Robotics and the Future of Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing
Overview
The future of fabricated structural metal manufacturing is being shaped by robotics and advanced automation technologies. As these technologies evolve and mature, they're expected to play an increasingly pivotal role in manufacturing processes, improving efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness. This guide provides an insight into the current and future impacts of robotics in the fabricated structural metal manufacturing industry. It is underpinned by key statistics highlighting this transformation, and subsequently introducing 3Laws Robotics' innovative solutions that enhance operational efficiency and safety for robotics systems across diverse applications.
Role of Robotics in Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing
The proliferation of robotics in the fabricated structural metal manufacturing industry is a testament to its transformative power. The global market for robotics in metal manufacturing is projected to reach $2.6 billion by 2025, illustrating the significance of this technology (Statista, 2020). Robotics enhance manufacturing processes by enabling higher precision, improved quality, and increased production efficiency, thereby augmenting the manufacturing capability of businesses. With predictive models suggesting that every 1% increase in robot use contributes to a significant 0.1% increase in the GDP growth rate (OECD, 2019), the impact of robotics is vast and impressive.
Safety in Robotics-Driven Fabrication
While profitability and productivity improvements are critical, an equally salient aspect of introducing robotics into the fabrication industry is the potential enhancement of workplace safety. Manual handling of structural metal fabrication can pose significant health and safety risks, with the industry reporting 29.4 injuries per 100 full-time workers in 2019 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020). Implementing robotic solutions can effectively mitigate the risks associated with humans performing potentially dangerous tasks, substantially enhancing worker safety.
Operational Efficiency through Robotics
The introduction of robotics in the manufacturing environment also significantly enhances operational efficiency. The combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics leads to improved decision-making, efficient resource utilization, and superior flexibility in manufacturing processes, driving increased performance. In warehouse automation, for instance, one study showed that using automated systems like robots can increase efficiency by up to 20% (McKinsey, 2020).
Key Takeaways
• Robotics in fabricated structural metal manufacturing will shape the future of the industry, with a projected global market size of $2.6 billion by 2025. • Every 1% increase in robot usage can lead to a 0.1% increase in GDP growth rate. • Workplace safety can be substantially enhanced in the metal fabrication industry by incorporating robotic solutions. • Robotics combined with AI can enhance operational efficiency, with potential efficiency gains of up to 20% in warehouse automation.
Introducing 3Laws Robotics: As an innovative pioneer in the field, 3Laws Robotics is developing ground-breaking software solutions aimed at increasing safety and reliability for robotics systems, and addressing the challenge of certification. Our software, 3Laws Supervisor, builds on the Control Barrier Functions (CBFs) technology from Caltech, offering robust safety features and mathematically provable safety.
3Laws Supervisor significantly enhances operational efficiency by minimizing downtime resulting from unnecessary e-stops or collisions. It can also adapt to various platforms, from mobile robots and cars to drones and manipulators. Compatibility with popular robotics middleware such as ROS and ROS2 underlines its flexible capability. By offering solutions that allow robots to operate nearer to their full potential whilst maintaining safety, 3Laws Robotics positions itself as a next-generation provider of safety solutions, surpassing traditional methods of safety provision. Through our proactive approach in the realm of safety, we unlock the full potential of robotics with dynamic, predictive safety that is safety certifiable for ISO 3691-4 and ISO 26262.