Show Notes
Welcome to Enabling Automation! The third episode of season 5 is "Smarter Robots, Better Automation". Join our season 5 host for this episode, Ben Hope, and special guest Nathan Snider, Applications Engineer with ATS Life Sciences Systems.
Listen to all episodes on the following platforms:
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- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sATqMHS_jiA&list=PL1amIhdccgLUh7TbNYEANqxd1WIXb4uDd&index=2
For more information, visit: https://atsautomation.com/podcasts
Contact us: https://atsautomation.com/
In this monthly podcast series, join industry leaders from across ATS as they share and discuss the latest industry trends, new innovations, and more! ATS is an industry-leading automation solutions provider to many of the world's most successful companies.
Timestamps
00:04 – Introduction
00:30 – Meet Nathan Snider: A look at his role as an ATS Applications Engineer and his experience with medical device assembly, life sciences, and automation projects.
01:07 – Why is assembly still one of the hardest things to automate?
01:52 – What can people do instinctively in assembly processes that robots still struggle to replicate?
02:31 – What types of assembly applications look simple but become surprisingly difficult to automate?
03:13 – Where does the complexity in assembly automation usually come from: the robot, the process, the product, or the surrounding system?
03:50 – What can manufacturers automate today that would have been difficult or impossible ten years ago?
04:20 – Is the robot still the most innovative part of an automation system?
05:23 – Has the focus shifted from repeatability to adaptability in modern automation?
06:20 – Is it better to engineer variability out of a process or teach robots to adapt?
06:49 – What was the biggest innovation behind collaborative robotics?
07:38 – Did collaborative robots change automation more through usability and deployment than through human-robot collaboration?
08:40 – When do collaborative robots make sense, and when are traditional robotic systems a better fit?
09:14 – Where does the engineering effort really go when commissioning an automation system?
09:58 – Why are customer requirements, communication, and alignment so critical to project success?
10:33 – How much of an automation system’s cost is actually tied to robotics and tooling?
11:09 – What are some of the biggest integration challenges automation teams face today?
11:41 – Why aren’t automation systems easier to build despite advances in technology?
12:35 – How can automation companies improve the way automation is deployed?
13:05 – How do standard platforms, reusable assets, and proven technologies help teams deliver automation faster?
13:54 – What parts of an automation system are the best candidates for standardization?
14:52 – Can you standardize the way automation teams solve applications and engineering challenges?
15:14 – Why isn’t platform adoption more common across the automation industry?
15:51 – Looking ahead: What innovations in automation are most exciting right now?
16:21 – How will AI help engineers become more efficient in design, coding, and responding to customer requirements?
16:29 – How do innovation centers and internal technology development help companies stay ahead of customer needs?
17:12 – Are there still tasks humans can do more effectively than robots?
17:35 – When might a manual process still be a better solution than automation?
18:17 – Is the future of automation about smarter robots, better platforms, or both?
18:53 – Why are usability, fault recovery, and intuitive operator experiences becoming more important?
19:26 – How do platforms help both automation builders and their customers?
19:50 – Can better machine design reduce operator training time and improve adoption?
20:12 – Final thoughts: Why the future of assembly automation depends on both smarter robotics and better deployment strategies.
20:34 – Closing
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