What is Digital Manufacturing?

NRTC Guide

Nov. 8

Digital manufacturing is the future of production and automation.

Manufacturing has traditionally been a numbers game: giant assembly lines mass producing products in vast quantities. Mass production is no longer the predominant model.

Manufacturing is trending towards a different future—one in which products can be produced on a dime and respond to changes in customer demand. Consumers are demanding higher-quality, customizable products, and on-demand products.

The result of demands placed on manufacturing is two-fold:

Lifecycle Churn: Consumers replace their products more often. In fact, one-third of home appliances and 60 percent of TVs are replaced with a better product, even when they continue to function. If companies want to keep up with consumer demand, they’ll need to constantly innovate and launch new SKUs.
Greater Customization: Mass production strategies cannot efficiently produce customized products. For example, a line of drones may be produced for a variety of applications. Each SKU will require different hardware, software, and systems which leads to multiple short production runs for each model.

The digital revolution in manufacturing is essential for satisfying these emerging demands.

What is Digital Manufacturing?

With the emergence and refinement of new and traditional technologies, manufacturing is becoming a multi-disciplinary field. Digital manufacturing, in particular, is becoming more prevalent across industries.

Digital manufacturing is an interdisciplinary approach, combining elements of design for manufacturability (DFM), computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), flexible manufacturing, and lean manufacturing.

Digital manufacturing is the co-creation of product and manufacturing processes using a computer system. By linking systems and processes across production, the computer system is able to model and iterate on manufacturing designs and processes before creating the final product or assembly line layout.

An automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM), for example, can model its manufacturing process (including tooling, assembly, and factory layout) while designers iterate on the next car lineup. Product and manufacturing designers can collaborate throughout the product life cycle, catching mistakes and identifying constraints early.

Types of Digital Manufacturing

DIGITAL MANUFACTURING LIFECYCLE

The digital manufacturing lifecycle is composed of three main parts: product, factory, and value chain management. Each aspect of the lifecycle is tied to manufacturing execution.

First, the product lifecycle includes engineering design, sourcing production, and service life. Digital data is utilized and necessary revisions to the design are subsequently made during that stage.
The smart factory leg uses automation and industrial internet of things (IIoT) technologies such as smart machines, sensors, and tooling. IoT provides instant feedback during operation, allowing greater visibility, control, and optimization. Enhanced business intelligence systems perform in-depth analysis, leading to insights into areas of performance or process improvement.
Value chain management aspects refer to optimizing for process and inventory while assuring quality. The result is decreased inventories, optimal process integration, and better customer satisfaction.

Benefits of Digital Manufacturing

Digital manufacturing strategies help companies recognize the benefits of product lifecycle management (PLM) in a number of ways. At its core, the main benefits are related to producing more, faster, and at a lower cost.

The benefits of digital manufacturing include:

Reduction in manufacturing waste: It’s estimated that 68 percent of manufacturers have reduced their bottom line as a result of excess materials, labor, packaging, and shipping. Through design modeling and optimization, predictive analytics, as well as an efficient response to demand. For example, digital data may be shared with contracted manufacturers to order just the right number of items, avoiding waste.
Mass customization: The use of computer-assisted control (CAD) and automation allows customization of product SKUs, without iterating on the production line. The result is the ability to continuously iterate on designs and manufacture products in smaller batches. Additionally, companies can utilize software to manage production, rendering low volume production runs more economical.

Avoidance of costly errors as a result of missed or misinterpreted data
Facilitation of more efficient factory lineups and models, with optimum layout
Enablement of quality data sharing through CAD-based machine inspections for industrial robots and machine tools
Improved visibility: IIoT sensors allow real-time visibility into the process, equipment, and systems. Technicians can optimize machine use and perform preventative maintenance using remote monitoring technology. Additionally, machine data can also be integrated with other data sets to optimize production—including the entire supply chain.
More rapid pace of innovation and enablement of six-sigma and lean initiatives by analyzing dimensions with a graphical environment. For example, digital manufacturing can help automate time consuming processes, such as front-end engineering.

Take Advantage of Digital Manufacturing

Capitalizing on digital manufacturing is essential for companies of the future. Consumers will come to expect higher-quality products delivered on faster time frames for a lower cost.

The best way to get started with digital manufacturing is through small projects that impact safety, efficiency, or quality. Projects may be value-driven based on customer journeys to maximize ROI. Consider collaborating with manufacturing floor technicians who can identify the best projects and increase adoption.

Plan to scale only after completing a series of successful projects. First, deploy to a manufacturing line, and the plant level next. Finally, develop a strategic plan to overcome roadblocks and embed technologies into future plants. It’s also important to continuously develop and invest in new roles and capabilities through upskilling programs.

Ultimately, a successful strategy to scale digital manufacturing is focused on business value. According to Mckinsey, aspirations should be linked to real and specific business needs.

Industry 4.0

The digitization of manufacturing has been nicknamed “Industry 4.0” because it represents the fourth revolution to occur in manufacturing. Industry 4.0 builds on Industry 3.0, which is when computers were first introduced to manufacturing.

According to Mckinsey, pioneers of Industry 4.0 have recorded 30-50 percent reductions in downtime, up to 3 percent improvements in productivity, and 20 percent declines in quality cost. Manufacturers aren’t deploying technologies at the same rate: many organizations are stuck in “purgatory”: they have no strategy to scale across their network.

Failure to implement digital manufacturing technologies will render businesses stagnant in the near future. Digital manufacturing will someday become essential to remain competitive. Businesses that stay ahead of the curve will continue to have an edge.

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From decommissioning and tear out to industrial robotic training services to custom flexible work cells, NRTC is the key to integrate your workplace. With personalized training and custom-built designs, NRTC Automation is the destination for all your industrial automation and manufacturing equipment services.

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