We all like new things and improved models — the faster the computer, the happier the user. Or, if you want to shop online, the ability to get clothing at an affordable price might just make your day.
All that wouldn’t be possible without manufacturing companies behind it. So, it’s about time to take a look at where manufacturing technology is now, and how it’ll grow in the future.
Let’s dive in.
What’s Manufacturing Technology?
Manufacturing technology is just a fancy phrase for tools designed to improve the labor of workers. Simply put, they make modern life more manageable. These tools help the workers to increase the proficiency and efficiency of their trade.
The manufacturing also helps to create a product at an affordable price without losing time. With faster production comes greater quantity. The process maintains economic standards of supply and demands better than the manual labor would.
It’s not just the production of specific items manufacturing technology impacts; it’s also used in medical fields, transportation, communication, and even the military!
A city in itself could be seen as a built-upon product. It was created, had pros and cons, and can be improved, as this strategy points out.
Manufacturing tools can be anything from vast and immovable machinery to software that helps design and produce the item.
Basically, anything involved in the process of making a product could be considered as a tool.
However, with moving times, these tools are also evolving. You can see more obvious progress when you remove some aspects from the chain.
This means that technology has found a way to bypass specific steps without losing quality.
An excellent example of such a progression could be the FANUC company. They have a factory which is operated mostly by robots. This innovation has been happening since 2001, and the Japanese robotics factory doesn’t require lighting, heating, or conditioning.
This model avoids everyday spending, as well as payments for menial tasks that a machine can do. Of course, not every manufacturer can take this road. But other innovations improve and build upon the hard work of the employees.
Manufacturing Processes and R&D
We may point out several manufacturing processes that generally appear in the production cycle. This involves R&D of a product, blockchain planning, or quality assurance.
Research and Development or R&D for short is crucial in the manufacturing process.
In simple terms, R&D allows researchers to come up with designs and ideas. This applies to many fields: medical, industrial, or technological. In short, anything that requires a new creation or innovation could benefit from R&D.
Nowadays, there are international connections between professionals. Various programs allow companies to share talent. Working remotely also helps specialists to showcase their ideas globally.
R&D not only creates the idea of the product. It could also help to expand it or sport any inefficiencies. This is why having a good development team is essential.
The R&D team will help to create a product that’s worth manufacturing at a large scale, without a loss in funds for failures.
3D printing and AI also engage in the R&D process. In the cases where AI is in charge of a database, the research can be done more quickly than doing it manually.
The AI can scan and select the required material faster than a team of personnel.
3D printing provides trial production. Once a design is agreed upon and works on paper, consider printing it out. Needless to say, seeing how the item looks firsthand could influence the entire production.
Maybe there are things you’ll want to change, or perhaps it’s lacking?
Blockchains and QA
Another manufacturing process is blockchain. It allows you to keep track of the steps involving manufacturing: obtaining resources, transporting them, and so on. Blockchains simplifies the data, keeping it in one place rather than distributing it all over the shop.
Traditional blockchains are just pieces of information. All of it’s safe and automated. Each piece has its own history and records.
It’s practically impossible to falsify these records because, to fake one piece of a black, you’ll have to go through them all. This saves money between start and endpoints, as well as protects the data.
Quality is crucial to manufacturing technology. Not only can improper products ruin the company, but they also stagnate the progress. The more well-rounded production the industry gets, the more inclined it’ll be to improve.
Nowadays, electronic manufacturers can rely on AI to spot imperfections on production.
This is important in electronics because, due to its nature, certain flaws can’t be seen with the naked eye. An AI-driven quality check would flag the defects and allow the company to remove the parts from further production.
QA and blockchains are also connected. If the company is using a blockchain project to keep their product information in one place, it’s easy to recall the product.
For instance, a well-known retailer once reported that to track mango shipment used to take them about seven days, whereas, with blockchain, it’s only 2.2 seconds.
What Does the Future of Manufacturing Technology Hold?
With technology moving forward, it’s essential to be aware of the trends that are predicted to rise. In the coming years, the growth and application of blockchains and AI will increase.
In the blockchain case, it’s predicted the market will strive to supply chain tracking. Information about a supplier, data on reputation, and performance will work to remove fraudulent parties and increase security.
The data regarding vehicles in the auto industry will also be available for the involved parties.
AI is working to improve the automation of workflows. More attention will probably be given to cognitive technologies, like robotics, machine learning, and computer vision. Manufacturing should benefit from the efficiently of AI-driven technology since, in many cases, they bypass human errors.
Blockchain is set to grow at a 61.5% CAGR. While AI increases by 55.1% CAGR, all this growth involves billions in investments to improve manufacturing technology.
We hope you learned something new in this article. For similar content, be sure to subscribe to our blog!
