The impact of robotics on quality control in manufacturing

Robotics, what is that?

The term robotics is probably not unfamiliar to you, especially if you work in manufacturing. But what exactly does it entail, and where is the line drawn with, for example, home automation? Robotics, also known as robotization, refers to tasks being performed by robots instead of humans. This is happening more and more, especially in manufacturing. Think of tasks such as welding, painting, or packaging. But the influence of robotics and Industry 4.0 on manufacturing goes further – read on!

When we talk about production robots, we initially distinguish three more or less familiar forms:

• Point-to-point robots: the most common type of robot in manufacturing, generally used for tasks such as welding.
• Pick-and-place robots: these robots have three axes of movement, allowing them to pick up objects and place them at specific locations. Packaging and assembly of products are also often done by this type of robot.
• Cartesian coordinate robots: currently the most versatile robot, which can be used for various tasks. Welding, but also assembly and packaging.
  
  

What are the benefits of robotics?

The purchase of a robot can be quite costly. Therefore, it is not only important to know which robot to choose for your production process(es), but also what benefits the robot of your choice has compared to other options, and – not entirely irrelevant – what the financial consequences of your choice are.

Increased productivity

One of the key advantages is that the use of robotics enables your company to increase productivity and efficiency. Robots can be used for welding, assembly, and manufacturing products. By deploying robots, production lines can be accelerated, increasing daily production. You can have a robot work 24 hours a day without any issues – something you can't ask or expect from an employee.

Improved quality control

Maintaining product quality is still a reason for many not to introduce the use of robots yet. There is a certain degree of uncertainty and not everyone trusts the abilities of robots 100%. This is a missed opportunity because robots can be very useful in quality control, and have a positive effect on quality management in general.

Robots can perform their tasks with a very high degree of consistency and accuracy. Whereas humans sometimes make a very small mistake, this does not happen with a robot. Especially in healthcare and production, small errors can have big consequences, a robot is simply more accurate and can prevent this.

Greater flexibility

The market is currently changing at an unprecedented speed. Trends come and go, and consumers want direct access to what is new and popular. This requires a flexible approach to product development, where traditional methods sometimes fall short. This is where the power of robots comes in. Instead of redesigning and re-manufacturing equipment, robots can be programmed to perform a series of tasks. Want to develop a new product? Then you simply change the series of tasks and the robot gets back to work. The robot makes it possible to quickly adjust production lines and meet the rapidly changing demand.

Improve safety

Unfortunately, there are still a few accidents per year in production environments. Integrating robots can increase safety and reduce the number of incidents. By automating tasks using robots, the risk of employees getting injured during production can be significantly reduced.

The use of various robots positively impacts product quality. Robots ensure consistency in production, increase production speed, and provide companies with flexibility in setting up new production lines. This leads to fast delivery of high-quality products to satisfied customers, which in turn increases revenue and provides financial stability for your organization.

Are there any disadvantages to using robots in manufacturing?

So many benefits, but no disadvantages – that must be a mistake, right? Yes. There are indeed also downsides to robotics in manufacturing. One of the biggest disadvantages, and a potential dealbreaker for many, is the purchase price. But given the fact that the robotics trend has been going on for some time now, it is expected that the price of robots will decrease considerably in the near future – simply a matter of supply and demand in the market.

To robot or not to robot?

The rise of robotics in manufacturing has, for the companies that have embraced the concept, led to very satisfactory results: it was not only a revolution in efficiency and productivity, but also product quality and safety have been greatly improved. The initial investment may still be (too) high, but the benefits speak volumes: optimized processes, flexible production, and satisfied customers.