While the introduction of interchangeable parts and the assembly line laid the foundations for huge increases in productivity that made more high-quality goods affordable for more people, the introduction of assembly robots has also quietly revolutionized life for the middle class. By replacing expensive, imperfect, and sometimes unreliable factory workers with mechanical automatons, manufacturers have [...]
There can be no doubt that the industrial revolution of the 19th and early 20th century paved the way for the middle class lifestyles so many of us enjoy in America today. Mass production of goods, assembly lines, broader participation in financial markets, and better transportation all worked to make more goods of higher quality [...]
For many labor-intensive businesses, the weight of materials or the pressure needed to finish goods takes a great toll on the bodies and morale of employees. Many employers pay a premium for backbreaking work like packing, receiving, and refinishing, and those who don’t often pay for the consequences in terms of decreased productivity, high employee [...]
The main reason that robotic arms are able to accomplish so much of what human producers and assemblers can is because they emulate real human parts in their design. The SCARA (“selectively compliant articulated robot arm”) robot, in particular, is indebted to the human arm for its form. Though they are available in 2- and [...]
When it comes to improving product quality and lowering prices on manufactured goods, few technologies besides the assembly line and, later, the assembly robot, have been as influential. The specialization of assembly tasks, developed for weapons manufacturing and centuries later expertly engineered for the automobile, made it possible for expertise of workers to be translated [...]
Without a doubt one of the greatest advances in manufacturing and technology was the introduction of assembly lines into the production process. Each assembler having a specific role made it possible for him or her to specialize, improving the quality of the assembly and the speed with which it could be completed. This first stage [...]
Smart business owners recognize economic recession as an opportunity to streamline their businesses and take market share from competitors through aggressive marketing. Some manufacturing businesses view streamlining as simply firing employees from the production line, decreasing overall production and assembly capacity: a huge mistake that will slow growth and order fulfillment when product demand eventually [...]
