Fixed Automation Benefits

• Fixed automation allows many pieces or parts to be manufactured without much human interaction. Because the sequence is fixed, the piece or part can often go from raw material to completed part without any adjustments made to the machine. The fixed automation allows millions of products to be manufactured in a relatively short amount of time as well and is used to make automobile and aviation parts. Fixed automation allows companies to make high demand parts in large quantities that would not otherwise make sense economically.
  
  

CNC Machine Benefits

• CNC, or computer numerical control, allows a machine shop to make complex parts for various industries including the automotive and aeronautical industries and are often used to manufacture plastic injection molds to make common plastic parts. The machinist programs the piece and often proofs the first part to assure that the program is correct and that the tooling is doing its proper job, but the operator watches the tooling and checks the parts as they come out of the machine. With the proper training, an operator can catch problems or errors and make the proper adjustments to the tooling or the machine.
  
  

Limitations of Fixed Automation

• The cost of the machines used for fixed automation can be very high as these machines create and transport the parts as they go through various operations. All of that automation can be expensive, but the cost reductions that occur in quantity as well as saved labor costs often justify these expenses. Millions of parts can be made in the same production run. As the quantity goes up, the cost per part often goes down. Fixed automation is also not useful for parts that need major changes or are complicated in design.
  
  

Limitations of CNC Machines

• CNC machines, like those used for fixed automation are very expensive, often costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. A machine shop must have many high paying jobs to counteract this expense. The personnel required to run a CNC machine is also expensive as machinists who setup parts and program using computer-aided manufacturing software demand a high salary. Unlike fixed automation, CNC machined parts must be watched and measured between operations, which makes human interaction and labor costs necessary.