All the expert-led sessions are now available on-demand – just register for free here to view them at your leisure and share with colleagues. Here are key messages from three of the informative sessions.
AI probably won’t replace engineers
Eight broad challenges will occupy engineers for the next 30-50 years, said IMechE past president Peter Flinn in the opening session. Some of these, such as competitiveness and recruitment, are perennial issues for engineering and manufacturing firms. Others, such as the energy transition and strategic materials, are becoming increasingly important.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one such issue. “Artificial intelligence is very much the topic of the moment, and one can see it playing a strong role,” said Flinn. “First of all in the analysis of large datasets, in process and system controls, in the management of supply chains, and in the application of standards and design codes and so on.”
Despite its significant power, he said that AI will not replace engineers. Instead, workers will benefit from its assistance. “I personally think that AI will become more of a support, in the same way as FE (finite element) models support engineers. It will enable engineers to do things, or to consider things, perhaps take more facts into account, more data into account and build up a broader picture of how things work…
“We will, for example, have the ability to understand how things operate in service in far more detail than has ever been the case, and therefore that gives us the opportunity of optimising designs.”
The introduction of AI could cause safety concerns however, especially when considering product certification. “It's quite difficult to see the role artificial intelligence will play when you don't have hard logic written into the software system, where the logic is difficult to trace – the logic, as it were, between inputs and decisions.”
There is a ‘complete disconnect’ around automation levels
There are roughly 4m robots in use around the world, said Ben Bamford, co-CEO at Leap Automation, during a session hosted by Innovate UK – but according to PwC, about 122m manufacturing jobs are ‘automatable’ by the late 2020s. How are those numbers so far apart?
“It's a complete disconnect,” Bamford said. “What does that mean in terms of the number of people who have got to be able to programme robots, the supply chain, the ability to deliver the volume of robots required, the companies [that] integrate them? There's just so much work that is required to deliver what will be automatable by the late 2020s, versus where we are today.”
Driving “up and down the country” with his business partner, covering about 30,000 miles and dozens of manufacturing facilities, Bamford said that he frequently saw tasks that have been “solved” – in a robotic sense – still being done by human workers.
Most robot systems need to be tightly integrated and coupled with ancillary systems to work properly, he said. “Eliminating” robot programming requirements to enable simple set-ups with integrated systems could be a key step in enabling wider automation, he said.
There are 4 main drivers for additive manufacturing
New manufacturing approaches and wider ‘megatrends’ affecting the industrial market will be the catalyst for adoption of additive manufacturing (AM), said Maryam Qureshi from HP, during a session focused on going from prototypes to production.
Shifting demographics, a growing skills gap, optimised factory lines and an increasing focus on safety are all encouraging more automation, Qureshi said – and HP’s Multi-Jet Fusion technology could help companies adapt to the changing environment, she claimed.
There are four main drivers for AM uptake, she said. “The first one is time. So that allows you to have faster development cycles, speed to market, which can give you a competitive edge.”
Then comes the economic advantage – “it’s great for lower volume models, it enables you to develop new business models, personalisation, spare parts.”
The third is improved safety, she said, with lighter and more ergonomic parts and reduced changeover times.
Finally there are the sustainability gains. “Being able to use minimal material, you've got less wastage, CO2 reduction. You can print on demand, so you don't have to have so much warehousing, and printing more sustainable materials as well.”
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.