Ever since the industrial revolution, how we make things have changed drastically. Mass production of almost everything has become common. Massive buildings and advanced equipment have been the main factors in making this possible. The buildings getting larger was a method of making larger production lines to increase production capacity. They were also beneficial in housing more advanced equipment, which was often larger. These pieces of equipment were capable of doing functions faster and with more precision. They were designed and built with great care, and AN fittings are often used to make them hardy and to increase longevity. AN fittings or Army-Navy fittings is another name for military-grade fittings.
Buildings
Industrial buildings came into existence only during the industrial revolution, and this type of architecture became prevalent ever since. These buildings were specially designed for industrial processes. This does not limit manufacturing and also includes cleaning, maintaining, adapting and processing of any article. These buildings are generally single stories and often have an area dedicated to loading with docks equipped. The office space required is very less, and this free space can be utilised for storage and keeping an inventory.
While some of the features of these buildings are similar, they are built in different designs to achieve specific tasks. On this basis, they can be classified into different types of industrial buildings. Let us take a look at a few of the most common ones.
- Bulk distribution warehouses – These buildings are often at the last place of assembly or completion of a product. The key factor in the case of this building is its location. The location should complement the means of transportation being used. The buildings often should be equipped with huge parking spaces to accommodate trucks. They can also be located near an airport.
- Manufacturing Buildings – Unlike warehouses, these buildings should be equipped for the manufacturing process. This requires heavy electrical power and the right infrastructure. Depending on what product is being manufactured, additional modifications like ventilation systems or drainage are made. They may also have water, gas or chemical lines.
Machinery
The equipment used in industries is what makes it possible to make the current market well-stocked and able to satisfy customer demands. The machines are made in various designs to cater to different industrial processes. They are being used for almost all industrial processes and are key in increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The manufacturing of these machines is an industry in itself.
In terms of the level of specificity, the machinery can be classified into specific and multipurpose. The specific machines are designed for achieving particular functions and cannot be modified or used for anything other than what is intended. Whereas multipurpose machinery can perform an array of functions are often made with adjustable proportions and rearrangeable parts. Their positions can also be adjusted to do an additional alignment to suit certain processes.
The functions required by these machines vary a lot but have some basic tasks in common like mounting, clamping, rotating or guiding. There are also mechanical drives like hydraulic drives to operate the items.
The use of machines for monitoring and safety is a recent trend. Monitoring systems are used along with other machines to control manufacturing. The system can turn other machines on and off depending on the requirements in the production line.
Even though industries have come far and developed to adjust to a lot of situations, a lot more development has to be done in terms of making the whole process sustainable. While there are breakthroughs, more effort should be put into achieving environmental goals.