The Implications Of Industry 4.0 On Manufacturing And Computer-aided Design

Introduction

The industrial revolution refers to the time when work started to be performed by machines in industries. The developments in technology as well as science have continuously promoted industrialization development globally and have assisted in bringing more explicit and specific meanings to industrialization over the years (Liao et al., 2018). More specifically, the fourth industrial revolution promoted more developments in technology and science where the Internet of Things as well as its associated technology serves as primary of Cyber-Physical Systems and smart machines that optimize production in the manufacturing sector. This paper discusses the Industry 4.0 implications on manufacturing and computer-aided design.

Q1 - What are the differences and similarities between the four industrial revolutions?

On differences, the first industrial revolution was characterized by mechanical innovations as well as steam power which promoted the creation of the coal-powered external combustion engine. The revolution began towards the end of the 18th century where the textile industry became mechanized and there was a factory birth (Belvedere et al., 2013). Unlike the first revolution, the second revolution began in the middle of the 19th century and was marked by oil-powered internal combustion engine use as well as electrical communications. Moreover, the revolution created the “factory” electrification as well as large scale production which developed the need for the development of the assembly line in 1913 by Henry Ford. On the other hand, the third industrial revolution which was also referred to as the digital revolution which existed by the 1980th promoted computerization like a personal computer, mainframe computers as well as the internet and ICT which is being used today. Lastly, unlike the other phases, the fourth industrial revolution which started at the beginning of the 21st century promoted cyber-physical systems creating new methods where technology becomes embedded in the community. For instance, in government, business and civil society, etc. Because of the advancement of technology in the fourth revolution, the world has become a digital world. Moreover, the fourth industrial revolution focuses on augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, machine learning, etc. however, scholars suggest that this revolution does not predict the future, rather it is a call-to-action for governments, businesses, industries, etc. to embrace change and take part in innovation and technological developments (Belvedere et al., 2013

It is also important to note that, all industrial revolutions have some similarities which are evident in all revolutions. For instance, all Industrial Revolutions heavily influenced the transportation industries of their time. Moreover, all Industrial Revolutions assisted in developing the need for raw material. Other similarities include change of demand for products as customer tastes changed, with every industrial revolution, fewer employees were required increasing unemployment due to increased mechanization at each stage. Besides, every stage of the revolution created increased job specialization.

Lastly, studies suggest that the four revolutions created a concentration of the workforce in factories and the concentration of the population in cities (Philbeck & Davis, 2019). However, other studies have faulted these claim urging that, with the digital age, the distributed labour in organizations was largely affected and companies have come up with remote work schemes compared to the first and the second industrial revolution and leaving the digital tools to maintain a coherent culture and efficient internal communication (Franklin, 2013). Moreover, with the increase in freelance workers, industrial congestion had declined and workers worked remotely hence faulting the claim.

Q2 - Explain how the manufacturing industry has evolved throughout the various industrial revolutions

For the last several centuries the manufacturing history has changed dramatically. The change has moved from human labour to mechanization. These changes began in England by the 18th century as earlier mentioned and ultimately stretched to neighbouring states like German, France and later the United States (Lasi et al., 2014). During the industrial revolution, there was a massive increase in factory jobs resulting in changes in how goods were produced. Machinery during that period like the textile industry which utilized the spinning wheel, the water wheel, and the steam engine were invented. These inventions enhanced the production of manufactured items.

More specifically, scholars argue that, during the first industrial revolution, there was the introduction of mechanical production facilities. Steam and water-powered machines were created to assist in large scale production of industrial products. For instance, a weaving loom was invented by 1784. This revolution is perceived to be the start of industrial culture which focused equally on the scale, efficiency, and quality (Yin et al., 2018). The second phase of the industrial revolution was contributed by the revolution and the development of machines that were being powered by electrical energy. This energy was being utilized as a key power source. The invention of more effective power resulted in large scale production of goods in the manufacturing industry compared to the first revolution and the assembly line was considered standard practice. The evolution enhanced the industry culture introduced in the first industrial revolution. Different production management techniques like labour division, just-in-time manufacturing among other techniques were introduced and resulted in improved quality and output (Jiang et al., 2016).

The third industrial revolution was promoted by advancements in the electronics industry. The manufacturing and invention of various electronic devices resulted in reduced effort, increased speed as well as total human agent replacement in some cases. Additionally, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) invention also intensified automation using electronics (Philbeck & Davis, 2019). Among other inventions, the revolution resulted in the entire manufacturing industry automation using electronics and IT. Moreover, the need to further decrease the costs of production forced many industries to migrate to low-cost states to seek cheap labour resulting in the formation of the concept of Supply Chain Management.

Lastly, the fourth industrial revolution created a boom in the telecommunication and internet sector which greatly affected the manufacturing industry. It also created great changes in the traditional products as well as the manufacturing industry's operations resulting in the merging of boundaries of the virtual and the physical world (Philbeck & Davis, 2019). For instance, the Cyber-Physical Systems analyses and guides intelligent actions for various industrial processes and makes machines smarter. The smart machines' role is to detect, monitor and as well predict faults to initiate remedial action and preventive measures. Similarly, the developments created the invention of improved and efficient production, logistics, optimization, scheduling, and improvement of quality control among other benefits. It puts people, machines, as well as infrastructure and processes into a single networked loop hence creating overall management which is highly effective and efficient (Philbeck & Davis, 2019).

Q3 - Explain how the "designer's" role has evolved and how it is likely to change as we move toward mass customization

Designing is always associated with socio-technological factors. As of the 20th century, 1st and 2nd design orders were significant in the development of industrial and graphic design (Park, 2016). Later, the third and fourth design orders were associated with the environment and interactions. The first two industrial revolution phases ensured the transition from a feudal and farming community to a capitalist and industrial society (García, 2017). The third revolution was associated with the post-industrial society. Additionally, the Fourth phase of the revolution resulted in the development of the3D printers, Internet as well as genetic algorithms which are associated with artificial intelligence, software, computers, and machine learning. During the first industrial revolution, new manufacturing methods were invented creating new design possibilities. For instance, no. 14 chair by Thonet (García, 2017). Moreover, instead of constructing and conceiving every product individually, the manufacturing and planning of products were divided and a new sector - the industrial design was created. In the second revolution, created a tried-and-tested pattern of a design example of the technology was applied in the electric water kettle. This was followed by the design of the product which was different from the traditional designs and which adopted a visual language. After the First World War, modern aesthetics which adopted new technology and showed the exact image of machinery that was developed (Garcia, 2017). In the third revolution, designers have already made the transition from paintbrush to a pixel. In the fourth revolution, tools such as AI, AR, VR, and IOT are being used to relate more attractive and anaesthetic designs which are more improved compared to other revolutions. Toward mass customization, companies are adopting 3DP technology which is changing the fashion design industry and may reshape the global fashion industry (Laplume, Petersen, & Pearce, 2016). The technology assists in decreasing the supply chain network complexity.

Q4 - A vision for the future – What are the implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for contemporary engineers?

We are living in a technological revolution world which impacts how we relate to each other, work and live. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has the possibility of increasing the world's net income levels and improve the quality of living globally (Möller, 2016). Regardless of the positive changes, automation may create substitution of labour in the entire global economy and the total worker's displacement by machines might exacerbate the gap between returns to labour and returns to capital. The digital technology sector, engineering technologies, will be deployed across all domains of society – including the transport, industrial production, and energy production sectors – to enable greater efficiencies to be gained. This is particularly relevant to sustainable energy technologies (Tekinerdogan, 2017). However, increased automation and sophisticated technology engineering role in the society may decrease hence reducing the number of employees in the engineering sector in the future (Tekinerdogan, 2017).

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