Brainstorm: Manufacturing (Part 3)

Product Design & Development Brainstorm

In the Product Design & Development Brainstorm we talk with industry leaders to get their perspective on issues critical to the design engineering marketplace. In this issue, we ask:

How will the continuous and future integration of robots in manufacturing change the way we design and create?

The continuous and future integration of autonomous solutions in manufacturing will result in mass production in quantities of one.

This means that every product will be designed and customized for local needs, and produced on-demand by robotic systems in local production facilities. This will not only change the way we design and create, but inherently, it will change the way we will consume, as well.

For example, the adoption of robots in manufacturing will allow for any individuals with a computer and desire to put their own furniture, clothing, or car designs online.

Local infrastructure will be available for cost-effective production of these designs by wholly autonomous systems. Consumers can then have their custom goods on-demand.

There are many similarities in this new wave of manufacturing processes with the Industrial Revolution where standardized parts meant that we could produce goods at vastly lower costs. However, the result was that everyone had the same product.

With robots entering manufacturing, the cost of producing goods is lower still, but the difference is that now everyone has a custom product, tailored to their needs and tastes. This is the next step in the evolution of mass production and fulfilling consumer demands.