Manufacturing has seen great leaps over the last few decades from the rubber moulding UK factories that housed thousands of manual workers to the automated assembly lines that are commonplace today. Technological innovations mean that we have not exhausted the potential of manufacturing and that greater things have yet to come. The trends to watch over the next few years are:
1. The Industrial Internet of Things.
The Industrial Internet of Things allows industrial settings to gather data from sensors fitted to the machines that they use to enhance and optimise their performance. This can reduce downtime, allow more efficient maintenance processes to be conducted and predict issues.
2. 5G and edge computing.
Manufacturers will be able to use 5G to create private networks through which their Industrial Internet of Things connected devices will communicate at superfast speeds, eliminating the need for cables which can present a trip hazard, and improving the security of the data that is generated.
3. Predictive maintenance.
The sensors fitted to industrial machinery communicate continuously, enabling failure patterns to be identified and enabling workers to perform predictive maintenance, thereby preventing breakdowns before they occur. Specialists such as meadex.co.uk/rubber-moulding that have expertise in highly automated manufacturing processes are already recognising the benefit of this technology.
4. Digital twins.
Digital twins can simulate or replicate industrial machinery and its settings to predict how it would perform in different environmental conditions. This allows the entire supply chain to be accurately visualised and improves efficiency in the longer term.
5. Extended reality and the metaverse
Augmented and virtual reality have moved away from being a gamer’s paradise to delivering quantifiable benefits to manufacturing environments. They enhance product designs and enable more efficient planning and more immersive and effective training experiences for human operators.
Summary
There are a number of exciting innovations on the manufacturing horizon, and it will be very exciting to see how these developments create a safer, more efficient environment in which to work. The manufacturing careers of the future will be far more data-driven than those that existed a decade ago.