LASER SCANNERS HELP INCREASE PRODUCTION SPEED OF SANITARY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS

摘要

The market for hygiene facilities and sanitary equipment is vast. The World Toilet Organization has noted that, according to a 2004 study by the World Health Organization (WHO), to reduce by 50% the number of people who lack access to clean water and sanitation by 2015 will cost about US $10.3 billion per year, while US $22.6 billion will be needed to provide for the entire population. Therefore, the anticipated international market for such hygiene facilities during the ten beginning in 2004 will total US $226 billion. Sanitary equipment manufacturing is a large industry. According to the World Toilet Organization, Singapore, the total market for sanitary equipment in the next ten years in developing countries would be approximately $226 billion. The manufacturing processes for sanitary equipment are quite labor intensive and have high costs due to manual welding and adhesion. Apart from this, the process has a high defect, and hence, wastage, rate. Manufacturers are looking for ways to expedite the manufacturing process for sanitary equipment, and at the same time, reduce their costs. Thus, advanced manufacturing technologies are being explored. Some of the major processes in which human labor can be substituted are enamel spraying and adhesive application. To enable robots to perform these tasks, the manufacturing companies will need a computer-aided design (CAD) model of the sanitary equipment. As this is mostly a traditional industry, CAD designs are often not available.