Robots have been used to assist in the manufacturing process since the 1960s. Many people might complain about this, claiming that robots are taking potential jobs away from real people. The fact of the matter is, there are some things robots are well suited to do that humans simply can not. Additionally, robots can perform tasks that would be considered dangerous for humans.
Here are some ways that robots can help us to carefully manufacture safer products to keep our society moving forward.
Dispensing Sytems
Manufacturing robots can be calibrated to a specific dispensing application for every industry. Making them perfectly suited for any job. The benefit of utilizing robots for dispensing application projects is that they are more precise than humans. They are also able to dispense for much longer lengths of time without having to stop. All of these factors are incredibly important to the final product. Any deviations, no matter how small, in this process could greatly affect both the quality and life of the product that is being manufactured. For this reason, it is better to use a manufacturing robot for the job, and best to invest in one that is considered top-of-the-line.
Processing Operations
Robots are utilized in many conveyer-belt style assembly lines to perform tasks using specific tools. These tasks could include:
Spray Painting
Robots are commonly used for spray painting manufactured products, especially cars, and other automobiles. This is because robots can create an even layer of paint more easily than humans can. Additionally, constant exposure to the toxins in spray paint poses no threat to robots. While it would have the potential to cause severe lung problems in humans.
Welding
Another task that robots are commonly used for, once again primarily in the automotive manufacturing industry, is welding. Welding has the potential to be very dangerous for humans, putting them at risk for burns. Because of how dangerous it can be, many states in the U.S. require people to get the proper certification before being allowed to weld. Both of these reasons make robots the ideal candidate for the job. Not only do robots need to receive certification to weld. But they are also unaffected by the heat of welding. Having robots doing these jobs instead of humans keeps more people out of harm’s way.
Material Handling
Another popular use for robots involves material handling. This covers a lot of different things, like:
Repetitive Actions
Sometimes, material handling involves having robots repeat one repetitive action over and over. If you have ever seen the 2005 film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a great example of this is the robot that endlessly screws the caps onto the tubes of toothpaste. It is great that robots are being used for these sorts of tasks instead of humans. While this sort of job–moving one type of part to another spot over and over. It could be incredibly easy for a human to complete, constant repetitive movements like these can be very harmful to human bodies, causing joints and muscles to wear down faster due to too much-repeated strain.
Material Transfer
Material transfer is, as it sounds, the transfer of materials from one spot to another. The benefit of using robots for this task is that they are more capable of moving objects that are either extremely heavy or awkwardly shaped, or both. Not only does this guarantee that the job will get done easily. But it eliminates the risk of workplace injury that is associated with humans lifting heavy objects. Oftentimes, these material transfers require a lot of precision.
It is necessary to use robots when items need to be placed on pallets in the most efficient manner possible since they are capable of making precise calculations in mere seconds. Oftentimes, robots that are designed for lifting specific parts will have a design that is best tailored to effectively transport them, just another reason why they are more practical to use for these particular situations than humans would be.
Creating New Jobs
You read that right! You might think that this seems counterintuitive and that introducing more robots to manufacturing facilities would take away jobs, but it helps to create jobs that are much less tedious. With the increasing use of robots, there will be an increasing demand for programmers, engineers, data analysts, operators, and many more positions. So, with all of these new opportunities, workers can remain employed with the same manufacturers, just in a much different, and possibly more enjoyable, capacity.
