3 Tech Advancements Changing The Way We Live In 2017 : Manufacturing is an ever evolving and adapting industry, the year may have only just started however a lot of innovations and advancements have already begun that you need to know about.
Robotics
In the last decade a lot of buzz has been surrounding the advancements in robotics. China has been an automated manufacturing powerhouse for some time now, they have supported and driven the recent tremendous growth in industrial robots.
While to some manufactures the increase in automation is a risk as they believe it will result in less overall innovation as only people can create ideas. Robotics has become less dominant in the USA and rather than replacing workers they have been added into the workplace to compliment production.
3D Printing
3D Printing is technology used to make solid objects from a digital design. Recently, it has picked up a lot significance and interested a lot of people. Layers are built through the control of a computer resulting in a high precision replica of the original design leading to overall less waste during the production which can lead to large savings for manufacturers.
Historically 3D printing has been unsustainable for most businesses due to expense however recent advancements have made it a lot more affordable leading to a lot more companies adopting it.
Cloud Computing
The cloud is a major step for manufacturing that is beginning to see a lot more implication into the workplace. Cloud uses network connected services to store, process and manage data. Security concerns are still quite high as people are worried to place all of their information on the internet.
However, the amount of companies using the technology is increasing across multiple geographic locations sharing data and influencing business decisions. Cloud helps manufacturers to reduce costs overall while helping to improve the quality and shorten the time of production.
Words by Jim Starbuck
Manufacturing & Engineering Magazine | The Home of Manufacturing Industry News
