Manufacturing facilities and other industrial environments need high-performance machinery to facilitate, optimize, and potentially automate operations. The ability to streamline production, however, is highly dependent upon quality industrial machine design. Selecting the right size, design, and capabilities for your machinery, in addition to choosing a trusted partner in industrial equipment design, will help give your business a competitive edge, boost productivity and profits, and much more.
Why Are Industrial Machines Important?
Industrial machines offer numerous benefits that make them ideal for integration into diverse operations. They’re advantageous for:
- Enhancing precision for heightened product quality. Industrial machines eliminate much of the risk of human error through automation, enabling operations to achieve a degree of precision and consistency that manual processes can’t match. Fewer defects equate to increased product quality, helping keep end consumers happy with the final product.
- Increasing throughput and productivity. One of the main advantages of industrial machines is the ability to automate processes that workers previously handled manually. Industrial machines don’t require breaks or vacations as humans do, allowing for increased time in production. As a result of automation, operations benefit from faster processes and increased productivity without sacrificing quality, all while freeing up staff to complete other work.
- Lowering operational costs. Incorporating automation into your processes also leads to lower per-unit pricing and expenses like labor. It also saves on material waste through better accuracy in manufacturing. Companies can then pass these cost savings on to their own customers.
- Improving workplace safety. While some tasks are merely strenuous or tedious for workers, others come with dangers that put workers at risk when performed manually. Through industrial machine automation, businesses can effectively mitigate these risks by eliminating manual tasks and maintaining a safer workspace for personnel.
Classification of Industrial Machines
When looking to design a piece of equipment, it’s important to take the following classifications into consideration:
- Equipment size. From production lines and systems that take up your full factory floor to a single device that fits in your hand, industrial machinery is available in widely varying sizes to fit your specific capacity and performance needs.
- Processed material. While some machines are compatible with varied raw materials like plastic, metal, glass, and wood, others only work on a single material or material type.
- Machine complexity. Industrial machinery may be designed to carry out a single function or multiple processes for greater versatility.
- Degree of automation. Depending upon the level of automation necessary for your application and within your budget, you can choose from semi-automated or fully automated options, as well.
Click to Expand
Types of Industrial Machines
Multiple types of industrial machines are available to handle varied applications and production requirements. These include:
- Machine tools. Mills, lathes, and drills are common machine tool examples. These machines and those like them often remove material from a workpiece, giving it certain shapes or features with high precision. They’re also successful at finishing materials like metal.
- Forming machines. This equipment is a subset of the machine tool category and typically doesn’t remove material. Forming machines like benders or presses deform materials like metal using tension or compression force until the material takes the desired shape.
- Joining machines. As the name suggests, these machines can join two or more parts together to form a single component. Generally utilizing heated metal to achieve a joint, examples of joining machinery include soldering machines, welders, and brazing equipment.
- Material handling machines. Material handling equipment is designed to effectively and efficiently move or store various goods and materials. These machines range from pick-and-place robots and conveyors to cranes and forklifts.
- Packaging machines. Businesses use packaging equipment to prepare and secure products for shipment. For instance, wrapping, boxing, cartoning, bottling, capping, and labeling machinery assist in streamlining packaging tasks.
At DAPR Engineering, we offer design services for the above selection of industrial machines and more, providing custom options to best suit your unique application and automation requirements.
Additional Insights: DAPR’s Unique Approach to Industrial Machine Design
We do much more than simply supply industrial machines — our team works with you to design, optimize, and manufacture fully customized automation solutions to meet your individual needs, no matter how complex. It’s this commitment to customization and collaboration that sets us apart in the industrial machinery market.
Software Tools in Industrial Design
DAPR utilizes several innovative software tools to optimize equipment design. These include:
- Computer-aided design (CAD) software for detailed designs
- Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software for streamlining operations
- Programmable logic controller (PLC) software for efficient automation control
Elevate Your Industrial Operations With DAPR Engineering
For top-quality, customized industrial machine design solutions, turn to the team at DAPR Engineering. As part of Re:Build Manufacturing, our extensive, experienced team can assist you with everything from semi-automated equipment like work cells to 100%-automated factory lines and robotics.
For more information on our industrial machine design solutions, contact us today.