Tag Archives: Industry 4

Lean Workshop Group event programme to drive operational excellence

North East engineering and manufacturing companies will be given support in driving operational excellence through Lean Tools & Techniques and Industry 4.0, with a series of events next month.

The Lean Workshop Group in collaboration with the Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (SAM) Project are running two events at the Industry Centre in Sunderland on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 April 2023.

The Lean Workshop Group is a consortium of eight of the most innovative suppliers to the manufacturing sector: Bosch Rexroth, Spitfire, SICK UK, Orgatex, Bosch Power Tools, Visual Management Technology, WERMA Signaltechnik and K Hartwall.Harnessing a wealth of expertise in their specialist fields, the partners will provide companies with insightful tips and practical takeaways that they can implement in their business to bolster operational resilience, enhance inter-department connectivity, improve efficiencies and strengthen its competitive position.

There will be an opportunity to participate in practical and interactive session, using advanced equipment from the partner companies to put into practice Lean Management and Industry 4.0 techniques. Key topics will be covered including Visual Management, 5S (Workplace Organisation), Standard Operation Development, Work Content and Workplace Design, Logistics Operations, KANBAN Systems, ANDON, Intelligent Sensor Technology, Fundamental Skills Training, Cordless Power Tools, Autonomous Mobile Robots and Industry 4.0 Applications.

The events will be hosted by SAM, a £10.9m project to support the implementation of product and process development and the introduction of technology within the SME manufacturing base in the North East Local Enterprise (NE LEP) area.

Kevin Jones, partner at the Lean Workshop Group, said: “These workshops will be an excellent opportunity to review your processes, and listen to experts as they help move your company into the digital manufacturing age.

“Integrating lean management and Industry 4.0 into business processes to address pain points provides manufacturers with a host of benefits such as real time data to accelerate management, data driven quality control and training in virtual reality to improve working conditions.”

Roger O’Brien, Project and Technical Lead at SAM, added “We are pleased to be working with the Lean Workshop Group and promote areas of best practices to manufacturers in the region. The manufacturing sector is key to the North East and embracing the latest technologies that will be demonstrated in this event, and via our SAM facilities, will support companies to be more productive, competitive and meet some of the economic production challenges facing them in these challenging times. We encourage manufacturers to join us for this event for an insightful and thought provoking day.

The events will be held between 10am and 3pm on Tuesday 18 or Wednesday 19 April 2023 at the Industry Centre, Sunderland. For more information and to book click here

A Manufacturers Guide to… Industry 4.0

Since starting my engineering career +20 years ago, manufacturing has evolved at pace, with new technologies, processes and practices that have been introduced year on year.

This is a relatively new era of manufacturing centred around automation, real-time data, and interconnected technology that has the ability to boost efficiencies, productivity, predictable maintenance and profitability for businesses.

Industry 4.0 represents a significant shift that is occurring in manufacturing, this is not a buzzword, but clear changes that are happening in organisations that are seeing real value in smart digital technologies and the use of virtual machine twins using artificial intelligence (AI).

From robotics and autonomous equipment to 3D printing and the Internet of Things (IoT) with connected devices, businesses that are adopting these new technologies and are already realising the potential of Industry 4.0.

For example, look at engineering simulators. Now, you can use multi-physics simulators to determine if your product will achieve its design goals without the cost of many prototyping concepts, “almost a design-simulate and build once approach”.

This can also be seen in big manufacturing data analysis, with a combination of AI to enable prediction and answer ‘what ifs’, which is especially important if there has been an early adaption to an extensive digital twin, which can then be used to produce early virtual manufacturing data.

Accelerometers, a sensing device that produces an electrical signal in response to a mechanical vibration, have also advanced, they used to be so difficult to setup, but with the evolution of microelectronics and IO-Linked technology, there are now virtually plug and play.

This type of technology has already been embraced by industries such as aeronautics, space, defence, and automotive manufacturing, but there are still challenges for SMEs looking to drive an implementation plan.

There is a greater need for ease of use for new manufacturing technology, which will in turn reduce costs and enable a quicker return on investment, which is especially important for SMEs.

Since working at the SAM project, I have supported a number of SMEs looking to explore the possibilities and benefits of implementing smart technologies.

For example, we’ve had several successful demonstrations using microcontrollers, designed to be configured by non-software engineers. The User Interface is configured so you simply select what action you want when a button is pressed. I see this as a great leap forward in the market, having internet enabled devices have had a lot of consideration in the ease of use, as a consequence you’re not likely to require additional personnel.

The SAM Project has also supported SMEs in the region to understand what is achievable with new technology through knowledge transfer, and we have used experimental data to correlate Finite Element Analysis for many projects to validate if designs are fit for purpose.

With the introduction of smarter manufacturing technologies being pioneered by the larger OEMs, these technologies are filtering down to smaller businesses as their production data may be required by their suppliers “a product supply web”.

Imagine, a secure global interconnected bi-directional manufacturing network which can see not only their supply chain but other suppliers too. This will require both people and tools to achieve this, so the future is bright for smart advanced digital manufacturing.

A manufacturers guide to… CNC machining

Computer numerical control (CNC) machining is a form of manufacturing which uses software to control machine tools such as lathes, mills and 3D printers.

When I started out in the industry over 30 years ago, it was a relatively new, untested technology which was primarily used by the injection mould tool industry.

At the time, it was still in its early stages, meaning the majority of projects conducted using CNC machining simply involved old, punched paper feed or direct control input.

As the years have progressed, CNC and automated manufacturing have become somewhat commonplace across the industry and almost a requirement of modern-day manufacturing, reducing costs and significantly improving efficiency and quality.

My career – as a specialist in CNC – has echoed this. Since starting out in 1990, I’ve gone on to work with all kinds of workshop equipment, from manual mills to high end 5 axis mill/turns, 3D printers, laser cutters and CAD/CAM software.

This has seen me work on projects utilising CNC to produce everything from injection mould tools to tyre moulds, precision components, motorsport and F1 parts, aerospace components, film and TV props and even kitchen cooker hoods, you name it.

And it’s not just the large companies who are benefiting from embracing CNC. Here at the SAM Project, we’ve invested thousands into state-of-the-art CNC-enabled machines and software to help the region’s SME manufacturers test out the technology and understand its many benefits.

This has seen us work on numerous projects that have involved using my knowledge of manufacturing and CNC machining, with the biggest impacts being reduced timescales, improved accuracy, and repeatability where batch work is involved.

One of the key benefits is the ability for the equipment to complete a task without supervision. This allows the operator to complete other tasks during the manufacturing cycle which – at a time when manufacturers are facing a critical skills shortage – is a huge boon for those that have embraced CNC machining.

CNC machining is also able to produce parts with incredible precision, as the machine is controlled by a computer program that follows a set of pinpoint instructions. This means the finished parts will be more accurate and consistent than those produced using traditional machining methods.

As well as increased output and productivity, CNC also provides greater design flexibility by allowing manufacturers to produce a wide variety of complex parts and designs, as the computer program can be easily modified to produce different variations of parts. This allows manufacturers to be more flexible and responsive to changing customer needs and market requirements as demand ebbs and flows.

Contrary to popular belief, automated technologies such as CNC haven’t de-skilled the industry, either. Whereas much was made of the rise of the robots ‘replacing humans’, it has simply changed the skills required of workers, moving good machinists from hovering over machines to retraining them to program the machines, utilising their knowledge in a whole new way while adding extra skills to businesses.

As for the future of CNC machining, I feel that the relationship between CNC and 3D printing will continue to evolve, with machines capable of performing both techniques simultaneously and becoming more commonplace across the industry.

Over the coming years it is also likely that it will continue to evolve and become even more accessible to SMEs. New developments in technology such as machine learning and automation are likely to further increase the accuracy and efficiency of CNC machining, making it a must-have technology for any manufacturer.

Thankfully, for those interested in learning more about the manufacturing benefits of CNC machining, it has never been easier to trial the technology thanks to the market-leading equipment and support available through the SAM Project. To find out more about the support and how your business could benefit, contact the team today.

Martin Officer, Advanced Manufacturing Technician

Meet our Electronics and Industry 4.0 Expert

Richard Eynon, Industry4.0 and Electronics specialist at the SAM Project, helps SMEs understand and embrace the latest innovations.

Despite the many technological advances that have transformed the manufacturing industry over recent years, many SMEs are still reluctant to invest in the latest Industry4.0, digital and electronic innovations due to a common misconception that you need the budget of an OEM in order to purchase and run the latest software and machinery.

Having accumulated over 20 years’ experience working with transducers in a variety of industries, I have seen the impact cost effective and retrofittable cyber-physical devices can have on SMEs, especially when it comes to productivity. For example, using Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices such as condition monitoring equipment, which include Vibration, Temperature, Humidity, and Proximity Sensors. These devices can help SMEs monitor performance of their machines and identify potential breakdowns and failures before they happen, resulting in less machine downtime and increased productivity.

Our Acoustic sensors can also be used to validate (audio) data from the connected devices, with an option of further in depth spectrum analysis and can also be intrinsically safer to locate where physical access may be a problem.

This wide industry experience over many years has essentially made me ask better and more relevant questions to help manage and determine a successful design solution, which generally can exceed internal or external customer (client) expectations. Many design concepts require multi-skilled individuals or groups to solve them and being within the SAM Project – and having access to our colleagues with their broad industry experience and a wide network of industry contacts – can quickly determine the validity of an idea from proof of concept to manufacturability.

SMEs interested in learning how new technologies such as conditioning monitoring can benefit their business can also trial the technology themselves at our state-of-the-art factory areas at the University of Sunderland. Boasting over £1million worth of market-leading equipment, one of our most popular devices is a Portable Monitoring System.

The equipment is small and cost-effective but is a great introduction for SMEs wishing to learn how to implement digital data gathering into their business without breaking the bank and our test factory provides the perfect opportunity for companies to de-risk any future investments in new technology.

All of this equipment is completely free for manufacturers to try out. So, if you’re thinking of investing in any new machinery or software over the year ahead, why not de-risk your investment by paying us a visit?