Robots are an important piece of the Industry 4.0 puzzle. Tomorrow's smart factories will depend on new types of machines, such as collaborative and mobile devices that are interconnected. Artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and data analytics will also make industrial robots more reliable than ever.
Sir Humphry Davy did more than just invent electric welding in 1800 when he created electric arcs between two carbon electrodes using batteries. He set a precedent for welding innovation that continues to this day.
Used within the IIoT, edge computing offers benefits that range from reducing network latency and plant accidents, to achieving predictive maintenance and maximizing uptime
Maybe the greatest benefit of a new technology is its lack of historical baggage, thereby enabling industry professionals to approach it with an open mind and a clean slate. Edge computing currently enjoys this status in manufacturing.
The fifth generation of wireless technology is quickly emerging. It will greatly expand the broadband capabilities of mobile networks and provide advanced wireless service for a wide variety of applications ranging from cell phones to assembly lines.
When you hear the phrase, "Industrial Internet of Things," what do you think of first? When we asked subscribers to ASSEMBLY and Quality magazines that question earlier this year, the answers were all over the map.
Productivity growth in manufacturing is stuck. Despite improvements in equipment, software and management approaches, annual labor productivity growth in the U.S. was around 0.7 percent between 2007 and 2018.
Wire and spring makers do some quite-interesting work. Ace Wire Spring & Form Inc., for example, regularly turns thick wire into specialty hooks using a complex, multistep production process.
Diversification is just as important for company managers as it is for individual investors. Both parties know it helps ensure growth without being dragged down by any one declining market sector.