Engineering the machines of the future, right now

Engineering great machines and great processes starts in the design phase…and starts with the right tools.

The engineering of equipment for production applications is the most essential, yet least discussed component of part and assembly making. Traditional factory processes involve the ad hoc integration of machines, human operators and information to both link them together and form simple feedback systems that ultimately determine quality, productivity and value. 

Modern technologies driven by advanced software are moving beyond the simple digitization of manual processes and have made production equipment generators of large quantities of data. While originally intended to monitor machine health and some aspects of machine performance, data quantity and transfer rates make this information stream a valuable commodity by itself.

This webinar will touch on several issues affecting machine design and performance including:

• Nailing down the key parameters: asking the right questions to get the right answers before the design process starts
• Approaching the machine design process logically. There are multiple development possibilities for most production technologies. Which pathway is best?
• Thinking about production machines as systems. Modern equipment is a complex system and is also part of a larger more complex system on the line and in service. What are the trade-offs between cost, performance, complexity, reliability and maintainability?
• Managing risk. Modern engineering development tools have reduced or eliminated the slack in traditional product development timelines. How can designers ensure that their systems arrive on time and in spec?