Robots today are indispensable, especially in the manufacturing industry, and have come a long way from the first robot. These machines are intelligent and have become a force in dealing with tasks that require speed, precision and endurance. They have grown more intelligent, autonomous, flexible, capable of making decisions, and working without the need for human intervention.
There have been fears that robots might take over all human jobs. With time, people have come to understand the symbiosis between man and machine is not as threatening as feared. Automation in manufacturing has grown from using basic pneumatic and hydraulic systems to modern-day robots. The primary reason for automation is the reduction of labor costs and production boost.
The Early Automation Years
The Ford Motor Company in 1913 launched a car production assembly, which is among the pioneers of automation. In the years before, teams of both skilled and unskilled laborers built vehicles. The automation of production improved the rate of production and increased the company’s profits. Globally, they were the first to automate and mass-produce cars. It reduced the time spent on vehicle assembly from twelve hours per vehicle to one and a half hours per vehicle.
In the late 1930s, Bill Taylor built the first pick-and-place robot. Bill Taylor utilized parts from a Meccano toy system to construct the pick and place robot, which was also named Gargantua. The robot was crane-like, programmed using paper tape and powered by one electric motor. The robot could stack blocks using pre-programmed patterns. This design by Taylor was a beginning to one of the world’s fastest-growing industries and revolutionized manufacturing in the U.S.
Automation Advancement in the 20th Century
In the 1930s, Japan was a market leader in the development of components that facilitated automation in the manufacturing industry. One Japanese company created the first protective relay, micro-switch and a super accurate electric timer. By that time, the world had started to appreciate the significance of automation,
During the Second World War, automation was in full use in warships, tanks, landing crafts and fighter planes. An automated program was started in 1945 when Japan surrendered to the U.S. and Allied Forces. The manufacturing program depended on new and advanced technologies, rather than the old-fashioned methods still being used by the rest of the world. This effectively made Japan a leader in industrial automation.
Automobile companies such as Nissan, Honda and Toyota could churn hundreds of high quality and dependable vehicles. These vehicles had standard features that classified as extra features in other car brands and had competitive prices as well.
The State of Automation Today
Today, industrial robot manufacturers are doing a booming business. The current robots possess high-level computing capabilities, improved vision and better degrees of freedom. However, the robots can only work in a highly structured workspace and still need a certain degree of human intervention.
They are also inflexible and are made for operation in small or medium-sized manufacturing industries. This means industrial automation is better suited for large manufacturing companies. Automation in industries depends on computer and software for automation, integration and optimization of various components of manufacturing and automation systems.
Conclusion
Due to the evolution of industrial robotics and automation, we enjoy better quality products and better raw material and resource utilization. Automation is all about precision, reducing waste and improving productivity.
Ongoing research is exploring how to integrate robotics with machine learning. The studies also look into how industrial robots can learn how to perform complex tasks and adapt to new surroundings. A robot’s independent problem-solving ability will change the manufacturing industry, as we know it.
The automobile industry is perhaps the largest in industrial robots use, and electronics manufacturing comes second place, while plastics and chemicals take third place. Robotics may well change the face of all industries in future. For now, these are the top users of robotics and automation, but others also use automation, albeit on a lower scale.
