ARGUMENT FOR AUTOMATION
control in manufacturing, but also vision measurements can be directly linked into statistical process control methods. By analysing trends in measurements, interventions can be made to adjust the process before any out-of-tolerance product is produced. In addition, a vision system can capture
more information than any other aspect of the production line and generate much larger quantities of data than other sensors. For example, a line scan camera with a 16k sensor operating at 120kHz line rate produces data at 2GB/s. Tese sorts of data volumes can be processed using the big data analysis techniques that will be embodied in smart factories of the future under the umbrella of Industry 4.0. Communication between all of the
component parts and machines is a critical requirement for Industry 4.0 to allow data transfer and sharing. Te continuing development of the machine vision companion specification for the platform-independent OPC UA open standard for machine-to-machine communications is providing a gateway for the inclusion of vision in the Industry 4.0 approach. Tere’s also an OPC UA robotics companion specification.
‘Te objectives of improving education and widening vision skills require greater investment in basic infrastructure’
Demystifying vision Machine vision is established and versatile, with a multitude of building blocks. However, it is this very versatility that fuels the misconception that it is some sort of black art that can only be handled by vision specialists. Rather like the world of robotics, there is
a need to develop skills and further educate the various markets to show what is possible using vision. A variety of initiatives are required to address this. One small step has been the emergence of out-of-the-box vision solutions designed to meet specific application requirements, such as for label inspection or PCB assembly inspection, or even out-of-the-box 3D vision-guided bin picking solutions. While efforts to demystify vision
technology are important, an additional
approach would be to incorporate an understanding of vision capabilities and how to use them as a part of the engineering skill set, so that engineers of the future are ‘vision aware’. UKIVA members frequently report that it is difficult to recruit new engineers into the industry with the right mix of vision knowledge and engineering skills, despite the fact there are many computer vision courses offered by UK universities. In an ideal world there would be a formal vision apprenticeship, run by an independent organisation that could provide an alternative route into the industry for those not pursuing a university education. Tese vision apprentices would emerge from their training equipped with the skills needed to progress into industry. Finding a way to establish, administer and fund such a scheme dedicated to vision, however, continues to be a major challenge. Some help is available through PPMA Best, an independent charitable trust, funded by the Processing and Packaging Machinery Association. PPMA Best seeks to encourage young
people to enter and develop a career in engineering in the processing, packaging, robotics, automation and industrial vision
g Report calls for support for automation adoption
Speeding up adoption of industrial automation and robotics can lead to dramatic improvements in productivity, according to a report published by experts at the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the Industrial Policy Research Centre, Loughborough University. Robotics and Automation: A
New Perspective says the slow uptake of robotics among British manufacturers, and a reluctance to invest in automation, has contributed to the country’s vanishingly small improvements in productivity in recent years. The report, with experts from a wide
range of fields contributing opinions and recommendations, calls for a renewed emphasis on the need to improve productivity through the use of automation, with manufacturers, research organisations, equipment suppliers and the UK government working together to help businesses improve their performance through the intelligent use of automation. The report also stresses the importance
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of independent advice to new users, particularly in the SME supply chain. Mike Wilson, the MTC’s chief automation officer, said: ‘A significant expansion of manufacturing capability cannot be achieved using the current methodologies, which are largely based on manual labour and obsolete equipment. The [UK government’s 2017] Made Smarter Reviewidentified that the application of automation and robotics in UK industry could contribute £183.6bn over the next decade. The solutions are available and proven. The challenge in the UK is adoption, and also the education of the finance community, so they understand and support investment.’ The report calls for more support
for UK businesses to help them with adoption at every stage, from identifying opportunities, getting workforce buy-in, selecting suppliers, ensuring they have the right skills, and implementing solutions. It also calls for knowledge sharing across industry and the automation supply chain to develop, demonstrate,
test and de-risk affordable and deployable automation, targeting those UK manufacturers who have under-invested in the past. Better training is also called for, particularly short courses that don’t take key people out of the business for long periods of time. The report also calls for a specific emphasis on SMEs to adopt automation and robotics technology, possibly through an extension to the Made Smarter programme. It also recommends stronger networks, specifically for robots and automation, to encourage more cooperation and communication, to share knowledge and expertise, and to represent the sector to other parties, including the UK government.
The Manufacturing Technology Centre aims to bridge the gap between university research and of manufacturing solutions. The report can be downloaded here:
www.the-mtc.org/media/bdba0ls0/ automation-and-robotics-research- paper-a4-pages.pdf
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