Lights-out manufacturing is a manufacturing methodology (or philosophy), not a specific process.
Factories that employ 'lights-out manufacturing' are fully automated and require no human presence on-site. These factories are considered to be able to run 'with the lights off.' Many factories are capable of lights-out production, but few run exclusively lights-out. Typically, in computer numerical control (CNC) machining, workers are necessary to set up tombstones that hold parts to be manufactured and remove completed parts. As the technology necessary for total automation becomes increasingly available, many factories are beginning to use lights-out production between shifts (or as a separate shift) to meet increasing production demand or to save money on labor. Going forward this concept of automation will become more popular and can support human beings.
Lights Out chronicles the challenges of Mark 'Karate Man' Turner when the lights go out over most of the free world. He must find in himself the ability to unite his family, friends, and neighbors if any of them are to survive the harsh reality that everyday life becomes when the veneer of civilization is stripped away. Audubon's Lights Out program is a national effort to reduce this problem. The strategy is simple: by convincing building owners and managers to turn off excess lighting during the months migrating birds are flying overhead, we help to provide them safe passage between their nesting and wintering grounds. Lights Out centers on an aging boxer played by Holt McCallany. This character struggles to find a true identity, while tryingto support his wife and three daughters, after retiring from the sport. Lights Out is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by David F. Sandberg in his directorial debut, produced by Lawrence Grey, James Wan, and Eric Heisserer and written by Heisserer. It stars Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, Billy Burke, and Maria Bello.
An automatic factory is a place where raw materials enter, and finished products leave with little or no human intervention.[1][2] One of the earliest descriptions of the automatic factory in fiction was the 1955 short story 'Autofac,' by Philip K. Dick.[3]
Lights Out Trailer
Real-world examples[edit]
Lights Out 2016 Cast
'Lights out' computer numerical control (CNC) machining[edit]
Lights Out Podcast
CNC machines do not require continuous operator attention, and some models can run unattended.[4] A few machine shops run CNC unattended on nights and weekends. Although the machines are run without being under constant supervision, it is a common practice to always have a person in the vicinity of the machine.[5]
Existing 'lights-out factories'[edit]
FANUC, a Japanese robotics company, has been operating as a lights-out factory since 2001.[6]Robots are building other robots at a rate of about 50 per 24-hour shift and can run unsupervised for as long as 30 days at a time. 'Not only is it lights-out,' says Fanuc vice president Gary Zywiol, 'we turn off the air conditioning and heat too.' [7]
In the Netherlands, Philips uses lights-out manufacturing to produce electric razors, with 128 robots made by Adept Technology. There are only nine human quality assurance workers who oversee the end of the manufacturing process.[8]
In the manufacturing of integrated circuits using 300 mm wafers, the entire manufacturing process is completely automated, with workers only making sure that the process runs without problems and repairing any faulty machinery.
Motivations for lights-out factories[edit]
Lights-out manufacturing may increase productivity and lower upkeep costs. Companies incorporating lights-out methodologies into floor plans only need to consider robotic workers, which minimize space and climate-control requirements. Human laborers can be dispatched to a separate location for tasks such as quality assurance. Optimizing manufacturing space for a fully autonomous robotic workforce allows for an increase in productivity.[citation needed]
James Cook, an application engineer at Stäubli, colleague of David Arceneaux and the business development and marketing manager at Stäubli Robotics, says robots can help lower building costs by requiring smaller work cells. He states that 'manufacturers can fit a larger number of compact cells in the same space to increase production without adding heating, lighting, or cooling to the cost of the building.'[9] Floor space is also important for energy conservation, as a smaller space reduces energy consumption by reducing heating costs. Without human workers, climate-control systems are unnecessary, and smaller layouts require less electricity.[citation needed]
See also[edit]
Motivations for lights-out factories[edit]
Lights-out manufacturing may increase productivity and lower upkeep costs. Companies incorporating lights-out methodologies into floor plans only need to consider robotic workers, which minimize space and climate-control requirements. Human laborers can be dispatched to a separate location for tasks such as quality assurance. Optimizing manufacturing space for a fully autonomous robotic workforce allows for an increase in productivity.[citation needed]
James Cook, an application engineer at Stäubli, colleague of David Arceneaux and the business development and marketing manager at Stäubli Robotics, says robots can help lower building costs by requiring smaller work cells. He states that 'manufacturers can fit a larger number of compact cells in the same space to increase production without adding heating, lighting, or cooling to the cost of the building.'[9] Floor space is also important for energy conservation, as a smaller space reduces energy consumption by reducing heating costs. Without human workers, climate-control systems are unnecessary, and smaller layouts require less electricity.[citation needed]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Lights Out Game
- ^'Toward the automatic factory'in 'Electronic Servicing & Technology' magazine 1982 August
- ^'Toward the Automatic Factory: A Case Study of Men and Machines'by Charles Rumford Walker 1977 ISBN0-8371-9301-X
- ^'Automatic Factory'in Time magazine 1953 Sep. 28
- ^Takei Masami (Fuji Heavy Ind. Ltd.) (2003). 'Realizing Unattended Hours of Continuous Operation of Machining Center with Addition of Intelligent Function'. Subaru Technical Review (in Japanese). 30: 251–256. ISSN0910-4852. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012.
- ^'SEAS Student Machine Shop Safety Instruction Manual'(PDF).
- ^Null, Christopher; Caulfield, Brian (1 June 2003). 'Fade To Black The 1980s vision of 'lights-out' manufacturing, where robots do all the work, is a dream no more'. CNN Money.
- ^https://www.autodesk.com/redshift/lights-out-manufacturing/ RedShift by Autodesk. 3 December 2015
- ^Markoff, John (13 November 2012). 'Techonomy 2012: Where's My Robot?'(PDF). Techonomy. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^Brumson, Bennett. 'Robotic Industries Association'. Robotics Online. Robotic Industries Association. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
Lights Out 2016
- Lights-Out guarantees, that you run your computers on demand to minimize energy consumption without losing comfort.
- Lights-Out can, for example, start your computers in the morning 15 minutes ahead of your working hours. This allows time to complete Windows Updates before your employees arrive at work.
- Computers in departments or locations with different operating times can be assigned to a group. Lights-Out can manage any different groups.
The focus for Lights-Out business users is on the computers.
Here are more use cases for Lights-Out.
