The future of manufacturing: robotics and the IoT

Connecting robotic manufacturing to the IoT is the key to enabling manufacturers to drive down costs whilst transforming the way they do business.

From the Industrial Revolution’s flying shuttle to computerised automation and robotics in the 20th century, the manufacturing industry’s relentless focus on efficiency means it has strong track record of applying new ways of thinking and new technologies to old problems. So it’s a natural fit for this dynamic, forward-thinking sector to embrace the power and potential of the Internet of Things (IoT).

With manufacturers worldwide also searching for ways to control rising labour costs, the IoT is primed to help the sector continue to push the boundaries of innovation. And the scope is huge. According to the Boston Consulting Group, today robots perform around 10 per cent of manufacturing tasks but that figure will have soared to 25 per cent across all manufacturing industries worldwide by 2025.1 When IoT meets robotics

Connecting robotic manufacturing systems to the IoT unlocks huge additional potential for improvement. Interconnected smart devices can not only share information but send it to the cloud for analysis too, enabling data-driven decision making. From supply chain management to quality control, almost the entire process can be continuously optimised in this way.

But manufacturing is a vast, diverse sector, encompassing a whole host of different systems and processes. An out of the box, off the shelf approach is often not possible.

On paper, this presents a challenge to the integration of IoT robotics into the manufacturing industry. Designing robotics systems is often a complex process. A whole host of subsystems from multiple vendors have to be identified and integrated, and that’s before the cost of installing, calibrating and programming the robots themselves is considered. The set-up costs are high, likely running to many times the purchase price of the robots themselves.

But what if you could create tailored programs and systems for individual manufacturers’ requirements, yet deploy them quickly and efficiently?

The NEXCOM solution

This is the solution offered by Intel customer NEXCOM. Working with a range of providers, they have developed pre-integrated and prevalidated IoT solutions for a range of robotics applications. These systems incorporate components from many leading vendors and allow manufacturers to deploy robotics with much less development and risk.

Robotic production lines contain many competing demands, from actuation controls to data processing to operational intelligence. When IoT is factored in, there are even more considerations to think about, including smart robots and big data technologies.

NEXCOM’s family of controllers, powered by Intel processors, have the capacity to streamline the delivery of this entire system. The multi-core processors run at high speeds, performing numerous jobs simultaneously. It makes economic sense too, saving money by allowing several legacy processors to be replaced with one Intel processor. Intel® IoT Gateways are also used to ensure a smooth and secure transfer of data to the cloud.

The technology in action

NEXCOM reports that a company manufacturing wet wipes sought an automated solution to coordinate its conveyers, sensors, gluing, and labeling equipment, which previously required up to 15 workers per production line. But the manufacturer believes that, with the NEXCOM solution, it can reduce its staffing needs by around 30 per cent, and it’s hoping to replicate the system on its other assembly lines for different products.

When it comes to what’s possible with IoT and robotics technology, we’re taking the first important steps on a journey that could go almost anywhere. Innovations in this field have the potential to not just improve processes and working conditions, but also to save money at the same time. Manufacturing has always been at the forefront of efficiency and innovation. With the Internet of Things, it is equipped to once again challenge the status quo and forge a new path in the name of progress. n

1Boston Consulting Group (BCG), “Takeoff in Robotics Will Power the Next Productivity Surge in Manufacturing,” February 10,2015, www.bcg.com/news/ press/10feb2015-robotics-power-productivity-surge-manufacturing.aspx.