Inside the Microfactory | How Arrival Makes its Materials | ARRIVAL
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- Take a look behind the scenes at our Bicester Microfactory in the UK to see how Arrival's technologies come together to make our proprietary composite materials.
Rob Thompson, Chief of Materials, walks through the material making process. From autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that allow the Microfactory to be versatile, linking each cell together as one, to the robotic cells that are agile and capable of performing multiple tasks, compared to a traditional production line that sees each robot carry out one function.
Learn more about Arrival: www.arrival.com
#Microfactory
Would love to see more videos with details of the microfactory setup, I really like the concept
I still don't get why they call things micro for example but don't actually deal with the size 10x^-6. Like how they call things nano something like nano Cafe for a coffee shop lol
How refreshing it is to have a world scale manufacturer taking the time to explain their processes and philosophies in some detail. I would love to learn what industry production guru, Sandy Munro makes of the microfactory concept.
I agree. That would be cool.
there is absolutely nothing of a world scale here they have not sold a single car
@@markusporemba884 It depends what you mean by sold. As I understand it, Arrival has a $1.2 billion order book including 10,000 vans for UPS.
I love the fact that there is virtually zero waste, as it is all collected and reused!
would love to see a timelapse video of making an entire van in the microfactory
I would too... but the demo makes it feel very much like a "tech showcase" instead of an actual factory and they've admitted that at the moment it still require a lot of human labor to produce the handful of prototype vans they have.
Well they have to finish it first, all this new way of doing things takes a lot of time and is of course unproven. I hope they have the cash flow to finish being innovative!
Damn, that is some serious futuristic stuff. Great job!
Product designer here. Loved to see this. Novel approach. Great for prototypes and small series, but I wonder if it is fast enough for mass production? CNC Robots seemed slow.
Presumably being local to the customer makes up for that? No shipping parts across an ocean?
Flexibility vs Speed, typical conundrum for any highly reconfigurable parts (low volume) to standardize high volume manufacturing. It called "Micro factories" unlike Henry Ford production method.
Yes, it slow and the articulated robotic arm are unusually high capacity for it milling operation. It would be interesting to see if they ever standardize parts for modularity sake beside the "skateboard chassis".
After some volume and data analysis, they should have the processes and tolerances worked out, after that speeding up is a setting in the software within the limits of the machine and material handling among stations.
As someone who works in composites this is beyond thrilling.
This company is trying to improve Economies of Scope not Scale. Its an interesting case. Larger volumes of output comes from larger numbers of production units. This may work for vans and buses whose customers like customisation. I am looking forward to see how it goes.
This is a bad argument. With so many robots in the manufacturing process and 3D printing, Tesla will someday provide a tool for customers to create their own layouts and machines will follow through with their design, while still maintaining economies of scale.
@@walterlol that's a forecast from you - why don't we wait and see what happens. Also Tesla had to add more people to the production line to get model 3 numbers and quality up as the robots were not achieving the targets set for them- you do remember that - yes? Finally I made an observation - not an argument - there is a difference.
@@theexsapper well your observation is the base to your implied argument that their economies of scope is what will bring success.
I know about the quality issues that Tesla faces but that does not play a role when creating the customised configurations. In the end they will be able to solve that.
@@walterlol whatever..............
It maybe that they are improving scope for customization, but honestly, how much customization is required? Yes, each municipality has it's own requirements, which may or may not be the same as others. Without scale, Arrival will just be a niche player, unable to deliver to large orders. To my mind, the competitor is BYD and not Proterra, from a cost perspective.
Loving these videos, way to keep your shareholders informed 👏
I found your video to be the most informative Rob, thank you!
I like this microfactory cells, it is a very clever idea of making products like panels in composite machining by robots, amazing!!! I see a future in this new way of manufacturing.
I subscrived and looking forward for new videos of the process of this cells.
Always exciting to see some next level stuff happening nowadays
Brilliant factory, want to see more.
Watching closely to see if you can get the production needed to make this work. I applaud you for tackling the use of composite material in automated production process. You have really rethought the whole process, never seen anyone use textiles in place of carbon fiber. Have you developed your own resin or is this epoxy? The molding process looks like a vacuum with resin infusion, wondering what your curing time is before mold release.
Have no doubt that you can build using your micro units, you probably are already.
DO YOU HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE ON HOW IT'S MADE?
I am working on Prototype of SUV type sedan that would have a curb weight of less than 1,000 lbs and get over hundred miles to gallon. This is possible by making almost total car out of composite material parts and then assembling similar to stamped metal parts.
Your process would work well for the manufacture.
Would like to send some photos can you provide e-mail?
Loving the update videos
Amazing concept Henry Ford will be jealous!!
Nice. Can you make a longer video about the moulding and the production of the body panels as the panels have no traditional painting process? Very interesting.
HERHANGİ BİR BİLGİYE BULAŞTINIZMI ? KUMAŞLA HANGİ KİMYASALI KARIŞTIRIP KAPORTA YAPIYORLAR ?
@@gokhanozden2347 anlayacakları şekilde yazdık ama kimse tınlamadı maalesef:)
@@Oktay bende araştırıyorum hayırlısı bakalım ne çıkacak halen bilmiyorum ama keten bez kullandıkları kesin sadece kullandıkları kimyasal ne onu bulmak lazım
This is very interesting. It seems like this is much slower?
It'll be amazing to hear output/production figures compared to generic bus production line
That's my concern as well, but maybe they plan to run it day and night + have a LOT of micro factories
Same concern here. None of their videos or interviews to they specify production time for either the bus or van
Just to produce that composite part alone seems to require a lot of robots and work space, I have yet to see them producing the chassis, motor, battery packs etc.
Orders of magnitude slower. Yes.
how much time take for the creation of a complete print of a bus in a fabric like this?
Loving the efficiency here
DesignerA: we need a Pick&Place Robot moving reliably/fast SOLELY in a cartesian coordinate system
DesignerB: soooo?.... KUKA?
DesignerA: Yes. KUKA.
Perfect
this definitely the red planet technology, I really liked.
4:11 Engineer: „You know, we could simply use a punch press to trim the part in 10 seconds. Quick, cheap, precise and much less hazardous dust.“
Visionary: „But an expensive industrial robot messily milling that part for minutes is so much more flexible - and it looks great in a video clip.“
While that is true, I think it allows for more customization, especially when you consider it will be made or things like buses, the robot arm allows for more flexibility and customization. They are looking for economics of scope not scale. Also, it may just be for R and D purposes, rather than scale production.
Impressive engineering
As a finisher, what process are you using to finish the surface? From some pictures this looks poor, with composite print showing through.
Wow robot picks thing up. Show us a full process...
Brilliant. Really interesting
I would love to work there someday!
I doesn't look like anyone works there. Looks like more wealth concentrating at the top to me. People need jobs as long as those in power keep forcing capitalism on us. At some point there's no one to buy the products the robots make. The bald guy gushing in this video probably doesn't think that's his problem, but people will make it his problem eventually.
Awesome great video, CZcams has huge reach keep making great Videos and get top CZcamsrs to go visit for interviews!
A stark contrast from Tesla's manufacturing philosophy, but man do I love the work Arrival is doing.🔥
I own about ten quids worth of Arrival stock, feels good
So, CZcams recommends me this video, I watch the entire thing, but I have still no idea what Arrival actually is (except that they apparently have a very small factory).
They make electric vehicles
They're a scam
This is super interesting!
Thanks for this vid, really interesting
I love this!
Beautiful
You referred to "AMR" but did not expand the acronym. What is it?
An Autonomous Mobile Robot or AMR is a vehicle that uses on-board sensors and processors to autonomously move materials without the need for physical guides or markers. AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) have been moving things around on behalf of humans for over half a century. They've become a familiar fixture in factories, warehouses, and anywhere there's a need for repetitive material delivery. Although an AMR consists of much more advanced technology than an AGV, it is typically a less-expensive solution. ... Autonomous mobile robots are superior to AGVs in terms of flexibility, cost-effectiveness, return on investment, and productivity optimization.
@@YAZlakhdar Thank you for the explanation. So an AMR can do different things without physically moving markers etc.. Cool.
It's hard to keep up with all the TLAs sometimes!
@@tonyblighe5696 You referred to "TLAs" but did not expand the acronym. What is it?
@@MrDjRayner TLA = Three Letter Abbreviation.
Sorry.
@@tonyblighe5696 Thank you. No need to say sorry. I was just messing with you, I could have googled it. Couldn't miss the opportunity to comment since I saw an acronym in your comment haha.
this is true industry 4.0. Can't wait to see the vehicles on the road
Love these vids!
I'd be really interested to know about the rest of the vehicles, batteries, motors, suspension and steering etc. Do they make and design it or is it all off the shelf?
Exactly. This is what I want to see, they keep showing the cloth type materials and don’t talk about actual manufacturing of drive trains, software, mechanics etc
What's the name of the fabric?
incredible
Is it a synthetic or natural fibre you're using? Only asking as there is promising research being done into hemp fibres and this has the advantage of not only being similar in terms of strength to carbon fibre, but growing the plant takes carbon out of the atmosphere and put it into the ground.
That's Factorio!
How about the skateboard chassis?
It's good idea in general. How many vans can be assembled with this slow speed robot movement?. It seems for only demo purpose for me.
But the difference is that you have a lot of factory sheds like this, not one or two for worldwide production. So this factory only has to be fast enough to supply say Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire. There is another in Norfolk for East Anglia. One in Kent, one in Devon, one in Wales, one in the Black country, Manchester, York, Glasgow, Preston. and so on around the world. Each shed doesn't have to produce that many vans. I have no idea if this is really going to work in practice, but especially if they make use of the flexibility by having designs to suit a range of customers and be close to building -to-order: 3 lengths and 3 heights and 3 battery sizes, and a couple of camper versions (different panels and doors, maybe some of the internals made from this composite), a pickup/tipper version, a platform version for specialist uses and so on, I can see this being a huge success if the end result isn't too expensive.
There is still a lot of custom tooling there that makes me wonder how flexible it really is
Make more videos please!!!
Why are their stocks so low?! This is amazing stuff!
They're doing groundbreaking research in a field where everyone is "digging for gold". Companies that do this are a dime a dozen, and the odds of this being the one that strikes gold (becomes _the name_ in modular factory design) is pretty low. If they make the process of microfactory construction scalable, they have the potential to become the next Tesla (or get bought up by Siemens, GE, etc), and their stock will skyrocket. Buy before that, and you'll either make some good money or lose it.
That will get very messy and itchy very quickly. I would not want to be breathing all that carbon fiber dust.
Only the plebs will be in there, who cares, as long as the CEOs make bank from cush offices wearing fine clothes, eating fine food and driving beautiful cars., Companies dont really care about the welfare of their workers and their health and longevity, just show up on time and do you job simpleton.
Carbon fibre is chemically very inert. Isn't it the resin that bonds the fibres together that's considered the carcinogenic?
Do you think there's a chance they know about that (as well as you) and have incorporated suitable safety features?
👍👍
Take a shot every time you hear a buzzword or some generic mumbo-jumbo that can be applied to any other presentation..
have an example?
1:15 hope the recycle system has dust covers to stop the employees breathing in.
I'm a share holder but man how long does it take to produce 1 vehicles
i'm looking to invest too but i'll wait till i see something tangible first. Where did you buy your shares mate and around what price if you don't mind
It doesn't matter much because the cells and factories are parallelisable. So yes it's slower than stamping out panels but you can build another factory for the cost of one of those stamping machines, and 3 more for the paint shop to dip and paint it. And you can change the panel at essentially zero cost as opposed to half a million on a new former. What matters is the cost of the overall process and how well they leverage the flexibility they have to make variants and customised vehicles. For example it's almost trivial to make a camper variant with a great big fat battery, which I suspect will be very popular with a certain segment of the market (someone still has to do the design work, but plenty of people would love to help them with that).
@@xxwookey i get all that mate. What i mean is, if they don't get a wriggle on another company may beat them to it and may produce something better and cheaper. Pre-orders really don't mean much when the industry is moving at this pace.
Would like to see the quality of the final product. Without a defect free product, there is no product.
Why is everything moving so slow?
It would not only seem very inefficient but a nightmare to reconfigure when things go wrong.
This process is pretty slow than the conventional methods
I'll buy your entire stock
the most expensive fiberglass shop in the world by 10000x
they should make robot microfactories with their robot microfactories
I want an amr to do just drive around, lol
It's nice. Would love to have less talk and more visual on the process of manufacturing those beautiful vehicles.
Microfactories are agile and low Capex. But they are neither fast nor (cost-)efficient. To claim that microfactories _are_ the future is likely not true.
Some cases it may work, but you are right. Very slow.
This is what happens if your car company is run by scrum masters :D stay agile and course-correct often!
Hope this isn't another nikola/lordstown
This man looks like if John Oliver went to engineering school instead of thinking he was funny.
Fair play for the idea, but it looks so SLOW....
Chinese robot technology, very impressive!
AMRs biblical wheels.
No APC Clamps these people not up to crazy precision.
Should've stuck with normal materials, would've been less risk, well that's hindsight for you.
No humans in your factory?!!
KUKA - That's why cars are not getting cheaper
I think this company just produces CZcams videos
Watch this video, then watch an Audi factory video, and see which company understands vehicle manufacturing. (Hint: it's not these guys). This is like Steve Jobs introducing something cool. ... except without products or ideas.
It's a completely different approach. Doesn't mean it can't work. It has advantages and disadvantages.
I agree, just look at Tesla and Rivian's production line, I don't see anything promising about this company so far.
I somehow do not trust the guy and what he is saying ...
Yeah yeah yeah. Small factory, minimise this, composite that, driven by software etc etc. Where's the van???????????
I'll bet you guys have played too much factorio
What a waist of taxpayers money.
What a boring and empty presentation 🙄
This seems to be a rehash of other videos, nothing new. What I'd like to know is how does this scale up? proterra has delivered 1000 buses thus far and BYD manufactures thousands each year. How many buses can be manufactured by each micro factory cell? 1 per day? Per week? Per year?
Each micro factory has quite a lot of cells. The production rate presumably depends on the total site area (i.e do you have room for two, four or 20 of these panel forming and cutting cells, and whichever other ones are bottlenecks). They save on stamping machines and the incredibly expensive paint shop, but might need quite a few cutting robots. I'm not sure anyone knows how the sums work out in the long run, but I guess these days reckon it can go 'fast enough' for a given investment in kit to work out.
please get a better camera...