Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

The Automatic Factory

The Automatic Factory APRI L VOLUME 7 195 5 No. 4 Scientific LUBRICATION UCH is being heard just now about the Auto­ responsibilities for maintenance departments. Lub­ M matic Factory of the relatively near future, rication Engineers may then have the status tha t they and far more has been said and written about it in the deserve, for they will be called upon to design and to U.S.A. than in this country. There is nothing very lay out the most complicated lubrication systems wonderful about it, it follows the course of natural that we have ever seen. Should any of these systems industrial revolution. Instead of a few automatic break down, the automatic factory may come to a machines with which we are all familiar, almost every standstill. It would seem, at this stage, that the section of a works from the arrival of raw materials success of any automatic factory will depend upon its to the final assembly is to be run without manual freedom from breakdowns, and this, to a great extent, effort in this factory of the future. will depend upon the efficiency of its lubrication So real are the prospects of achieving this, eventu­ systems. It is good to believe that even those ally, that the Institution of Production Engineers is machine manufacturers who at present scorn any arranging a conference entitled "The Automatic suggestion of fitting efficient lubrication systems on Factory—What does it Mean ? " at Margate, from their products may have to change their minds ! June 16th to 19th, when a number of eminent speakers I t is certain that the automatic factory will make will be present. They include C. Metcalfe (E.M.I. demands upon lubricants and the methods of applying Engineering Developments Ltd.), who will give a them. Speeds of machine parts will increase, and paper "Computers—Electronics' Contribution to Pro­ clearances will probably decrease in order to ensure duction", H. J. Graves (Austin Motor Co. Ltd.) will finer degrees of finish. Low viscosity grades of discuss the Automatic Mechanical Project Factory, lubricating oil, having very high resistance to oxi­ D. W. Hooper (N.C.B.) will talk about the Automatic dation, freedom from gumming and staining over long Office, and J . A. Sargrove (Sargrove Electronics Ltd.) periods of time, and high film strength seem to be the will read his paper "Automatic Inspection—The most important qualities that will be required. The Anatomy of Conscious Machines". greases must also be foolproof. At present, the machine operator usually gets some warning tha t the As we expect the latter author will point out, no lubrication of his machine is not as it should be and factory can be truly automatic unless the inspection of parts is also automatic. The type of machines can do something about it before damage is done, but envisaged in such a factory will, therefore, be very this will not be so easy where there are no machine costly to design and produce, but since wages are operators. Automatically operated foolproof cen­ high, the savings here should be great on any long tralised lubrication systems, with automatically con­ term policy, and output could be multiplied with no trolled linkages for stopping the machine in case of overheating bearings, or failure of any part of the extra labour costs. It must be remembered, how­ ever, that it is not every type of production in which system, will be required. labour costs are a major proportion of total cost, and To argue against the merits of the automatic the automatic factory may not be suitable for so many factory is as useless as to argue the pros and cons of types of production as some people think. aircraft which now have the ability to carry hydrogen What about lubrication in the automatic factory ? bombs to their destination without any pilot. So- If there are to be no manual workers, if workers are called progress is inevitable. Production will increase to eliminate completely all drudgery and monotony a t an accelerating rate until it reaches a limit, and as from their work, it is difficult to imagine anyone going far as can be seen, tha t limit will be decided by supply round these intricate machines to oil and grease them. and demand. The higher the rate of production, the Perhaps they will all be fitted with automatic, cen­ more costly the machines, the greater the capital tied tralised systems of lubrication for every point. Maybe up in factories, and the greater the hardships when a even the weekly and monthly topping up of lubrica­ trade depression comes about. Progress of this kind tion systems and grease reservoirs will be done by brings so many advantages to the majority of people, automatically operated pumps situated in the bulk or at least it brings those things which modern civil­ containers in the oil stores. isation regards as advantages, tha t no one would want Whatever the prospects for the automatic factory, to turn the clock back because of any possible dis­ it is certain that its coming will bring much greater advantages which cannot now be seen. Scientific LUBRICATION April, 1955 13 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Industrial Lubrication and Tribology Emerald Publishing

The Automatic Factory

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology , Volume 7 (4): 1 – Apr 1, 1955
Download PDF
1 page

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/the-automatic-factory-sk3bAjA929

References

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0036-8792
DOI
10.1108/eb052329
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

APRI L VOLUME 7 195 5 No. 4 Scientific LUBRICATION UCH is being heard just now about the Auto­ responsibilities for maintenance departments. Lub­ M matic Factory of the relatively near future, rication Engineers may then have the status tha t they and far more has been said and written about it in the deserve, for they will be called upon to design and to U.S.A. than in this country. There is nothing very lay out the most complicated lubrication systems wonderful about it, it follows the course of natural that we have ever seen. Should any of these systems industrial revolution. Instead of a few automatic break down, the automatic factory may come to a machines with which we are all familiar, almost every standstill. It would seem, at this stage, that the section of a works from the arrival of raw materials success of any automatic factory will depend upon its to the final assembly is to be run without manual freedom from breakdowns, and this, to a great extent, effort in this factory of the future. will depend upon the efficiency of its lubrication So real are the prospects of achieving this, eventu­ systems. It is good to believe that even those ally, that the Institution of Production Engineers is machine manufacturers who at present scorn any arranging a conference entitled "The Automatic suggestion of fitting efficient lubrication systems on Factory—What does it Mean ? " at Margate, from their products may have to change their minds ! June 16th to 19th, when a number of eminent speakers I t is certain that the automatic factory will make will be present. They include C. Metcalfe (E.M.I. demands upon lubricants and the methods of applying Engineering Developments Ltd.), who will give a them. Speeds of machine parts will increase, and paper "Computers—Electronics' Contribution to Pro­ clearances will probably decrease in order to ensure duction", H. J. Graves (Austin Motor Co. Ltd.) will finer degrees of finish. Low viscosity grades of discuss the Automatic Mechanical Project Factory, lubricating oil, having very high resistance to oxi­ D. W. Hooper (N.C.B.) will talk about the Automatic dation, freedom from gumming and staining over long Office, and J . A. Sargrove (Sargrove Electronics Ltd.) periods of time, and high film strength seem to be the will read his paper "Automatic Inspection—The most important qualities that will be required. The Anatomy of Conscious Machines". greases must also be foolproof. At present, the machine operator usually gets some warning tha t the As we expect the latter author will point out, no lubrication of his machine is not as it should be and factory can be truly automatic unless the inspection of parts is also automatic. The type of machines can do something about it before damage is done, but envisaged in such a factory will, therefore, be very this will not be so easy where there are no machine costly to design and produce, but since wages are operators. Automatically operated foolproof cen­ high, the savings here should be great on any long tralised lubrication systems, with automatically con­ term policy, and output could be multiplied with no trolled linkages for stopping the machine in case of overheating bearings, or failure of any part of the extra labour costs. It must be remembered, how­ ever, that it is not every type of production in which system, will be required. labour costs are a major proportion of total cost, and To argue against the merits of the automatic the automatic factory may not be suitable for so many factory is as useless as to argue the pros and cons of types of production as some people think. aircraft which now have the ability to carry hydrogen What about lubrication in the automatic factory ? bombs to their destination without any pilot. So- If there are to be no manual workers, if workers are called progress is inevitable. Production will increase to eliminate completely all drudgery and monotony a t an accelerating rate until it reaches a limit, and as from their work, it is difficult to imagine anyone going far as can be seen, tha t limit will be decided by supply round these intricate machines to oil and grease them. and demand. The higher the rate of production, the Perhaps they will all be fitted with automatic, cen­ more costly the machines, the greater the capital tied tralised systems of lubrication for every point. Maybe up in factories, and the greater the hardships when a even the weekly and monthly topping up of lubrica­ trade depression comes about. Progress of this kind tion systems and grease reservoirs will be done by brings so many advantages to the majority of people, automatically operated pumps situated in the bulk or at least it brings those things which modern civil­ containers in the oil stores. isation regards as advantages, tha t no one would want Whatever the prospects for the automatic factory, to turn the clock back because of any possible dis­ it is certain that its coming will bring much greater advantages which cannot now be seen. Scientific LUBRICATION April, 1955 13

Journal

Industrial Lubrication and Tribology – Emerald Publishing

Published: Apr 1, 1955

There are no references for this article.