The Factory of the Future, as it has come to be called, is all about lean manufacturing. One of the most important components of lean manufacturing is incorporating the latest and best manufacturing technology, including machining tools and robotic manufacturing.
At the moment, probably in part because they’re leery of another economic downturn, U.S. manufacturers have been slow to embrace many of the improvements now available. This is a mistake because these advances—and many more that are just down the road—make for faster, more durable, more precise and far more productive tools. At Tag Team Manufacturing, we believe these factors together translate into greater customer satisfaction.
Taking Advantage of Today’s New Tools
Incorporating faster, longer-lasting tools doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. So the cost of doing business doesn’t have to go up. In fact, the new technology can increase both productivity and quality, giving customers more for their money.
How does this work? The new technology can be implemented easily and inexpensively. Programming manufacturing machinery is simplified, resulting in:
• Reduced production times and greater production accuracy
• Reduced cross-training of operators and programmers
• Greater flexibility in operations, so one piece of equipment can perform a variety of functions
All these advantages reduce our costs and, consequently, costs to our customers without in any way compromising quality. This combination of lower cost and higher quality results in greater value.
The technological advances affect just about every aspect of the manufacturing process. They improve every step, from product design through production and even packaging. Each component of the process, including human and machine, is able to communicate more quickly and more accurately, creating an integration that greatly increases coordination and efficiency.
We at Tag Team Manufacturing look every day for ways to improve our lean manufacturing processes and so move closer to the Factory of the Future. We can see ahead to innovations that are on the horizon. What does the future look like?
The Tools of Tomorrow
What’s ahead in manufacturing technology tools looks great for both manufacturers like us and our customers. Our challenge is to meet the demand for value from our customers. This challenge will be met with:
• Machining that delivers ever more precisely and efficiently made products
• Software capable of increasingly sophisticated operations
• Shorter production time
So we’re looking at software and hardware on the road to greater and greater value. The progression includes further development of things like:
Source ( characters / words)
NTN Technical Review No. 74 (2006) http://advancedmanufacturing.org/advances-cnc-technology http://www.manufacturing.net/article/2012/02/10-trends-manufacturing-technologies http://www.industryweek.com/manufacturing-day/fast-forward-factory-future?page=1
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• Multifunctional machining tools that increase accuracy and reduce machining time while, at the same time, being able to produce products with more complicated shapes
• Control hardware and software that costs less but offers “intelligent” functions that turn information into more efficient and precise production
Not all advances in manufacturing technology apply to the work Tag Team Manufacturing does. But we’re keeping our eye on every improvement to make sure we deliver the best value to our customers.