I'm sure you have all seen what Elon Musk is doing with Tesla and the robot army he's creating (And if you haven't, I highly recommend it). The implications of having robots carrying out simple tasks that any one of us can do is simply a scary thought, and has me wondering what the world will look like in the future. The first thought I had when seeing these robots back in 2021 was "We're all going to be replaced by these things and the end is near for mankind." When I saw the new announcement a couple weeks ago... okay yes, my original vision still came to me but I did start to think about the benefits it would have for mankind, particularly the industrial industry.
Tesla bot
I am totally fascinated by automation. Call me lazy, but I am all about reducing the amount of human labor if it can be replaced with a computer, and I truly believe this is the future that we are going towards. I mean, why would you not want an automated system to do the work for you if you can fully trust it? It reduces human error, it can be streamlined easier, it won't complain for holiday breaks and you won't have to pay it a monthly wage! Imagine if every manufacturing factory today was automated, going 24/7 around the clock, with minimal human labor / supervision. If I was a factory owner, this is the direction I am going in, and with the uproar of AI and additive manufacturing getting better + faster, it's only a matter of time where this starts to become a reality.
Let's talk about what's going on in the factories today. Most of them still include a lot of manual work, with either people in assembly lines or operating huge machinery for subtractive manufacturing. These are the dinosaurs in my eyes, as they still lean heavily on human involvement, making it expensive, not the most efficient in quality control, and relying on labor availability. However, there are factories out there that do implement automation, with 3D printers manufacturing items through additive methods and having robot arms flooded throughout the factory, assembling and transporting products around. 3D printing has come a long way since the beginning and the speed of some of these printers (Like the Form 4 and Form 4L) are insane, printing huge parts in under 6 hours (FYI: It's listed as on Time Magazines best inventions of 2024!). Some factories are actually fully reliant on these automation methods, which barely have any need for human labor, which is great! The next step however is to have all these machines talk to one another through the IoT (Internet of things). At the moment, 3D printers and robot arms don't necessarily connect with one another. They are given a task to perform and once said task is completed, they move on to the next task or for further instructions. This is when hold ups or "bottlenecks" start to occur in the assembly line as these machines aren't communicating with one another (one assembly line moving faster than the other, etc) , thus resulting in a human having to step in to solve the issue. Just imagine how seamless manufacturing of goods could be if these machines started talking to each other!
Form 4
Picture yourself as a smartwatch manufacturer. You need to have many different assembly lines, manufacturing many different components to then all come together as one. However, since everything talks to each other, all you need to do is input how many smartwatches you need to make and boom! your factory goes. It takes a lot of components to make a smartwatch display but they can all be printed. You can use a Voltera Nova, a PCB 3D printer to create your custom circuit boards, a 3D printer for your OLED displays (yes there is such a thing) and another for glass! (Coming soon to our store!). Once you get all these components printed, they all get transported by a robot to another assembly line to put them all together. Now, for the straps, you would have your straps manufactured by SLS printers like the Fuse 1+ 30W. Once the print is done, the printer would notify either a robot arm or a Tesla bot, and it would take the straps to a post processor, like the Fuse Blast. Once that is done, the Fuse Blast notifies another robot to take it to the assembly stage, where it gets put together by another robot with the electronics. Just like that, you have made a smartwatch, with pretty much zero human labour involved. The great thing about this is that these machines would talk to one another, if production of the PCB boards are slower, they notify the rest so the other printers know not to make so many, and vice versa. Or, the robots would use that information and try to organize / monitor the rest of the assembly line to make sure no overloading or bottlenecks happen.
Voltera Nova
This all sounds great in theory however there are some challenges that we face before this becomes a reality. The first problem is the actual integration between systems. All these systems are manufactured by different companies, that do not manufacture with the intent of this innovation. They all have their own ecosystems and communicating with different products could be challenging. However, all it takes is one company or one collaborative effort between these organizations to find a way moving forward in the attempt to create something amazing. Another problem is planning for machine failures. What happens if your machine fails during production? Can you really trust these printers to go 24/7? This is more of a reliability issue as machines do fail time to time. Despite this, it wouldn't hurt to start small and then scale bigger once you build trust and familiarity with the 3D printer.
Fuse Ecosystem
Despite the possible challenges, the positive output is tenfold. You allow your factory to have the ability to run 24/7 with minimal supervision, your factory becomes automated, which streamlines production, you cut cost with labor, and you also cut cost with materials, as additive manufacturing only uses materials that you need, whereas traditional subtractive methods waste materials, making it a sustainable method as well. Although you may have to plan for failures etc, I'd say it does minimize the amount of problems you could face if everything is ran correctly, as your factory would be operating through the mind of a computer, minimizing human error.
In conclusion, while the idea of a fully automated, interconnected factory may seem like a vision of the distant future, we’re already witnessing significant strides in that direction. The rise of automation, advanced robotics, and additive manufacturing is transforming the industrial landscape, with companies now reimagining what their facilities could achieve with minimal human labor. The benefits are vast: reduced costs, greater efficiency, 24/7 operation, and sustainable production methods that reduce material waste.
Challenges such as system integration and machine reliability remain, but with collaborative innovation and the rapid advancement of technology, these obstacles are likely to be overcome. Embracing automation and connectivity in manufacturing isn’t just about convenience; it’s about unlocking new levels of productivity, precision, and sustainability. The future factory is on the horizon, and for companies ready to adapt, it promises a world of possibilities that could reshape industries and redefine work as we know it.
If you're interested in taking your first steps into the future, please don't hesitate to give us a message!
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