiency through the intelligent application of big data and automation. The kind of technology driving these changes are additive manufacturing using 3D printing, machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence, augmented reality, the Internet of Things and big data processing software.
Each year the very best in manufacturing technology is showcased at the annual MACH event for engineers and manufacturers, featuring some of the most advanced technology entering the manufacturing industry today. Metrology is such a vital part of manufacturing, so here’s our guide to the technology highlights that will be on display and new technological trends in manufacturing this year.
What's new in manufacturing?
Constantly changing demands and the current craving for customisation means that manufacturers have to be agile in their operations to adapt to their customers’ requirements. Smart manufacturing, or Industry 4.0 as it’s sometimes called, allows for adaptability throughout the entire lifecycle of the products’ creation and distribution, by monitoring every step of the process and simulating how changes at one stage will affect other stages, allowing operators to make fast decisions based on good clear data.
As metrology specialists, this is of particular interest to us at Solartron. We understand how important it is for the data used by these systems to be accurate and easy to collate, so we create our probes, sensors and interfaces to be as adaptable and interconnectable as possible.
Additive manufacturing is becoming an increasingly popular choice for manufacturers as it negates the need for huge storage facilities to store parts for machines that may quickly become obsolete and the parts go to waste.
KERN’s automation capabilities will be in evidence with the KERN Micro, a CNC machining centre for creating small parts with maximum precision and repeatability. We also work with very tight tolerances and have sensors and probes which can check the precision of equipment such as the KERN Micro.
Our sensors are often used in automated feedback loops to control the dimensions of parts being made – such an example is grinding.
Technical training is getting an efficiency make-over too with the implementation of augmented reality. Boxford’s augmented reality training system can simulate real life welding while using up to 68% fewer consumables and 56% less real workshop time. Students can practice their techniques over and over again without any risk of injury or gas inhalation.
We are really excited to see this new technology coming through and are pleased to support manufacturing by providing highly accurate and reliable metrological tools to contribute to the data required to make many of these systems work.
Our expert sales team are on hand to speak to you about all of our products and how you could get the best out of them for your operation. Call +44 (0)1243 833333 or email sales.solartronmetrology@ametek.com.