Top manufacturing trends in 2018

Seeing things in 3D

3D printing is very much a buzzword in manufacturing at the moment and its future is looking very bright indeed. It’s no surprise really, as its potential is enormous. 3D printing could mean that the creation of bespoke, one-off parts is both affordable and practical, with no wastage. It means that prototypes can be made more efficiently and effectively, which will lead to increased innovation as ideas can be tested and delivered much faster than ever before. There are restrictions in its use currently – the technology itself is expensive to introduce – however 2018 is going to see more big advancements in this arena.

Simulate and test

Virtual reality sounds like the stuff of videogames or science-fiction films, but there are some very real-world applications of this kind of technology. Product designs and manufacturing processes are currently being tested in virtual environments and simulated, so that potential problems can be identified and solved in advance of going live with a physical product or process. This saves time on trial and error, and on wastage, streaming the manufacturing process. There are other applications too; for example, the team at Flex use Augmented Reality (AR) solutions to provide remote assistance on a problem from anywhere in the world.

Automation

Automation is a simple way of streamlining almost any part of our lives – we have self-drive cars, smart homes, even voice-activated phones. It’s about removing steps to reach a goal faster and with less effort. This is happening across the manufacturing world. Automating common tasks not only saves time, it also ensures a high level of accuracy – there is no human error. With the growth in technology, the tasks that can be automated are limitless, from placement within environments that are dangerous for humans, to re-creating complex tasks that take many man hours. Expect to see more automated processes come into the manufacturing assembly line over the next year.

A robotic workforce?

The rise of the machines is probably not around the corner in a Skynet sense, but there are certainly an increasing number of robots creeping into our manufacturing processes. Robots, along with automation, can dispatch with some of the more mundane and tedious manufacturing job roles. Does this mean that they are taking away jobs? Maybe to an extent, but they are also creating many more new job roles too. Robots can work faster and more efficiently, and also do those jobs that human workers can’t, which will lead to an increase in output. This increase will mean that more and more people will be needed to help maintain these new systems, oversee the operations, manage the new output levels. Robots enables a shift in the workforce into new, innovative areas and that’s exciting news for the manufacturing industry and the next generation of workers.

Factories get intelligent

Building on both automation and robots, is the factory of the future. These ‘smart factories’ are enhanced with all of the latest technology to help bring together all industry areas in one seamless whole. This means integrating with cloud technologies, for example, as well as tracking and analysing production at every step, finding patterns and highlighting ways to improve efficiently, preserve energy and ultimately increase customer satisfaction. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) will continue to drive new and innovative technologies in manufacturing throughout 2018, as more factories adopt intelligent systems, connecting on a global scale.

We think that the future is looking pretty exciting for manufacturing and we’re looking forward to entering 2018.