Workplace Culture in the Age of Manufacturing Automation: Part 2
In Part 1, we looked at ways automation changes the tasks and work at a manufacturing facility. In this post, we’ll discuss the human side. Robotics and automation affect workplace culture in terms of how work is done but also how employees view their work and their value to the company. Most will be accepting of […]
Workplace Culture in the Age of Manufacturing Automation: Part 1
Across industries, workplace culture is a hot topic. The culture at your own workplace might be “I know it when I see it” – hard to describe in specific terms but noticeable when it changes. Some ways to think of workplace culture are: Automation drives cultural changes in all aspects of work. In this post, […]
As COVID-19 Continues, What Will Cobots Offer Manufacturers?
Collaborative robots, or cobots, have been growing in popularity among manufacturing and industrial companies looking to improve quality, reduce tedium for workers, and gain efficiencies. According to Design News, “collaborative robots are expected to maintain a double-digit growth rate in terms of both revenue and shipments… Growth for all other types of industrial robots is either […]
Will a Robot Take Your Manufacturing Job? Not Necessarily!
If you’ve ever had the fleeting thought that robots in factories, homes, and even amusement parks will suddenly go berserk and attack or take over the world, you’re not alone. Movies, television, and literature are full of humanoid and mobile robotic machines that eventually turn on the people they’re supposed to be helping. From science […]
Robots May Have a Bad Reputation in Manufacturing, But They Don’t Have To
We’ve talked about how robots affect job security – one of the common concerns workers and managers express about automation and robotics in manufacturing. Here we’ll address three more reasons robots get a bad rap: safety, expense, and learning to work with advanced technology. 1. Safety For many, the default mental image of an industrial robot is […]
Designing the Layout: Robotic Welding Cell Configurations
One of the challenges of planning a new welding automation project is visualizing the equipment layout. There are many configuration options from which to choose. What’s highly efficient in one facility might bog down production in another. It all comes down to your goals and the details of your manufacturing process. Here are some things to keep […]
Can Cobots Weld? It’s Better to Ask, “What’s My Welding Application?”
Robot technology is always evolving to take on new tasks and improve production and quality in manufacturing. Once only seen in the largest plants, industrial welding robots are becoming common in small- to medium-size facilities too. In the last few years, there’s been discussion about welding with the latest iteration of robots: collaborative robots, or […]
Robots are Spot-on for Resistance Welding in Automotive Applications
Electric resistance welding, commonly called spot welding, is an excellent candidate for automation and robotics. It’s common in automotive and vehicle assembly for frames and body components, where the average vehicle can contain thousands of welds. As automation and robotic technology continue to evolve, spot welding can be done in ever-smaller physical spaces, integrated with […]
The here and now is formidable, but the future is coming. Automation can help you stay prepared.
We can all agree the current COVID-19 global pandemic and the economic, employment, and social upheaval it’s causing is disastrous. So much is uncertain from day to day and it seems the outlook for health and business changes with each new news story. Business leaders might instinctively decide to table many of their plans and […]
