ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS: FEATURES, EXAMPLES - DUDAS

The advanced manufacturing systems relate to the generation and use of knowledge and innovative technology for creating or improving products, processes, services and components with high added value and great potential to impact the market.

They are a set of technologies with a high level of efficiency, which allow great flexibility of activities related to the planning, design, execution and control of operations. They are intended to improve materials, systems, means and processes, covering all stages of production.

In today's competitive and demanding world, companies need to manufacture products that exceed customer expectations for quality, service and cost.

As a consequence, they need to be more and more efficient to stay in the global market. Therefore, they must make the most of cutting-edge knowledge and technologies, thus replacing traditional manufacturing.

The most important thing for companies is to maintain a high competitive level. For this they must take into account many factors, such as: cost reduction, productivity increase, product quality improvement, flexibility, among other elements.

characteristics

Human-machine and machine-machine interaction

Manufacturing models have evolved from specialized automation processes, with isolated robotization, to another with more complex and autonomous processes, thus encompassing the entire product value chain, with connected robotization and with new interaction protocols between people and machines, and between machines and machines.

Therefore, these systems arise from the evolution and union between different operational technologies, linked to the automation of industrial processes and new information technology platforms, such as the Internet of things, the new generation of networks, computing in the cloud, artificial intelligence systems and big data analytics.

Use of technologies

These technologies make extensive use of computers, as well as high-precision and information technologies, all integrated into a high-performance workforce.

It is a manufacturing system capable of producing a heterogeneous mix of products, either in low or high volumes, with the same efficiency of mass production, and with the same flexibility of manufacture to order, in order to respond quickly to customer demand.

They have been developing under the highly competitive framework of the Internet. Its use has been led by international corporations specialized in the computer industry, the automotive industry and industrial automation.

The development of these systems has been limited to countries with a geopolitical vision of new technology platforms, a sophisticated digital and industrial ecosystem, and strong partnerships between the private and public sectors.

Advantage

The implementation of these systems offers multiple advantages in the different areas of a company. Among the main advantages we have:

Design

They reduce the time to conceptualize and design the product.
They optimize the quality of the design.

Production

They improve the utilization and organization of the plant.
They enlarge the capacity of the plant.
They lower the cost of manufacturing.
They shorten machine setup times.
They increase the reliability of technological systems and the manufactured product.
They increase the quality of the product.
They reduce the size of the production lot.
They decrease the number of machine tools.
They make production by volume more flexible.
They reduce waste.

Human Resources

They reduce the cost of labor.
They facilitate organization, improving communication flows.
Increase operator productivity.

Commercial - marketing

They offer quick responses to customer needs.
Quick positioning in the market.
They reduce delivery times.
They increase sales and market coverage.

materials

They reduce inventory levels and the variety of components.
They reduce material handling.

Disadvantages

A lot of industrial and technical preparation is required to implement an advanced manufacturing system, such as:

You must have the facilities for implementation.
Hire trained personnel for its use.
Achieve a managerial commitment (among other variables) with said technology.
The equipment and technology are extremely expensive, although in the end they will pay off profits for the company.

Among the main impediments to its expansion are:

The uncertainty about how these technologies will evolve.
Exclusive access to these technologies only to large companies with standardized production processes.
The lack of personnel with the necessary fundamental skills (for example, big data analysis) and of qualified and specialized human resources.
The difficulty of agreeing on standards for interoperability.

It is expected that in the short and medium term, new technologies will displace low-skilled jobs, requiring human resources with new skills to be able to administer and manage these systems, so the effect on employment will be negative in traditional sectors..

Examples in companies

The advanced manufacturing systems described below are the ones that are currently being used the most by different companies worldwide.

CAD

Computer Aided Design (CAD) uses a computer to improve the manufacture, development and design of products and allow to simulate the operation of a product before it is manufactured.

CAM

In Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) the computer is the one that will directly control the manufacturing team, instead of the human operators.

This eliminates human error and reduces the cost of labor. They give constant precision and optimal use of the equipment.

ERP

The Planning of Resources for the Company (ERP) integrates all the information and computer processes of an organization. A well-known example of an ERP system is SAP R3.

CNC

The Computer Numerical Control (CNC) allows to produce more precise quality standards, implementing flexible production schemes, but without sacrificing productivity. The necessary production conditions for each product are defined through the computer.

Visual systems are equipment with optical sensors capable of recognizing images. They are used for the detection of manufacturing defects, for the automatic selection and classification of objects and to verify packaging specifications.

High-precision measurement systems reduce tolerances to design specifications, resulting in longer-lasting, robustly designed items.

FMS

Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS), in which there is sufficient flexibility to react in the event of planned or unforeseen changes.

They combine automation, modular design, and cellular manufacturing to mass produce a wide variety of designs in a single product.

Main sectors and companies with advanced manufacturing

These companies are world leaders in their respective sectors, thanks to the use of these systems.

Automotive Industry: Toyota, Ford, Chrysler, GM, Volkswagen, Honda.
Auto parts and automotive equipment: Robert Bosch, Denso, China South, Hyundai.
Aeronautics: Boeing, Airbus, China Aerospaces, United Technologies.
Electrical equipment and components: General Electric, Siemens, ABB, Honeywell.
Electronic industry: Samsung, LG, Sharp, China Electronic.
Machines and tools: Deere, Caterpillar, Atlas Copco.
Machinery, automation and robotics: Siemens, Panasonic, Hanwha.
Hardware equipment: Apple, Samsung, HP, Cisco.
Semiconductor industry: INTEL, Samsung, Qualcomm, Toshiba.

References

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2018). Advanced manufacturing. Taken from: en.wikipedia.org
Miguel Nava (2014). ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SYSTEM. Taken from: prezi.com.
Monica Casalet (2018). Advanced manufacturing: characteristics, international strategies: Impact of MA in aeronautics. Flacso Mexico. Taken from: cepal.org
GI Siller, G Ibarra, JL García-Alcaraz, D Rivera (2012). Benefits of implementing advanced manufacturing technology: Key success factors. Conference paper. Taken from: researchgate.net
Mario Castillo (2017). The state of advanced manufacturing. Competition between the platforms of the industrial Internet. Productive Development Series No. 217. United Nations - ECLAC. Taken from: giz-cepal.cl

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS: FEATURES, EXAMPLES - DUDAS - 2024