LIGHTS-OUT FACTORIES

A lights-out factory, also called a dark factory, is one where requirements for human activity are so minimal that the facility can operate in the dark with zero human intervention onsite.

Today, the concept known as “Lights out” factories is an automation method used in factories that actively produce. The most important feature of the dark factories is that there is no need for human power during production and completely unmanned production is provided.

In this article, I will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of unmanned production sites known as dark factories, the future of the system, and the areas it affects.

In today’s factories, processes such as removing parts, and maintaining the operation are managed with typical manpower and the work of the workers is a necessity due to their current structure.

To prevent the gap between the activity of today’s consumption sector and supply and demand, many factories have started to make dark production.

In order to prevent the gap between the activity of today’s consumption sector and supply and demand, many factories have started to make dark production between shifts in order to meet the increasing demand within the possibilities provided by the technology in their own capacities and to increase the financial power of the factory. In dark factories, little or no human intervention is needed from the entry of the raw material to the exit of the product from the factory.

Not Tutuyoruz, üniversite öğrencilerinin ve mezunlarının öğrenim gördükleri bölümler hakkında içerik ürettikleri bir topluluktur. Kişisel deneyimler, üniversite hakkında bilgilendirici içerikler, ilgi alanları ve daha birçok konuyu kapsayacak şekilde içerik üreten bir topluluğuz.

Not Tutuyoruz Kasım 2021'de aktif hale gelerek günden güne değişmeye devam ediyor, siz de bu aileye katılmaktan çekinmeyin!

Well, now you can imagine a normal factory producing today. This system, called lights-out production, provides a constant production output to its user and does this without the help of any manpower. There are no people actively working in the dark factories. Production in these factories is carried out entirely by robotic systems. In this way, production in these factories can be carried out even when the lights are turned off. The production system carried out in dark factories is a form of automation that ensures continuity in production, if people were involved in the dark production, this work carried out with the automation system would be difficult to get out of.

For example; When high temperatures, high weights, toxic gases, or all other dangerous working conditions occur during a function that needs to be performed, robots are used instead of humans to perform these functions, ensuring a smooth operation in occupational safety.

The First Dark Factory is producing mobile phone modules established in China. It was announced by the general manager of the factory that a robot arm used in the factory alone did the work that 6–8 workers could do and that the number of workers working in the factory was 650 before the system was installed, and this number decreased to 60 with the system.

It has been observed that the rate of defective parts in the final product output decreased from 25% to 5% with the active installation and operation of the system in the factory. It looks like the system will be used very widely in the near future. With the common use of the system, the need for labor-intensive workers will decrease considerably. Although this situation seems to affect employment negatively when we look at it, these systems will create new employment with new job descriptions that will emerge in production and maintenance, and repair activities.

Additional benefits:

• Reduced labor costs,
• Automation of monotonous processes,
• Agility and flexibility to meet changing demands,
• Reduced error rates,
• Material management efficiencies,
• Accelerated product lifecycles,
• Faster replication of processes to new sites…

The ability of many manufacturers to apply the lights-rare operations relies on recent developments in machinery and manufacturing processes. Some of the technological advancements that have enabled autonomous production include:

• Advancements in robotics, automation, and 5G,
• Innovative processes,
• Advancements in automated nondestructive inspection and quality technologies,
• Operational technology (OT),
• Artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML),
• Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies…

Although the system is not currently in its golden age, it seems that it will take its place at the top among the preferred methods in the production sector with the automation systems developing in the future.

Like you, I look forward to the future of dark factories.

See you in the next writings.