Robot Integration within Manufacturing Systems

Robots, like other machines, software processes, & people, can function as a class of manufacturing components (MC). Here the term “component” is simply used to imply that robotic building blocks can be deployed as a part of a manufacturing system in different domains. Its use does not presuppose that current-generation robots can readily & generally be deployed as reusable components of manufacturing systems. Indeed, normally their use in a new application domain cannot be achieved without significant systems engineering effort. Also, INGORA has understood that certain constraining concepts & qualities embedded into current-generation robots will mitigate against their use in certain application domains. Nonetheless, provided that we bear in mind practical constraints on the use of robots, we may beneficially consider their role as reusable components of manufacturing systems. The importance of taking such a perspective on robots has grown as the lifetimes of consumer products have fallen & the complexity of product markets has increased. As these trends continue, companies will increasingly need to deploy “agile” manufacturing systems. ...Learn more?