Sheet metal fabrication is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Furthermore, the use of new technologies is now witnessing an increased surge despite the fact that it is still seen as traditional in its approach. For sheet metal production tasks including cutting, machining, welding, and final product assembly in the past, manual tools were mostly employed. The modern day has seen the replacement of many of these tools by more sophisticated and simple ones. Both enhanced supply chain procedures and technological developments are driving forces behind the expansion of the
sheet metal fabricating sector.
As the steel fabrication sector continues to integrate advanced technologies like
steel laser cutting, it paves the way for an exciting and transformative future. Innovations in automation, data analytics, and materials science are likely to complement and enhance the capabilities of laser cutting, creating a synergy that will reshape metalworking and construction on a global scale.
In terms of market, the global sheet metal market size is expected to reach around USD 370 billion by 2026 and is expected to keep growing in the years to come. More and more sectors are starting to rely on metal fabrication including agriculture, defense, and aerospace.
That being said, in this article let's explore the rising technology trends in the sheet metal market.
Arrival Of Robotics
Many industries have long been resistant towards the use of robots and all robots technologies, primarily due to fears that robotics would replace human labor, and thus job opportunities. Although some people still have concerns about this, robotics have lately become a useful tool in the metal manufacturing industry. Robotics are quite capable of carrying out repetitive, menial jobs that are frequently time-consuming and/or risky for human workers.
Metal manufacture has been affected by labor shortages, which are partly a result of the COVID-19 epidemic, in many sectors of the global economy. The utilization of developing robotics technology, especially collaborative robots, sometimes known as "co-bots," has helped to lessen some of the consequences of the present labor crisis.