A division of Hurco Companies Inc.
Three reasons to embrace manufacturing technology
There is a lot of confusion surrounding modern manufacturing technology, and figuring out what is and what isn’t important for you can sometimes be difficult, especially in a high-mix manufacturing environment.
We want to keep things simple.
There are three major reasons why you can benefit from implementing modern manufacturing technology.
1
The Skills Gap
Many of the protocols, technologies, industry standards, etc. that comprise modern manufacturing technology were quickly adopted and developed in Europe because they simply don’t have enough people to fill manufacturing positions. The same skills gap that prompted Europe to quickly develop and adopt these technologies is starting to appear in the United States as well.
2
Ease of Programming
New programming technologies and interfaces have have begun to change the ease and speed of integration and can now provide end users the ability to modify and adapt their robotic systems without having to call a specialized team each time they want to change a part or program.
3
Two-Way Communication
Convergence and network connectivity are buzz words in the automation world, but the main takeaway is that it’s now possible and practical to make CNC machines, robots, co-bots, pallet changers, and other automation devices that can send AND receive information and commands.
We've come a long way...
Leave all your preconceived notions behind. Today’s manufacturing technology is for every shop.
Traditional Manufacturing Technology
High volume/low-mix automation is usually associated with manufacturing technology. The amount of resources (both time and money) that was required to set up automation made sense if you were manufacturing massive quantities of one part. Machine data was not being shared, limiting the ability to identify problem areas in the manufacturing process. Think of this as traditional manufacturing technology
Today’s Manufacturing Technology
Manufacturing technology today is not only for high volume/low-mix production that requires massive amounts of money, time, and resources. Today, IIOT, Industry 4.0, and machine tending automation are readily available for all shop operations, no matter the scale.
How technology can help your shop
Information on modern manufacturing technology can be complex and un-relatable, leading to confusion that only slows you down. We’ve identified some topics that will actually help you instead of confuse you.
