The automation of a production line, in whole or in part, is an undeniable source of improvement in productivity and safety in the industrial world. Unrivalled in its ability to reproduce the same manufacturing gesture again and again, it solves crucial problems in a short time: constant guarantee of the level of quality, offloading of unpleasant or dangerous tasks from humans to the machine. But how to successfully automate a production line? What will it bring to the field? What are the points of vigilance? Here are some highlights and helpful tips.
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Deciding to automate a production line means using a very specific industrial process. It combines electronics and computers, machines and industrial equipment, with a coupling designed to ensure the functioning of all operations. These are supervised by a line operator.
His role is to maintain constant surveillance, verify that quality criteria are met and satisfy adjustments, first level maintenance. Depending on the objectives to be reached and the given configuration, the automation of a production line can be implemented on the whole route or only on a part.
During the operating process, a series of sensors collects information and measurements, transmits them to the operator who takes the appropriate decisions. The automation of a production line also has a self-reflexive side. Indeed, if in order to function correctly, the automated line is subject to data programming upstream, it in turn produces data downstream.
This set of data generated by the system allows for rich analyses: maintenance forecasts, volumes consumed and potential savings, favorable or unfavorable external conditions.
It is an ideal solution to identify where the strengths or weaknesses lie. The correction of failures and the consolidation of strengths become the basis for the continuous improvement of your performance.
As you can see, the automation of a production line is much more than the installation of a supervision software. It is based on an in-depth study of your specifications, the constraints of your business and the type of products you handle. Similarly, it is impacted by the configuration of the premises and the teams. Whether it is conceived on the whole line or by islands, it must be perfectly integrated into your specific environment.
To meet your specific needs, TRA-C Industrie designs, manufactures and installs your automation solutions. We also train your employees to help them increase their skills.
The design phase of the automation of your production line includes a part of expertise, another of technical reflection, and finally a propensity to innovate. Added to this is the ability to combine multidisciplinary logics. It is essential that an industrial design office develops a truly customized system for you.
There is no doubt that you have to integrate the different dimensions of your business and your machines. The quality of the calculations, the resulting programming and the calibrations depend on it. In the design phase of the automation of a production line, attention to simulations and a sense of challenge to overcome obstacles are essential keys to success.
For this reason, we attach great importance to working with teams that bring together the necessary range of skills: mechanical engineers, robotics, electrical engineers, projectors/designers.
Automating a production line is equivalent to asking a machine to replace a human. Some will see this as a negative aspect, but then they will realize that in the automation of a production line, the operator enters a new role: the supervision of the system from a control center. He remains the foundation of success, with irreplaceable know-how, knowledge and appreciation of situations.
This reallocation of tasks leaves to industrial robotics those that are considered the most tedious, the least motivating, too monotonous or boring. At the same time, it makes advanced technologies more and more accessible, at all levels.
The automation of a production line does not imply the absence of the employee in the art gestures. Better yet, it can be conceived as a production line during which cooperation between machine and human is omnipresent. Again, this highlights the importance of using a specialist in advanced industrial production technologies. Learn more about automation in industry.
The approach is to remove the part of the intervention that is the most risky for the operator or to make possible what cannot be done by a human being. The cobot that takes on extreme conditions in place of an employee is the perfect illustration. It is therefore a way to open up new opportunities and to realize more audacious projects.
Automatic assembly lines can bring measurable benefits to the people who use them. Those advantages include higher output, lower injury rates and improved scalability. However, people must put significant thought into automatic assembly line design before expecting those positive results.
Begin by studying the area where you intend to place the assembly line. Getting details about the surroundings will ensure you build something that can withstand them and operate in the environment without breaking down. Pay attention to factors such as:
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Awareness of factors like these helps you cover your bases with automatic assembly line design. It naturally reduces unintended consequences that could cause wasted time or money.
Creating an automatic assembly line can be extremely resource-intensive. That's one of the reasons why electric vehicle startup Arrival is trying to build automobiles without them. The company claims it can make micro-factories for about $50 million instead of the $1 billion it could take to build a traditional factory.
But you may already have a fully functional factory and just need another assembly line. That's a comparatively less expensive prospect, but it still requires adequate resources and decision-maker approval.
It's also necessary to plan how quickly you need to finish the assembly line. Settling on that aspect makes it easier to determine how advanced or extensive you'll make it. You may also need to redesign an assembly line to meet a new need.
Such was the case with automaker Renault when the company had to change its assembly line to accommodate electric vehicle production. That project required seven weeks of construction. People also had to move 400 assembly line stations and use 100 robots and pieces of heavy machinery. One step of the project also involved clearing out 38,000 square meters of space.
While making decisions about the budget and timeline, try to adopt the mindset that taking enough time now instead of rushing will pay off in the long run by creating opportunities for the assembly line to operate smoothly rather than encountering problems.
It's now time to decide what equipment the automatic assembly line needs. Making the right choices starts by thinking about what processes will occur during production and what items the company makes.
Equipment can also span multiple industries. For example, air compressors can prevent cross-contamination in the food sector. Compressed air also powered many of the machines that assemble and repair cars. Moreover, an oil-free air compressor is essential in pharmaceutical production, which requires sterile air.
Your assembly line will also need conveyor belts or similar movement technologies to transport items from one place to another. The smooth and continuous flow of goods is what makes assembly lines so efficient. Plan on also having a visual system where someone can see instances where assembly lines have stopped due to issues. It's then easy to spot and troubleshoot those problems.
See where equipment like totes and carts fit into your automatic assembly line design, too. Even if most or all of the things happening on the assembly line are automated, you'll still need people to restock parts. Carts and totes help them do that quickly and without straining.
If your assembly line needs hoses to maintain cleanliness or facilitate changeovers, plan for those in the design, as well. Speaking of keeping things clean, design your assembly line with flooring that's easy to maintain. Consider the risk of spills or small particles getting into grooves or openings between floor panels, and select flooring with those possibilities in mind.
The equipment considerations must also extend to connectivity components. The Industrial Internet of Things allows machines to interact and generate data that improve operations. The assembly line also needs information technology and operational technology integrations.
Automation equipment performs best when asked to do repetitive tasks with little or no variation. That means you may need to plan for some human engagement within your automatic assembly line design, such as allowing enough room for people to sit at workstations and handle responsibilities too advanced for automated machines.
Another thing to assess is which tasks are the most time-consuming or prone to errors. In one case, people created an automated assembly line to accelerate the process of building combat jets. This change caused a reduction in the hours needed to make a plane from 132 to 98 hours. It also allowed a 75% decrease in the time required for manufacturing forward fuselages.
A drastic change in production volume could be another clue it's time to automate specific processes. People handle this common problem in numerous ways. They might add team members or make another shift. However, another possibility is implementing robots that supplement human capabilities or do entire tasks themselves. Even in the latter case, you should plan to have people supervising the robots at work.
Speaking to team members could give valuable insights about which tasks to automate. Do they find particular duties hard on their bodies, cumbersome or otherwise less than ideal? If so, get in-depth details about why and see if the things they mention give you ideas for automating the tasks with your assembly line.
Besides considering the strategies discussed above as you work out the details of the automatic assembly line design, think about how the company's needs may change relatively soon. Making parts of the assembly line modular or easy to update could be a smart move now that allows for faster, less expensive changes later.
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