As Artificial Intelligence (AI) gets full attention from the whole world and starts to be used in all sorts of fields, electronics manufacturing has been always ready to make use of it for optimization of manufacturing line. That’s why intelligent manufacturing comes into being. When it comes to electronics manufacturers, they’ll possibly fall behind if they still know little about intelligent manufacturing that is a full trend as far as manufacturing is concerned. Therefore, this article will have a detailed introduction on intelligent manufacturing.
Why is Intelligent Manufacturing Developed?
The advent of intelligent manufacturing results from two reasons. On one hand, the necessity on transforming and upgrading of manufacturers calls for its upgrading at a revolutionary level. On the other hand, the advent of intelligent manufacturing is a historic opportunity for a new era of technological revolution and industrial transformation.
The 20th century has witnessed the rapid development and universal applications of a new generation of technologies such as mobile internet, supercomputing, big data, cloud computing and IoT (Internet of Things). The potential property of intelligent manufacturing lies in its cognitive competence and learning competence together with the ability to generate and better apply knowledge. Up to now, intelligent manufacturing has become the core technology of a new round of technological revolution, leading to the advent of huge engine helping to accelerate the development of economy and society.
What is Intelligent Manufacturing?
In a broad sense, intelligent manufacturing is both a big system that keeps constantly evolving and deep integrity combining information technology and advanced manufacturing technology. Intelligent manufacturing runs through all links including products, manufacturing and service. As the optimal integration of corresponding systems, intelligent manufacturing leads digitalization, networking and intellectualization of manufacturing to success, gradually improving corporations’ product quality, profit and service level. Intelligent manufacturing will finally push manufacturing towards innovation, greening, coordination, openness and sharing.
The rationale of intelligent manufacturing lies in HCPS (Human-Cyber-Physical System) that contains human and CPS (Cyber-Physical System). This system can complete tasks through human's direct control on machines. A cyber-physical system can be used to finish part of brain work through copying human's capabilities in terms of perception, analysis and decision making. Thus, application of cyber-physical system helps reduce labor work.
How is Intelligent Manufacturing Classified?
During the developing process of intelligent manufacturing, it has been developed into three leading categories: digital manufacturing, smart manufacturing and intelligent manufacturing.
• Digital Manufacturing
Digital manufacturing can be regarded as the first generation of intelligent manufacturing. The latter half of the 20th century has witnessed innovative products with digital manufacturing used as a form.
• Smart Manufacturing
Smart manufacturing can be regarded as the second generation of intelligent manufacturing, also called Internet plus Manufacturing. By the end of 20th century, Internet technology has started to be massively used and network combines human, procedure, data and things so that the value chain of manufacturing has been rebuilt through the coordination taking place in the internal corporate and between corporate and sharing and integrity together with social resources.
The past decades have seen that China has stepped forward so much in this generation of intelligent manufacturing. On one hand, a pack of companies with solid foundations established during digital manufacturing has naturally gone through the upgrading to smart manufacturing. On the other hand, the companies that haven’t finished upgrading yet implement a technological route that aims to go through digital manufacturing and Internet plus manufacturing in parallel. As a result, those companies have already gone upgrading to the stage of Internet plus manufacturing after the supplement of digital manufacturing.
• Intelligent Manufacturing
As the name indicates, intelligent manufacturing is the current generation of “intelligent manufacturing”. Intelligent manufacturing integrates AI and advanced manufacturing technology, which will essentially lead and promote a new round of industrial revolution.
How is Intelligent Manufacturing Systemized?
Intelligent manufacturing is such a large system that consists of intelligent products, intelligent manufacturing and intelligent service together with intelligent manufacturing cloud and industrial intelligent network.
• Intelligent Products and Devices
Intelligent products and devices can be regarded as the subject of intelligent manufacturing and go through revolutionary changes as a result of the participation of intelligent technologies. We can fully imagine the future development trend of intelligent products and devices based on the fast development of smart phones and intelligent vehicles. The smart phones we use today feature computing capabilities surpassing Cray-2, the super computer at that time. The latest smart phones, iPhone X and Huawei Mate 10 have already been equipped with artificial intelligence chips featuring learning capability. In the near future, intelligence will be massively used on mobile phones and the great changes of smart phones will surely be expected. Recently, the progress of intelligent vehicles has surpassed people’s preconception. Vehicles are transforming from gasoline to intelligence, from network-driven to self-driven. In the future, a pack of intelligent products and devices will be applied including intelligent terminals, intelligent appliances, intelligent robots, intelligent toys etc. all of which will bring forward better service to people.
• Intelligent Manufacturing
Intelligent manufacturing can be regarded as a mainstream of intelligent field and intelligent workshop is the leading carrier of intelligent field. Intelligent workshop strives for the optimization of manufacturing procedure and steady improvement in terms of performance, functions, quality and profit of manufacturing system. The integration between intelligent technologies and advanced manufacturing technologies will make manufacturing lines, workshops and factories to go through revolutionary development.
• Intelligent Service
Industry module revolution with intelligent service as a core is the theme of intelligent manufacturing. The massive application of intelligent manufacturing leads to essential transformation from product-oriental to user-oriental. On one hand, the industrial modes will transfer from large-scale flow line production to scale customization. On the other hand, industrial form will transfer from manufacturing mode to manufacturing-service mode, leading to a structural revolution on supply.
• Cloud and Intelligent Network
Cloud and intelligent network play a role as a fundamental for intelligent manufacturing. The development and application of a new generation of communication technology, network technology, cloud technology and artificial intelligence has witnessed a big jump in terms of cloud manufacturing and intelligent network manufacturing, providing development space and reliable insurance for the revolution of a new generation of intelligent productivity and production mode.
• System Integrity
System integrity has integrated three function systems and two supporting systems into a new intelligent manufacturing system, which is a fundamental feature and advantage.
How to Make Better Use of Intelligent Manufacturing?
As a PCB manufacturer and PCB assembler with 10+ years serving world’s electronics, PCBCart has been transferring from a traditional manufacturer to an intelligent manufacturer based on the development and progress of science and technology. Confronted with intelligent manufacturing, we should make full use of intelligent manufacturing to optimize our manufacturing procedure. As an electronic manufacturer rooted in China, we’re fully allowed to make full efforts to make use of intelligent manufacturing because China has been totally promoting scientific progress and sticking to openness and reforms that provide positive policies for electronics manufacturers for their rapid development.
To achieve the goal of intelligent manufacturing, PCBCart has been optimizing and upgrading manufacturing workshop. Recently, we’ve expanded our manufacturing area and increased the number of manufacturing lines so as to provide customers with better service and high-quality products.
