With everyone trying to understand how to safely manufacture products during the COVID-19 pandemic (and beyond), traditional assembly work center layouts often go counter to the new CDC guidelines for social distancing. One solution that will help is more shop floor automation.
While there is a plethora of high-end automation solutions (vision pick and place systems or multi-axis robots) to move products from one operator to the next during the assembly process, there are drawbacks. First, these high-end solutions do not interface well with operators and always require a safety barrier. Additionally, specifying, installing, and maintaining this level of automation is costly. And lead times ranging from 6 to 12 months hamper timely installations.
You might want to consider going to the other end of the automation spectrum – modular conveyors. If the goal is simply to distance operators six feet apart then conveyors offer the best solution. Because modular conveyors can initially be built to any length and be reconfigured to different lengths as your needs change, they are the ideal solution for creating the required distance between operators. Operators can work next to conveyors with no additional guarding or safety concerns. Conveyors are the lowest cost automation equipment you can purchase for your shop floor. In addition, modular conveyors offer lead times as short as 3 days. With a 3-day lead time, modular conveyors can be up and running within days, not weeks or months.
New solutions are needed to mitigate current and future production assembly challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies that invest in modular conveyors will be up and running rapidly, will see a quicker return on their investment, and create a safer workplace for their employees.
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