• Advanced Manufacturing

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Artificial Intelligence, the symbiosis between human and machine

  • Advanced Manufacturing
Contrary to popular belief, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not going to replace people, but should rather be seen as an ally, given that it’s more geared towards optimizing business processes, such as task automation processes. The most widespread AI is currently based on learning from questions and suggestions made to humans to deal with the challenges presented by the different processes. Full automation is only possible in very simple processes, generally with little added value.

Smart Nesting, when the tool and the engineer go hand in hand

  • Nesting
Material waste and a lack of agility in nesting or the nesting of parts are two of the most common problems faced by metal processing companies which slow down the company’s response time for its clients and make the process more expensive. This is due to them not using the appropriate technology in order to fully exploit each piece of sheet metal during the cutting process and/or the fact that this process is completed manually or using slower solutions. Equally, the work of the production engineer mustn’t be knocked as they are experts in the optimization of nesting and machining; the maximization of the margin for each production order received depends on their intervention.

Getting ready for Industry 4.0

  • Digital Transformation
Most managers of manufacturing companies will have heard of Industry 4.0, but what does it really mean and why is it important? Rob Powell the Commercial Director for Lantek in Malvern, UK is in an ideal position to explain as Lantek specialises in CADCAM (Computer Aided Design and Manufacture) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software for sheet metal manufacturers, helping them to program their sheet metal machinery, optimise material usage and run their businesses more efficiently.