When we talk about automation, we’re referring to the use of technology to eliminate the need for human intervention in a manufacturing facility. Industrial automation does not mean that people, operators, are expendable. Quite the opposite, they become more important in their task of supervising the automation, in addition to carrying out the maintenance of these systems and verifying the end quality of the products.
The goal is to improve the factory’s productivity and, as a result, its competitiveness in an environment where there is competition and margins are narrowing. Here we have compiled five ways that can help reduce costs and save money when using automation.
- Maintenance schedule
It is not the goal of preventive maintenance to solve problems. Its main goal is to avoid those issues from occurring in the first place and to keep the equipment in good working order and avoid downtime and reactive repairs. Preventive maintenance schedules save you money by:
Reduced Downtime
When it comes to manufacturing and production, the adage “time is money” is a good one to remember. When machinery is down for maintenance, you lose money on both employee wages since employees must wait for the equipment to be repaired and product sales which cannot be produced when the equipment goes down. Preventive maintenance aims to avoid downtime, it substantially reduces it.
Boosting Operational Effectiveness
Equipment is frequently maintained when preventive maintenance is implemented, allowing it to run in peak condition at all times. Machines that run more effectively require less energy and materials to operate.
Minimize the possibility of costly reactive maintenance
Reactive maintenance is costly. You have the costs of your maintenance personnel, the cost of the extra time it takes to diagnose the problem, and the cost of the parts when something breaks unexpectedly.
Increase the Life of Equipment
In addition to reducing downtime and expensive fixes, preventive maintenance will also increase the life of your equipment. When everything is up to date and working properly, you will maximize the lifespan of your machinery, helping you get the most out of your investment.
- Use circuit protection to prevent fires/electrical issues
Circuit protection is the purposeful inclusion of a “weak link” in an electrical circuit. In the event of a fault such as high temperature, excessive current, or a short circuit in a conductor, this link will be broken, saving the electrical circuit it is a part of from damage.
Protective devices are necessary because they ensure that a high fault current cannot flow during fault conditions, safeguarding both the installation and, more significantly, consumers from injury as a result of an electrical fault.
Circuit breakers or fuses provide overcurrent protection by instantly disconnecting the supply when an overload or fault current occurs. Overloads and short circuits cause overcurrent problems. An overload occurs when a circuit is overloaded due to a malfunctioning item or too many things connected to it.
When a live conductor makes contact with an exposed conductive part or another conductor in the circuit with low or negligible impedance, a short circuit develops. This could be caused to faulty wiring or cable damage.
To guarantee that an electrical installation is safe, it is essential to implement the right circuit protection.
- Replace equipment as needed
The use of the most recent generation of power devices will improve controllability while reducing heat loss. Electrical energy savings are directly proportional to reduced heat loss. Sometimes, the time out ways the cost and the beneficial cost-saving way is to replace the equipment entirely. When it comes to automation, it is to cut down on manual labour and allowing the robots to do their job. It is crucial to limit the amount of downtime of these machines, it only ensures a hefty cost. It’s a race against the clock, and anything that breaks must be replaced as soon as possible.
At iGAM you can purchase refurbished equipment, saving money but still, acquiring a quality piece of equipment. Sometimes, you have to spend money in the short term to make more money in the long term. Acquiring used equipment is invariably a lot more cost-effective option than purchasing new equipment. Aside from the apparent expenditures, damaged equipment in an industrial environment can have a significant impact on a manufacturer’s profits, such as lost labour costs and order delays.
- Buy quality equipment with a warranty
At iGAM we know that the equipment is essential to the smooth running of your business, therefore when you purchase used refurbished equipment with us it comes with a warranty.
We offer warranties to give customers peace of mind. This covers all repair costs if the equipment fails or develops a technical problem during the warranty period. If you buy a work cell or an industrial robot from iGAM, you’re covered by the NRTC Assurance Warranty. Depending on the reconditioning service you choose at checkout, you’ll get up to a year of warranty coverage on your purchase.
When you repair with us, you’ll get coverage for your industrial equipment. We give up to 24 months of warranty coverage on your equipment in collaboration with our sister firm, NRTC Automation. If an item purchased on iGAM breaks down due to regular wear and tear, we will repair or replace it as soon as possible to reduce downtime.
- Use automatic tool changers to get the most out of one robot
Don’t limit your robot’s capabilities to just one. A tool changer allows your robot to change end of arm tooling quickly and easily. Purchase one today at iGAM, any robotic system will benefit from this feature alone since it saves time and increases versatility. Longevity and high repeatability are key features of tool changers.
Robotic tool changers allow robots to replace end effectors and other equipment without human intervention. They’re built to last millions of cycles at rated loads while also ensuring a high level of repeatability. Increasing robot versatility by allowing a single robot to swap end effectors during the production or assembly process. The result is a significant reduction in costly, ineffective tool changes.
Automation has come a long way from its primitive beginnings. Today automation is in every facet of the manufacturing industry helping us to reduce waste and meet manufacturing quality control and regulatory compliance requirements. Indeed, automation is a great tool for reducing time, keeping production on schedule, and, of course, cutting the cost of manufacturing.
Perhaps the most significant benefit of automation is that it reduces expenses. Energy consumption may be monitored using automated technology, which can assist manufacturers in making educated decisions about how to cut expenses. Automation lowers labour expenses and allows firms to eliminate waste, lowering raw material costs.