For manufacturers around the world, competition has never been fiercer. As North America continues its strong comeback in the manufacturing sector and large firms in Japan, China, Mexico, and Europe attempt to ride out the wave of political uncertainty that is affecting supply chains and markets around the world, many companies are striving to make their processes as lean and efficient as possible in response to rising overheads.
For many of them, investing in effective metrology equipment like coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) has been key to short-term success.
Here are four reasons why the latest CMM technology is helping ensure a greater degree of efficiency and competitiveness.
1. Enhanced Quality Control
Quality control is one of the most basic and vital roles CMMs play on a production line. Because CMMs measure the incredibly sophisticated data they gather against the actual blueprints for the part being produced, they can achieve a degree of accuracy that far exceeds what a human equipped with a pair of callipers can offer.
This, in turn, means that more errors will be caught, reducing the number of faulty parts sent back and improving the overall quality of the parts being produced.
2. Reduced Bottlenecks
Bottlenecks are one of the greatest threats to production line efficiency, but they can be extremely difficult to fight, especially on complex assembly lines.
Most bottlenecks are caused by equipment breakdowns, antiquated equipment, or labour shortages, and CMMs equipped with the latest software help reduce bottlenecks by providing high-level quality reports on the parts being produced.
These reports allow technicians to see where wear and tear on machines is reducing quality and could be leading to machine breakdown, and schedule repairs before they become a major problem.
3. Greater Automation
In the world of modern manufacturing, automation is key to success. Manufacturers who can automate their production systems are less reliant on fluctuating labour markets and regulations (and the costs associated with them), and have a better shot at being internationally competitive.
Because Coordinate Measuring Machines automate the essential work of quality control, they allow assembly lines to do more, while maintaining a high standard of quality and requiring fewer staff.
4. Better Integration
There is no question that a key facet of the most successful contemporary production lines is integration. An integrated production line is one where the different automated processes are networked with each other, enabling them to function like a single organic whole.
One of the most exciting recent pieces of information about the CMM equipment industry involves the way new software has empowered CMMs to feed information directly back into the rest of the production line, so that quality control information can be used to adjust and correct production upstream.
For many manufacturing firms, the only way to guarantee long-term client satisfaction and financial health is to constantly be on the lookout for better, more efficient ways to operate.
Insofar as they offer enhanced quality control, reduced bottlenecks, and facilitate greater automation and integration, Coordinate Measuring Machines are a vital technology for any forward-thinking manufacturing business.
