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Impact Of 5G In Manufacturing Industry
The 5G networks will change several industries, including manufacturing. 5G in manufacturing industry will not only just bring speed and efficiency but new capabilities through data-driven processes. 5g manufacturing industry is a part of a larger conversation about the fourth Industrial revolution - a new era ushered in by a collection of technologies, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices, robotics and cloud, mobile broadband through 5g networks, edge and quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. The fourth industrial revolution and 5G networks, in particular, brings operation efficiency and data insights to the factory floor and supply chain. As the 5G networks will be able to transmit data 20 times faster than 4G, the factory floor will not only be more automated and operationally efficient but also more data-driven, utilizing contextual information to complete tasks and make decisions.
The machines need to operate under optimal conditions to run manufacturing efficiently. One must measure key metrics from machines, such as vibration, temperature, throughput and other device-specific characteristics to maximize the efficiency of a manufacturing process. However, with a steady stream of metrics, monitoring applications can identify problems early and alert operators to issues that need attention. Besides sensors, monitoring also requires the ability to transmit large volumes of data from sensors to analysis devices. And that's where 5G networks enable a level of data collection that was not possible with earlier technologies.
5G In Manufacturing Industry
The adoption of new technologies into the manufacturing sector depends on the rise of 5G. Besides the enhanced speed it has, 5G has the responsiveness and reach that is required to transform the world in which we live and work. There's a huge opportunity to use 5G to improve output in the manufacturing sector.
The technology promises to enable digital infrastructure to help streamline operations, which will lead to an improvement in business output. The implementation of 5G across the manufacturing industry is part of the drive for Industry 4.0.
Manufacturing businesses, like many others, are searching for innovations to drive profitability and productivity. 5G is rapidly becoming the connecting force, serving as the intermediary medium of data transfer between every component of the manufacturing ecosystem.
How Will 5G Impact Manufacturing?
- Enhanced Data Collection
The companies in the manufacturing industry are increasingly using organizational data to draw valuable insights to boost operational intelligence. The usage of data analytics in the manufacturing industry is not new. The organizations derive considerably high ROI through big data analytics, from improving manufacturing processes through advanced analytics, to ensuring quality assurance with thousands of tests for predictive analysis.
Modern-day manufacturing is based on various devices working together, which translates to bulk data creation daily. This increased collection of data can be transmitted and analyzed faster with 5G's low latency coupled with its high bandwidth capacity.
- Increased Automation
The ultra-computing capabilities afforded by 5G will enable manufacturers to design robots that benefit from increased data integration and real-time decision making. E.g. the auto manufacturing industry has already started using collaborative robots/cobots to complete tasks such as reaching into tight spaces and working in dangerous conditions/positions that are not suited for humans.
- Leverage Augmented Reality For Troubleshooting
Manufacturing units and modern-day factories are home to advanced technological solutions designed to overcome many problems. And one such solution is augmented reality. The technicians can utilize augmented reality solutions to identify issues more quickly and solve them more effectively. With such reality tools, the information can be shared in a hands-free environment. This not only allows important data sharing between different production sites but also saves considerable time. This level of data transfer requires increased bandwidth and decreased latency. Without 5G, the technical experts in the companies would spend most of their time performing non-valuable activities such as finding and linking different schematics, referencing documents, and communication and training across sites.
5G enables the manufacturing organizations to extract the potential of augmented reality solutions, ultimately leading to increased productivity.
- Supply Chain Unification
Digitalizing the modern manufacturing unit, introducing a greater degree of automation and the advent of smart devices is the focal point of the fourth industrial revolution. 5G in manufacturing industry enables supply chains to transition from a series of independently managed locations to an increasingly connected network of devices that share knowledge in real-time. As manufacturing units become smarter with the integration of smart devices, 5G in manufacturing industry enables advanced communication capabilities between devices, unifying the production process.
5G In Industrial Automation
Although 3G and 4G offer incremental improvements in speed and bandwidth, 5G will be the first cellular, a wireless platform to offer reliable machine-to-machine and Industrial IoT systems. It will do this in three ways.
- The first is enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). 5G provides peak data rates of 10 Gbps and can handle 10,000 times more traffic than its predecessors.
- Secondly, it offers ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). This implies it has a radio latency of less than 1 msec and availability greater than 99.9%, making it ideal for industrial use where uptime is always crucial.
- Thirdly, it offers massive machine-type communication (eMTC), which allows it to handle a density of one million devices per 247 acres (one square kilometer). Besides this, it can also deliver the ultra-low-cost machine-to-machine communications and last up to 10 years on battery power.
5G in industrial automation will open the door for real-time wireless sensor networks and location and asset tracking. Moreover, manufacturers who have been skeptical of adopting the likes of augmented and virtual reality technologies will be able to take full advantage of them for real-time simulations and predictive maintenance. The 5G networks will eventually be able to replace wired connections in even the most demanding applications, such as motion control and high throughput vision systems.
Undoubtedly, 5G will revolutionize manufacturing and over time will solve productivity woes. It's important to know that it requires careful obsolescence management, selective infrastructure upgrades, and a willingness to explore the new technology’s features in a diverse range of applications.
Future of 5G in industries
5G is set to enhance connectivity in networks. As the number of IoT devices increases along with the amount of data they generate, this is especially important. 5G is poised to disrupt a plethora of the world's biggest industries such as -
- Manufacturing
- Energy & Utilities
- Agriculture
- Retail
- Financial Services
- Media & Entertainment
- Healthcare
- Transportation
- AR/VR
- Insurance
- Education
- Cloud Computing
- Gaming
- Real Estate
- Public Safety
- Supply Chain Management
- Restaurants
- Tourism
- Military
- Marketing & Advertising
5G will not only catapult manufacturing operations by enabling businesses to do more faster but will also make them more secure and more responsive to customer needs. The manufacturers will be benefitted from 5G since factories, warehouses and other facilities have increasingly been equipped with smart technologies that demand a high-speed network. 5G’s unprecedented speed and coverage will bring the world closer than ever as well as provide an avenue for never-before-imagined capabilities across the manufacturing space, and hence it's an exciting time for manufacturing.