The UK’s industrial automation market is experiencing significant growth – and showing little signs of slowing down.
While the robotics market continues to be dominated by manufacturers in central Europe and Asia, UK manufacturers are increasingly leading in other areas of industrial automation, such as robotic process automation, packing, warehousing, logistics and more. Original equipment manufacturers in the UK therefore have a unique opportunity to innovate and compete by embracing smarter, more resilient machinery.
Taking a customised approach from the design and development stage will help limit downtime, streamline assembly and deliver leading performance, helping businesses capitalise on the situation.
Areas of focus
The rise of the smart factory has significantly increased the scope of industrial automation outside the realm of traditional robotics, both on and off the factory floor. Cobots (collaborative robots) are entering these areas, too, alongside robotic pickers, conveyor systems and high-speed sensors. This is in addition to autonomous guided vehicles used in warehousing, automated test rigs in use for in-house testing and measurement, and more.
Opting for custom cable assemblies and components at the earliest stages of a project ensures robustness and suitability of the design, but also it simplifies it, reducing component count and streamlining assembly. Custom wiring looms, for example, combine multiple complex types of wires and cables to meet space constraints, simplify installation and leave room to accommodate future growth or the addition of new features.
Ruggedisation against stress
Off-the-shelf solutions often fall short of this sector’s tough requirements, where high levels of vibration and temperature resistance are required to protect component from failure due to mechanical stress.
Similarly, design and development engineers might be required to specify cable assemblies rated to industrial IP standards for dust, moisture and shock protection to meet industry or country-specific compliance laws.
Giving engineers the ability to customise and ruggedise components means increasing the reliability of the system, particularly where physical impacts are likely – such as in material handling or packaging lines. This minimises the risk of failure and downtime.
Then, there is the testing and validation stage, which is just as important. Physical prototyping is a must, to ensure your customised assembly meets all performance and safety standards.
Precision for high-movement applications
Taking a custom approach to design and manufacturing can be especially relevant for OEMs that supply drives and motion control systems, where a high degree of precision, speed and control is required. This includes servo motors, linear actuators, or gear-driven robotic arms — machinery that operates with constant flexing, repetitive cycles, and high acceleration and deceleration forces.
Customising the assemblies and components provides peace of mind about the precision of your electronics, whilst guarding against assembly failure, which could cause misalignment. Where standard industrial cabling might fail in servo motors, due to either conductor fatigue or sheath breakdown, design and development engineers can specify customised cables with controlled bend radii, overmoulded strain reliefs and reinforced jacketing to deliver extended flex lives.
EMI shielding for signal integrity
Another vital consideration during the product development stages is the preservation of signal integrity, especially in the presence of other electronics. This is even an even greater concern for industrial electronics operating in ‘noisy’ factory floor environments.
Signal degradation can deliver faulty test results and unreliable system feedback, while control panels near heavy machinery can also be affected by electromagnetic interference (EMI). Selecting suitable materials for the cable, insulation, shielding and connectors – based on performance and environmental requirements – is a crucial design consideration for engineers.
Customising cable assemblies means that design engineers can combine power and signal functions into a single assembly, enjoying simpler routing without worrying about crosstalk. Instead, they can work with the manufacturer to specify shielded enclosures within the assembly, EMI filters on power and signal lines, and physical separation within the assembly. This can all be achieved while maintaining a minimal level of interference acceptable for high-spec environments.
Custom cable assemblies
In essence, engineers designing automation and industrial systems should consider specifying custom cable assemblies early in the design process to ensure system reliability, reduce on-site rework, and meet safety and compliance standards.
By Paul Dearman, Head of Business Development, GTK
