Advanced industrial tools are a necessity in today’s manufacturing methods because they produce efficiency and precision, that can be unmatched. Downtime is also almost minimized using advanced industrial tools, which dramatically improves production rates and levels. Atlas Copco ITBA and smart tool technology operators are pioneers in this industrial revolution.
Advanced manufacturing application tools have changed the layers of manufacturing, streamlining countless processes and increasing productivity to keep up with industries growing area of management. If industry wants to have any kind of competitive advantages going forward they need to adhere to advanced industrial solution.
If manufacturers are to apply the best expectations in efficiency and precision, advanced industrial technologies will be expected. Atlas Copco ITBA supplies some of the best assembly tools in a time when they are needed most.
Benefits of modern industrial tools
There are many benefits to introducing advanced industrial tools to manufacturing environments, especially those that influence productivity and operational efficiency. The biggest benefit is speed.
Traditional processes require all tasks to be completed manually, which can be time consuming process riddled with human error. Modern industrial tools are capable of automating the many tasks performed by workers, resulting in faster assembly lines and shorter production times.
The second major benefit is accuracy. In manufacturing, accuracy is the most influential factor in addition to products being produced in a consistent fashion. Advanced industrial tools are built to provide consistently precise results with little variation involved, and therefore less waste, delivering improved quality to the product.
Having accurately produced parts leads to happier customers and more cost-effective processes in the moving parts, eliminating excess material used in the production process.
Modern industrial tools also help reduce downtime, a very important variable in determining exactly how continuous production will be. Advanced industrial tools have the ability to quickly change tools, or make adjustments automatic, which limits development times in the assembly process. Achieving sustained production in a timely and systematic manner guarantees efficiency will be maximized while time will be minimized.
Worker safety and ergonomics are other contributing factors as to what makes modern industrial tools advantageous. Advanced industrial tools are built with improved ergonomic designs that have changed the way workers physically function.
Advanced ergonomics reduce the physical toll, or possible incidents of repetitive stress injuries, to the worker’s body. Vibration dampening, load weight distribution, and adjusted hand positions of tool play a large part in improving safety of the worker operator and improving operational efficiency too.
Workplace injuries and costs can be eliminated from design and function, while the result of advancing ergonomics in industrial tools means worker satisfaction and productivity is improved.
The costs of modern industrial tools also helps add another value. The costs can be large initially; however, their long-term financial gain far outweighs the initial costs. Labor costs will be reduced on average as a result of automating the process.
Waste will be reduced in materials utilized during production as a result of the tool being consistently precise in its operations, and lastly, maintenance costs will reduced because of their predictive maintenance.
Another reduced cost, is the lifespan of modern tools, and energy-efficient features must also be factored into the cost of ownership to have long-term ROI. Most manufacturers report altogether payback of the initial investment within 12 months of new tools have been initialized, particularly in high-volume productions settings.
Smart tool technology
The advent of smart tool technology represents a game-changing shift in the industrial environment. Intelligent tools possess sensors and connected capabilities which provide real-time data and insights along the manufacturing environment.
By capturing and analyzing data in real-time, smart tools provide the predictive maintenance norm while eliminating unplanned downtime and contributing to extending the longevity of machines and equipment.
Automation is also a function of smart tool technology. Indirectly, tools are programmable to perform specific functions without human contact, minimizing the total cost labor .
Automation provides consistency between production batches. Each product is held to standards without deviations.
Finally, smart tools offer data-driven insights that enable substantive business and process decisions based on fact. Manufacturers can track effective performance measures and recognize opportunities for improvement based on real-time analytics. With this information, businesses are able to smooth processes continuously, increasing productivity, and profitability as a result.
Integration with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems elevate the value of smart tool technology. Connected technology provides real-time visibility to production, quality assurance and inventory management.
When smart tools can communicate to other factory systems, they create a full digital environment that supports Industry 4.0 objectives hence allowing manufactures to automate processes and streamline efficiency while being wholly traceable throughout the manufacturing process.
Role of Atlas Copco ITBA
Atlas Copco ITBA develops solutions for assembly operations and modernize productivity to improve overall manufacturing performance. Their modern technologies fit into any manufacturing system, enabling operational improvements to be made with little prolonged timeline for further incorporating changes into production operations.
Their processes are based on sustainable productivity solutions so that manufacturers can determine a more environmentally friendly way to operate while achieving the highest level of output possible.
Atlas Copco ITBA has invested a significant amount in many products that can optimize assembly line performance including sophisticated torque management, ergonomics, and product capabilities and performance that can and will enhance potentially all levels of assembly line performance. They can optimize as much of the production step process as they can utilizing advanced technology.
Atlas Copco ITBA backs up their products with a complete package of support and training on these products so that customers can maximize their safety investment.
Or, in other words, they teach the manufacturer. The focus is to teach so that the transition into advanced tool systems is done with little to no disruptions to production schedules.
Innovation in product development has always been at the forefront of Atlas Copco ITBA, and the new innovations have continued on with wireless tool technology and monitoring systems that are all generated on the cloud.
This allows an organization the ability to instantly recreate or adjust turnkey production assembly processes as needed if production demands shift.
With these systems, the aspects of physical assembly have all but been removed and the advantage of the system is that all the step processes can be monitored and analyzed for production workflow performance.
Real-world applications of advanced industrial tools
Real-world applications demonstrate the transformational effects of advanced industrial tools in manufacturing environments. For example, one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturing companies digitized smart torque wrenches within its assembly processes.
With digital torque wrenches, the company increased its assembly rate with virtually no lost time to failures or quality issues.
An electronics manufacturer used analytical automated screw drivers which increased production throughput, as well as decrease defects with better tolerance compared to traditional, hand-driven assembly.
In the aerospace industry, aircraft assembly has benefited greatly from precision assembly tools that incorporate torque monitoring and assembly documentation.
Precision hand tools and torque documentation assist with ensuring that assembly components reliably meet critical fastening requirements, while simultaneously provides a clear record of fastening data assembled along with necessary compliance documentation.
This not only improves the quality of the fastening done, but has also eliminated an extensive amount of time spent documenting fasteners by 75%, and consequentially reduced delivery time for aircraft while still maintaining safety standards.