Mechanical context
Describe the surrounding equipment, workpiece variation, space and how the task fits into the wider sequence.
AUTOMATION INTEGRATION
A machine is part
of a bigger system.
The mechanism, the controls and the working environment need to be considered together. That is the basis of our systems approach.
01Physical taskWhat the work requires
02Mechanism & controlsHow a concept might respond
03Human interactionHow people supervise and use it
04EvaluationWhat needs to be established
CONNECTED ENGINEERING QUESTIONS
Keep the whole
workflow in view.
A machine concept can look convincing in isolation and still leave important application questions unanswered. The work before and after the automated step matters.
We use a systems perspective to frame development discussions: where materials enter, what the mechanism must do, how an operator interacts with it and which interfaces need to be defined.
This is an engineering approach. Specific control features, sensing, interfaces and performance are agreed only within a confirmed project scope.
Discuss an integration questionQUESTIONS TO BRING
Define the interfaces.
Reduce the ambiguity.
Control context
Identify existing controls, the information available to operators and the interactions that a concept would need.
Operational context
Explain handovers, supervision, maintenance access and who can provide reliable feedback during development.
LET’S DEFINE THE NEXT STEP