The Use Of Artificial Intelligence(AI) In Manufacturing Industry

As you know, artificial intelligence refers to an intelligent machine that can think and learn like human beings.

Using artificial intelligence in manufacturing can result in higher work performance. In this system, artificial intelligence can be anything from process automation to an advanced robot.

As a result, it is expected that this artificial intelligence will create a great number of new roles for humans within manufacturing companies.

The manufacturing industry is a kind of field that can be heavily automated using Artificial Intelligence. This is because manufacturing requires physical labor that is often repetitive.

Hence, AI can be a huge help in streamlining processes and eventually increase productivity.

In this blog, you will learn about how AI in the manufacturing sector can bring various benefits.

Artificial intelligence in the manufacturing industry

What Is AI In Manufacturing?

AI in manufacturing refers to the application of artificial intelligence in manufacturing processes. In other words, AI makes the manufacturing process intelligent. As a result, this will eventually create smart factories and smart robots.

With the rise of AI to improve productivity and quality, we can expect a huge number of robotized factories across the world.

The goal of using AI in the manufacturing sector is to increase productivity and quality while reducing production costs. Moreover, the use of AI can prevent potential harm to human life such as gas leakage, fire, and so on.

Using AI in the manufacturing industry can also help you advance your business and keep up with the latest trends of market and production so that you can match your competitors and increase your market share.

There are many ways to use artificial intelligence in the manufacturing sector, including using robots for production lines, developing artificial vision systems to monitor quality control, and training neural networks to solve complex problems.

Nowadays there is a great interest in smart factories, with smarter equipment that's capable of learning on their own, thinking for themselves, or feeling the surrounding environment.

The main objective is to develop a system that will be able to solve production problems by itself with minimal human intervention. In the next section, you will learn how AI is step-by-step used in manufacturing.

How To Use Artificial Intelligence In Manufacturing Step-By-Step?

AI can be used in the manufacturing sector using the following steps:

The first step would be to have the AI learn from the inputs of other workers on how to do something. This way, it will not only make progress but continue to grow as well. In time, it will become capable of doing various tasks by itself without having humans teach it each time. When this happens, the factory of the future will be very much here.
The next step would be to use crowdsourcing. By doing this, you can crowdsource information or data that can be analyzed by an AI. It can do so in a matter of seconds and compare them with other information in its database. What you will get is a "hive mind" which allows the AI to have group knowledge and even know what everyone else knows in general.
Finally, by using unsupervised learning, an AI can become supervised. This means that it can learn something on its own without being told directly. How will it learn? It would use reinforcement learning. This is a better way to have an AI do what you want but in a different manner. In this case, the machine has high-level control.

Why Is AI Used In The Manufacturing Sector?

AI in the manufacturing sector performs tasks such as welding, painting, assembling, and material handling. It does this with a precision that is comparable to the best of human workers.

On top of that, AI can also manage workflows without any errors or delays. Machines do not need rest; you can push them to their limits without worrying about their health or performance getting affected.

AI can also help manufacturers monitor complex processes, workflows, or equipment in real-time, allowing them to identify risks along with predictive maintenance solutions based on data analytics.

Due to such useful features, it is time-effective to use AI in the manufacturing sector.

What Are The Applications Of AI In Manufacturing?

The applications of AI in the manufacturing sector are plenty. Some of them include:

Predictive Maintenance.
Increasing Energy Efficiency.
Packing and Packaging.
Quality Inspection.

Predictive Maintenance:
One major benefit of artificial intelligence in the manufacturing sector is predictive maintenance. This helps manufacturers understand the status of their equipment, reduce downtimes, and increase asset utilization.

Energy Efficiency:
Artificial intelligence can help in increasing the energy efficiency of a factory. By "listening " to their equipment and making sense of huge datasets, manufacturers can optimize and automate daily tasks such as supply chain planning, process design, and managing resources.

Packing and Packaging:
The internet of things (IoT) is helping manufacturers see and hear machines and conveyor belts, helping them to optimize the packaging process.

Quality Inspection:
AI in manufacturing can be used to prioritize and learn from defect patterns, saving companies time and money. Moreover, it can optimize inspection strategies to improve yield and reduce the chances of defective products being released into the market.

What Are The Advantages Of Using Artificial Intelligence In Manufacturing?

Following are the advantages of artificial intelligence in manufacturing:

Get Rid of Bottlenecks :
In the age of Industry 4.0, bottlenecks have been replaced by new opportunities that can be readily identified, analyzed, and put to use.
Eliminate Hidden Costs :
Using the power of data analytics, manufacturers can unravel hidden costs in their processes that often go unnoticed when they're just looking at the standard costs.
Reduce Errors :
Manufacturers are now able to analyze the root cause of errors, making them less likely to happen again.
Prediction :
AI is capable of predicting events such as chemical leakage, fires, broken equipment, and component failure.
Machine maintenance :
AI-powered bots can be used for predictive analytics which can detect problems before they happen and provide solutions.
Use of Bots :
Bots can also be used as personal assistants, helping with information lookup, scheduling future activities or actions, and even providing updates on goings-on around the factory.
Information Security :
Manufacturers are now able to protect their crown jewels of information by simplifying access to information while simultaneously adding an extra layer of security on top.
Time-saving :
AI can take away mundane tasks, allowing people to focus on what they do best. Moreover, it can speed up production by using a human-machine combination. Full automation is not expected in the use of AI, but "humans plus AI" can increase productivity by 30%.
Identify New Opportunities :
Manufacturers can better understand what customers need, respond faster to fluctuations in market demand, and identify new growth opportunities.

What Are The Challenges Of Using AI In The Manufacturing Sector?

Like every coin has two sides, AI in manufacturing is no exception. Just like its advantages, some challenges need to be overcome.

Some of the common concerns are:

Will AI render many people jobless? Well, to answer the question, we need to look at "full automation" which refers to every process or job fully automated using robotics and AI. This cannot be expected in manufacturers as "humans plus AI" increases productivity by 30%. However, the 30% does not refer to a fixed figure. More investments and research will increase it in the coming years. So, from a jobs perspective, full automation does not create a threat.

Will AI bring a rise in security concerns? To answer this question, the security concerns need to be broken down into physical security and cyber-attacks. Physical security is most likely to pose a threat as humans are the ones who will control manufacturing robots day in, day out. Cyber-attacks, on the other hand, mostly affect IT setups. As AI operates on big data, it can reduce the possibilities of cyber-attacks.

With AI becoming more and more integrated into our lives, it can be expected that processes within the manufacturing sector will experience similar changes.

For now, companies are dipping their toes in the water and making incremental changes, rather than going all in. There's still a lot of work to be done to make artificial intelligence a reality. As a result, there isn't one clear winner yet.

However, manufacturers should be aware that AI is not a "one and done" technology. It will require additional investment and a commitment to digital transformation.

Another challenge of AI in manufacturing is the "lack of talent and an aging workforce," according to a blog post by AI software company IPsoft. "As the manufacturing industry quickly begins shifting into the digital age, transitioning from manual labor to automation, many feel that they'll be left behind in this new revolution."

Conclusion

Having learned various aspects of AI in the manufacturing industry, you can take advantage of AI for your business, manufacturing, or production so that you can transform the core business model.

This includes developing intelligent automation, human-machine collaboration, producing process improvements, lowering costs, and increasing revenue.

The use of artificial intelligence in the manufacturing industry is still at a very infant stage. Despite this, a lot of businesses are investing in AI and seeing its benefits.

The use of artificial intelligence in the manufacturing industry has endless possibilities. If you're interested to know more about this, feel free to reach out.

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