How Much Does Automation Cost?

August 2020

How Much Does Automation Cost?

One of the first questions that our clients ask once we have viewed their application is, ‘How much will automation cost?’ This is a very generic question and one that is difficult to answer, but we will endeavour to justify why it is so difficult.

The term automation means adding something to the process that will simplify it or make it better than solely doing it by hand.  A crucial point behind any solution is understanding what the requirements are. This can be specified by the customer in the form of a user requirement specification (URS).

What is a User Requirement Specification or URS?

It’s a document where all the inputs and outputs of a process are defined, with details on any particular parts of the process that have been defined, such as testing, throughput, and any particular information that is crucial to the overall process. The URS can then be used by the automation company to define an automation concept and, therefore, the cost. This should not be confused with a Functional Design Specification, which would deal with how the process would be designed.

Similar to buying a car, if you know that you definitely want heated seats, air conditioning, and sat-nav, then that’s what you specify. Putting this into the context of automation, it’s the same principle. Don’t over-specify things that you don’t need.

How Much Does Automation Cost?

Automation can cost anywhere from a few thousand pounds for a simple assembly jig and fixture to a multimillion-pound assembly line, with robotics, vision inspection systems, and palletising. With this vast cost scale, you can quickly see why a specification is required at the beginning. As an example, say your URS states that the widget needs certain checks along the production line; let’s say you are asking for an inspection to detect all “blemishes”. This is in itself a very open specification and may result in an automation company specifying the best vision inspection camera, which may cost £40,000. If it is changed to being a specification of a blemish that’s larger than 1mm then it may be possible to use an intelligent vision sensor which will cost £400.

Companies are understandably looking for the best automation option to maximise return on their investment, and of course, the cost comes into this.  Guessing a cost to set your automation budget is a common problem within manufacturing, if the “guesstimate” is wildly out then this will compromise your final automation system and may lead you down the route of making the automation partner selection based on cost alone.

Automation systems can be made up of numerous standard items, with the bespoke part of the automation being what links them together.  Some of the most common items are:

• Collaborative Robots
• Industrial Robots
• Vision Systems
• Rotary Indexing Systems
• Conveyor Systems

In addition to the mechanical hardware, the brain that controls the machine can vary enormously too. Traditionally, automation machines have been controlled using programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to sequence the machine. With a huge leap in computer power, industrial personal computers (IPCs) are becoming more popular and can give the advantage of making 3^rd party software and hardware more compatible.

With the above in mind, it is quite clear to see that an automated solution to suit your own production requirements can range from £1000, up to £100,000,000 depending on the requirement, the location, and the end solution.

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