The Hidden Weakness of Automation
At first glance, many workshops give the impression that machines are running the show. A welding arm sends out brief showers of sparks, a drone hovers around a steel beam, and a small transport unit winds its way between stacks of pallets.
From a distance it looks like a closed system without weak points. A closer look tells another story.
Motors that run smoothly for most of the shift can hide tiny fractures that end in sudden stoppage. In one automotive plant, a single unnoticed crack in a gearbox housing forced an entire line to shut down for two days. [Read more…] about AI Meets Field Robotics: Why Smart Inspections Go Beyond Automation