Automation, or more specifically CNC automation, is the logical next step for keeping up with the increasingly quick and technologically focused industry. Customers now want items in record time frames with unheard-of levels of reliability and quality. Additionally, there are many difficulties in the supply chain, thus moving up a manufacturing timeline is usually always advantageous — when it is possible to do so.
However, putting advanced CNC machinery into use to achieve automation is not only costly, but also time-consuming. You can’t just make all the changes at once and hope for the best. Even worse, when new equipment is put into use, trialling and configuration periods are necessary to guarantee the best results and performance. When would be the ideal time to integrate CNC automation into your current operation, then?
Do you really feel prepared for automation?
Many people make the mistake of believing that any procedure can be automated. Although theoretically correct, those procedures must be well-founded, consistently maintained, and properly planned. To put it another way, you need a thorough grasp of the performance, average output, and precisely, what should be automated. That requires investigation, patience, and careful testing.
If the system has not been thoroughly examined, you may be looking at inconsistent outcomes, especially with CNC automation; you must take into account product design, quality assurance, maintenance, and more. Additionally, workers need to be aware of their responsibilities and, where necessary, obtain the appropriate training.
It requires a great degree of buy-in, and if you’re not sincerely willing to invest, you’re not going to get very far. So, pause to think about your business, the tasks you’d like to automate, and whether or not you and your team are actually prepared.
What equipment do you need?
If you want to fully automate with CNC, you’ll need new gear, new software, and perhaps even new peripherals. For instance, you could need to change your facility to accommodate your new equipment. It might be possible to make use of old hardware by mounting various devices and sensors on it, but that won’t always be the case.
World-class CNC machining and manufacturing processes are perfectly doable without performing the jobs in-house (outsourcing) and without investing in the expensive equipment yourself. You can request the creation of the parts, pieces, or components you require and delegate the logistics to a qualified team. Some service providers even operate on two shifts to complete projects much more quickly because they have more time to work and address manufacturing issues. While your team might not have the necessary manpower, materials, or tools to effectively complete the project.
Therefore, it’s crucial to think about whether you have the equipment and tools necessary to automate your process. How long will it be until you can fairly buy the aforementioned equipment if you don’t? Have you got the money and the means? It can be more advantageous to collaborate with a CNC machining provider who can handle the work at least temporarily or who is prepared to do so in the long run.
Do you possess control?
Advanced automation cannot be implemented until you have complete control over your surroundings. Additionally, you require a tonne of data and details on the operation, your tools, your output, and more. Do you, for example, have the instruments necessary to assess the state of your cutting equipment before a job starts? Do you know which materials your CNC machinery can process? If tolerances are not satisfied, is it possible to replace such tools or components? Modern CNC machines frequently have many actions at their disposal. How simple is it to take advantage of their alternative usage, and can the procedure be automated to ease some of the burdens?
Just a handful of these inquiries pertain to a conventional CNC operation, but they will also be pertinent in an automated one. Although these tasks are still important, the tools and gear at your disposal should make them easier to do and more accurate. You must maintain that control when CNC automation gear is implemented, and you will ultimately gain more from the knowledge gained as a result of the newly data-oriented hardware. But more essential, you should be able to act immediately and make decisions.
Hyper-automate or fully automate?
How much of your operation you’ll be automating and bringing online is a different factor to take into account. Are there any smaller-scale, individual projects that could benefit? Are your plans to hyper-automate, like 28% of the industrial sector, to the contrary?
Hyper-automation concentrates on improving every step of a procedure or operation rather than just one. Even if your operations are already automated, the revamp is far more extensive and a huge task. The rewards, however, can be enormous and well worth the investment. They include advantages like faster production, higher accuracy, bigger capacity, and much more.
By implementing changes slowly, such as by implementing procedures one at a time, and at the same huge scale as before, it is feasible to accomplish hyper-automation. There is nothing improper about beginning small and moving higher.
The Future Is With Automation
Although nearly no one in the sector would contest that automation is the way of the future, that statement doesn’t address when it should be adopted or put into practice. Is now a better time to accomplish it than later? Is there a perfect moment?
That decision is ultimately up to you and your team, but you’ll need to evaluate your business to see if it’s ready for the changes. What equipment do you need? Will buying such for internal production be preferable to hiring a partner? Are you in complete control of your current operation in almost every way? Will you still be in full control if automation is implemented? Will things get better or worse? Should you choose hyper-automation for your entire system or simpler automation of some jobs and processes?
If you have the answers, you’ll be able to judge whether it’s the proper moment or not.