How does intelligent manufacturing change the customization of precision parts and products?

Industry 4.0, or smart manufacturing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) has promised manufacturers an incredible amount of data and connectivity levels in the near future. Highly intelligent machines, systems and components will be interconnected to create a fully digital value chain. The fourth industrial revolution will be enabled by the Industrial Internet of Things.

Industry 4.0 will introduce a whole new method of producing precision components for goods. Robots that produce products and sensors that collect data will merge with artificial intelligence and connected networks to form a single integrated system that encompasses the physical and digital worlds.

Smart manufacturing will take small-scale custom precision component products and combine them with modern manufacturing processes and technologies. The result will be mass personalization, or in other words, mass production of custom precision component products and services. For example, precision component products on an assembly line will receive communications from factory machines that determine how they are handled individually. In addition, assembly machines and automation systems will communicate with maintenance technicians and notify them of potential problems before production stops. Imagine sales, engineering, supply chain, manufacturing and logistics - all smart and all relevant.

The benefits of this precision component manufacturing are clear. Consumers get highly personalized merchandise with precision components at affordable prices, while the industry increases efficiency and flexible production to adapt to rapidly changing markets.

But wouldn't all these connections expose corporate IPs and increase our vulnerability to hacking? While no system is completely secure, the defining quality of a smart factory is intelligence. Advanced software for Industry 4.0 and IoT will predict threats and manage problems in real time. This level of cybersecurity will allow us to enjoy the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution while managing risk.

Technology is still a long way off, but it's only a matter of time before passengers in cars, engineers in labs, and intelligent robotic systems in factories of the future will be connected in seemingly unimaginable ways. The pace of development in precision parts processing technology has never been faster, and we are excited to see where the future is headed.

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