Popular Science: Industrial revolution 4.0?

    Following the steam power revolution, the electrification of the 19th century, and the digital revolution of the late 20th century, the innovative smart technologies of Industrial revolution 4.0 are opening the next step in automation.

 

Each industrial revolution builds on the previous, incorporating new technologies and knowledge in manufacturing. Industry 4.0 is not an exception. Combined with existing technologies, Industry 4.0 has roughly four core features:

1. Interconnection: The machines, equipment, sensors and people in the manufacturing process are all connected and communicate with each other.

2. Information Transparency: Collect comprehensive data and information from all points in the manufacturing process to make more informed decisions.

3. Technical assistance people: Improve the technical facilities of the system to help humans in decision-making, problem-solving, and difficult or unsafe tasks.

4. Decentralized decision-making: Cyber-physical systems can make decisions and perform tasks autonomously.

Industries related to Industry 4.0 will also usher in new development opportunities. In general, four industries would benefit from the maturity of Industry 4.0: the Internet of Things controlled by algorithms; the network for exchanging machine network data; Availability of computer system resources; cognitive computing systems with artificial intelligence that can be adjusted, iterated, and improved over time.

    Lights out manufacturing is what Industry 4.0 should look like. Traditional factories and even smart factories require some direct human-computer interaction, and a true lights-out factory operates completely autonomously. While it may sound like a dream, lights-out factories are fully automated, 24/7 factories with no one present. They already exist in the modern world.

    Japanese robot designer FANUC has been using robots to make robots in lights-out factories for the past 20 years. Even electronics company Philips is using 128 robots on its lights-out production line to produce electric shavers.

    Another industry where lights-out manufacturing is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing. ASE Global is a leading global provider of semiconductor assembly and test manufacturing services, using 18 fully automated factories in 2020 alone.

    Different businesses and industries will be able to leverage Industry 4.0 technologies in different capacities, and lights-out manufacturing is no exception. Fully automated factories have the advantage of saving material, inventory, and administrative costs. Implementation requires purchasing machines, setting up production lines, and solving early problems. With trained machines, efficient products can be produced faster and more accurately. Major changes in manufacturing (different products or settings) still need to be done manually.

    Other advantages of Industry 4.0 are also obvious: large-scale operations can be carried out without interruption for days or even weeks, the production equipment that requires a large number of production equipment can be fully utilized, and the production molds and processes can often be borrowed from each other. Workers can walk out of the factory with higher skills and better utilization, leading to better wage and time management.

    Unlike the previous few industrial revolution, the implementation of Industry 4.0 will be more widespread. As the demand for cyber-physical systems and smart machines in modern society increases, the supply of smart machines equipped with semiconductors increases, and infrastructure such as larger and more robust machine networks has been completed. Many industries can benefit from 5G, the Internet of Things, and more robust use of data and machines in some way. When will Industry 4.0 emerge in your industry either sooner than thought, or it has already begun.