robots and quality and cost (archive)

The cost of hand work may have been justified in 1960, but there are very few pieces of an automobile that can't be made better by a computer-controlled mechanical process than by a worker today, probably including wheel finishing. Do you agree, Kevin?

I'd agree that, if you can define a process as a series of steps that must be repeated without deviation to produce ultimate quality, then mechanical processes are a viable choice. Unfortunatley they are also very costly. The intitial costs of building the tool, programming the systems, testing, etc... to get the repeatability required to justify the expense. So, all this essentially means you remain dependant on human labor for amny parts, especially special parts that just don't have the volume to justify the robotics investment.

In our facility we still have humans operating the powder coat application guns, loading the parts and downloading the conveyers. I am sure that if we made just wheels, a mechanical system could be designed to improve the finsih process and quality.

Follow Ups:

Man, if customers only understood this. . . . . David 18:05 6/24/2000 (0)

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