ACE Issue 31 2022 | Page 22

Automation cells and the standardisation of manufacturing components

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The COVID-19 pandemic , a tense socio-political global climate , and an increasingly demanding customer base have all contributed to a growing need for flexibility in manufacturing . As a result , manufacturers need equipment that can be quickly and easily reconfigured , rather than fixed production lines where every change may require weeks of downtime . Here Neil Ballinger , head of EMEA at EU Automation , a global supplier of quality automation components , explains the role of automation cells in transitioning to a more agile business model .

Customisation and high-mix lowvolume ( HMLV ) production are not new concepts in manufacturing . Both have risen to prominence in the last decade , with the demand for increasingly personalised products and services . These trends require manufacturers to rapidly adapt to changing market conditions , and to reconfigure their production and assembly lines accordingly .
The need for adaptability intensified during the pandemic , when many production plants experienced a boom in demand and needed to set up extra lines to produce critical supplies such as respirator components and personal protection equipment ( PPE ). On the other hand , some companies needed the flexibility to switch their production to entirely new items — from alcoholic drinks to hand sanitiser , from luxury fashion to medical gowns .
THE SOLUTION IN A NUTSHELL In this context , closed-loop automation cells have become increasingly popular . Automation cells , or robot cells as they are often called , are closed systems containing equipment that can automate several stages of the production process . For example , they may include robotic arms that load and unload the parts to be machined , in-feed and out-feed conveyors , and machine vision systems that determine what part is being fed-in , and that measure and inspect postprocessed items .