Nearly everything we use is manufactured, from cars to appliances, toys to electronic devices. So it is easy to understand why manufacturing is often described as a significant societal building block. This process has evolved over the centuries from human-centred methods, which were eventually replaced by assembly lines primarily controlled by machines.
These days, automated label application systems and highly advanced robotics, among other things, are used by factories to manufacture the products we use today. It is an industry constantly striving to be more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable. And like all industries, ever changing trends dominate this sector and further streamline the manufacturing process.
Digital Twins
Digital twins can be used to simulate any physical process or object in the manufacturing process. For example, it is often used to replicate the dimensions of a product or the digital replica of equipment on the factory floor to allow users to see and understand how machinery will operate under certain conditions. By 2022, it was estimated that nearly 70% of manufacturers were employing this technology in their simulations and evaluations.
This technology can go as far as replicating an entire supply chain. By using digital twins, Boeing was able to push the quality of first-time parts up by a massive 40%. In 2018, their CEO at the time claimed that the digital twins scaling system would be the most significant improvement in efficiency over the next decade in manufacturing.
Industrial Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (or IoT), a modern phenomenon where everyday items connect to the internet to share data with other recognised devices in a secure database, has been given a factory makeover with the birth of the Industrial Internet of Things. Here, interconnected devices used throughout the manufacturing process and various industrial settings will have live data collected. Live data facilitates better analysing and provides the benefit of real-time adjustments (if you want to learn more, you can take a look here).
Sensors are a perfect example of these interconnected devices. The data gathered from these devices will allow manufacturers to understand how well their machines perform, the best ways to manage maintenance, and even predict when something may hit a fault.
Artificial Intelligence
In addition to the IIoT mentioned above, manufacturers are making use of Artificial Intelligence, or AI. By combining it with IIoT, sensors used within machines will provide valuable data that will monitor and predict when a machine is likely to fail.
This allows for preventative action and proper machine maintenance to be done in advance to avoid such failings. In addition to monitoring machines, AI can detect defective products, optimise the overall efficiency of the entire plant, and assist in discovering new materials or methods.
Web3 & Blockchain Technology
With the emergence of Web3 to maintain their competitive place within the business, manufacturers must explore new and innovative ways to give customers the intelligent products they expect. In addition, the throwaway culture of the past is largely coming to an end, and consumers will naturally gravitate toward sustainable, reusable, and recyclable products. and the soaring popularity of computing technology like blockchains and NFTs, the opportunity will arise for manufacturers to monitor their supply chains and automate many of the transactions along these chains on a much higher level.
In the future, many manufactured products will be sold alongside their NFT digital certificates. Furthermore, the fifth generation of mobile data network technology will help manufacturers to easily connect to IIoT and leverage data collection and processing within these devices. Companies can also create private networks to ensure ultra-fast data speeds and hassle-free connections without wires and with higher data security.
3D Printing Technology
3D printing is quickly becoming more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective, meaning manufacturers can make products using this printing method far more with fewer materials and less waste than any form of traditional manufacturing.
The ease and speed of 3D printing will also promote a new era of personalised products and drive innovation thanks to rapid prototyping. The company Airbus has been utilising 3D printing for over 15 years and considers themselves pioneers in the 3D printing sector of the manufacturing industry. The success Airbus has found so far further pushes the narrative of this printing method.
Automation & Robotics
Another benefit to the advancement of AI technology within factories is that machines are now capable of completing more tasks than ever before, especially tasks that were once reserved for human completion. This significantly reduces costs, improves accuracy, and leads to higher productivity because machines never get tired.
This is a promising trend in the industry, with some companies already experimenting with ‘dark factories’, where machines are entirely responsible for all production happening on-site with no direct human intervention or presence.
Smart, Sustainable Products
Sustainability is a popular trend in all industries, showing no signs of slowing down. Smart-connected IoT devices are changing the way products are made and the types of products being manufactured. Consumers are being offered ‘smart’ versions of nearly everything in their homes, and this demand will only increase as conscious consumerism dominates.
To maintain their competitive place within the business, manufacturers must explore new and innovative ways to give customers the intelligent products they expect. In addition, the throwaway culture of the past is largely coming to an end, and consumers will naturally gravitate toward sustainable, reusable, and recyclable products.
Also Read: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Manufacturing Marketing
