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Here is a list of 90 FA Equipment categories. It encompasses a wide range including solder pots, flux spraying machines, screw driving machines, programmable controllers, etc. You can search for an overview, principle, and usage of each category, as well as find manufacturers and distributors.
FA (Factory Automation) Equipment is a general term for devices and systems that automate production lines and inspections in factories, etc.
FA Equipment can be used to increase productivity per hour because it can operate much faster than human processing speed. In addition, it also leads to cost reductions through labor savings, which is why demand for this equipment is increasing worldwide. Also, the equipment can efficiently detect defects that cannot be detected by the human eye during product inspections, thereby reducing the percentage of defective products and improving the product yield rate.
There are various types of FA Equipment, ranging from large-scale equipment that completely automates a production line to controller-type equipment that can be connected to existing equipment to perform programmed operations.
Currently, full automation of production lines is not very realistic due to the high cost involved. In fact, it is common to introduce the system at key points in the process, such as parts supply by parts feeder or automatic quality inspection. Furthermore, in order to reduce the cost of FA Equipment, it is possible to convert existing equipment into FA Equipment by introducing programmable controllers, etc., rather than installing dedicated FA Equipment.
It is important to introduce appropriate FA Equipment on an appropriate scale according to the purpose and budget.
FA Equipment has the following functions and roles, which are combined to automate the production plant:
Operation is to move a machine or equipment by human judgment. This is the act of moving a car by pressing the accelerator pedal, or moving a character in a video game by pressing a button on the controller.
Control is to control the movement of an object by a set of rules. In the case of driving a car, this means controlling the steering wheel so that the car stays between the lanes to avoid accidents.
To operate or control is to actually output to the outside world. In the case of driving a car, the action of rotating the tires is driving.
To control an operating object, it is necessary to trigger it to move. Even during operation, it is necessary to detect what state the machine is in. Sensors are used for this purpose.
Indicates whether the machine is running normally and whether any abnormalities are occurring. It is very dangerous if a machine suddenly starts moving under some conditions even if it appears to be stopped at first glance. Therefore, the indicator is displayed by means of lamps, etc. so that people can see and understand it.
In the early days of a production factory, material processing, transportation, inspection, etc. are performed by human hands. Although this is implemented in any production factory, regardless of industry, the initial investment in equipment is higher than employee salaries, so it is necessary to consider the payback on the investment before introducing the equipment.
If the plant is able to respond to problems and perform daily maintenance, it will be able to produce higher quality products than if human labor is used. Also, for simple tasks, the time required is shorter than that of human workers, and it is possible to respond to large orders.
In places where the work environment is poor, there is an increased risk of injury and health hazards due to accidents when people are working. The introduction of industrial robots has the advantage of preventing work-related accidents and health hazards.
In terms of performance trends in the domestic FA Equipment industry, shipments have been declining due to declining capital investment in semiconductor manufacturing and electronic equipment, the leveling off of smartphone demand around 2018, and the impact of trade friction between the U.S. and China in 2019. However, there are signs of recovery due to the prospect that this decline has bottomed out and rising demand for factory automation due to soaring global labor costs.
On the technological front, smart factories, in which FA Equipment is connected to the Internet and converted to IoT, are attracting attention, and the development of software to facilitate this is required.
*This ranking is solely among the companies registered with Metoree, sorted by the number of employees. Please use this as a rough guide to understand their scale.
