Automation's Essence
The greater achievement is the clarity and care, not the hardware.
Share
Automation is one of the most important themes transforming metalworking. This has been and will continue to be true. I think most reading these words would agree with that. But when we say “automation,” what do we mean?
Many picture a robot. In a machine shop, it’s a robot loading parts. But what makes this robot possible? Answer: a job in which the part always goes into and out of the machine the same way. Once the shop recognizes this repetitiveness or engineers the process to achieve it, installing a robot to perform the task is straightforward.
But why is the robot there? Not to replace employees. Truly, not this. People want to work with people. Among other things, coworkers and employees help us find meaning in the work.
No, the robot is there to replace uncertainty. Throughout the shop, not all employees are equally productive and most are rarely at their best. Plus, employees are prone to stop their output for reasons that are hard to fathom. By comparison, the robot produces without stopping, without variation. And the robot can keep producing into the hours when the shop has no employees present.
But now come back to what makes that robot possible—the repetitiveness. That is, the rule. When the cycle ends, unload a part and load a new one. Where else in the shop is it possible to find or engineer that kind of repetitiveness, that clarity? When this happens, do that. When X happens, do Y.
Maybe X and Y are in different parts of the shop, meaning a stationary robot can’t connect them. But that’s OK, because now that I see that we’re talking about the system underlying the robot, I realize that we’re talking about something bigger and more powerful than any piece of hardware. Why is that employee’s performance unpredictable? Could it be that this is also for lack of an organized system? Maybe he finds himself in a confusing situation and has stopped cold because he is doing his best to puzzle through it.
Clear signals, clear instruction, clear objectives, lack of distraction. When X happens, do Y. The repetitiveness is what makes the robot possible. Meanwhile, the care of delineating a clear system is what sets the employee free. When we talk about automation, this is what we’re talking about. It’s not the robot, because once you have the system, the robot is the easy part. The system is the key. Some simple rules are best carried out by machines, but when the rules call for discernment, judgement, recognition or mobility, then something better will fill this role.
An employee is the very best robot. Algorithms are essential for a robot, while clear and understandable procedures are liberating for an employee. They are alike in this respect. But one of the important differences is that the employee is capable of joy—joy in doing good work—and in that joy, he or she might discover the way toward even better procedures that more readily attain the goal. When we talk about automation, this is what we mean: systemization. And when we talk about systemization, we mean not just repetitiveness, not just consistency, but also clearing away enough confusion that we can imagine the next way forward.
Related Content
4 Steps to a Cobot Culture: How Thyssenkrupp Bilstein Has Answered Staffing Shortages With Economical Automation
Safe, economical automation using collaborative robots can transform a manufacturing facility and overcome staffing shortfalls, but it takes additional investment and a systemized approach to automation in order to realize this change.
Read MoreInvesting in Automation, Five-Axis to Increase Production Capacity
To meet an increase in demand, this shop invested heavily in automation solutions and five-axis machines to ramp up its production capabilities.
Read MoreCutting Part Programming Times Through AI
CAM Assist cuts repetition from part programming — early users say it cuts tribal knowledge and could be a useful tool for training new programmers.
Read MoreLean Approach to Automated Machine Tending Delivers Quicker Paths to Success
Almost any shop can automate at least some of its production, even in low-volume, high-mix applications. The key to getting started is finding the simplest solutions that fit your requirements. It helps to work with an automation partner that understands your needs.
Read MoreRead Next
5 Rules of Thumb for Buying CNC Machine Tools
Use these tips to carefully plan your machine tool purchases and to avoid regretting your decision later.
Read MoreBuilding Out a Foundation for Student Machinists
Autodesk and Haas have teamed up to produce an introductory course for students that covers the basics of CAD, CAM and CNC while providing them with a portfolio part.
Read MoreRegistration Now Open for the Precision Machining Technology Show (PMTS) 2025
The precision machining industry’s premier event returns to Cleveland, OH, April 1-3.
Read More