Ohio-based procurement and supply chain company MES Inc stated that a process that allows robots to successfully complete prototype verification may not necessarily be sufficient to support scaled-up production. Therefore, it is necessary to plan for this transition in advance before the demand for production arises.
MES Inc is a company that provides global manufacturing procurement and supply chain services for Fortune 500 original equipment manufacturers. On Tuesday, the company issued guidelines aimed at robotics companies preparing to advance humanoid and mobile robots from the prototype stage to mass production. MES believes that the main constraints at this stage come from hardware rather than software. Specifically, the key lies in whether companies can quickly transition from processing dozens of structural components from bar stock to die-casting, forging, and extrusion without sacrificing quality or progress.
MES indicates that any humanoid robot that enters mass production still relies on dozens of die-casting, forging, extrusion, and machining components.
Humanoid robot production is moving beyond the stage of small-scale manufacturing. Industry estimates suggest that global shipments of humanoid robots will be around 13,000 to 16,000 units by 2025. In July, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that China's annual production of humanoid robots is expected to exceed 100,000 units by 2026. In late June, AgiBot just rolled off its 15,000th robot, with less than three months having passed since reaching the 10,000-unit mark. In the United States, Tesla has announced plans to build a Optimus production line with a designed annual capacity of 1 million units; Boston Dynamics expects that by 2028, the annual production capacity for Atlas robots will reach 30,000 units.
These robots all include a structural frame and chassis, actuators and joint housings, gearbox and harmonic reducer housings, motor casings, as well as casings for batteries and electronic components. During the prototype phase, engineering teams typically use bar machines to process these parts in order to make quick design modifications. When production volumes reach tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of units, these parts must then be manufactured using die-casting, forging, and extrusion processes, followed by precision CNC processing of key interfaces.
MES Inc. The founder Hiten Shah stated: "The parts that pass the trial production stage are usually not suitable for mass production. Using a bar processing machine to manufacture the casing works well when you are producing only 50 units and making design changes every month. However, when the production volume reaches 50,000 units, the same casing must be made into castings or forgings, and this requires corresponding molds, casting capabilities, and qualified suppliers to support it. All of these need time to develop, and the preparations should begin before the production schedule is set."
Five constraints that need to be addressed before mass production
- Pore rate control of aluminum die-cast parts under repeated loading conditions
- The trade-off between thin-wall design and structural performance in weight reduction
- Tolerance overlap between castings and machined features in complex assemblies
- Mold delivery times and capital investment required for high-volume production
- Material and process selection to achieve a balance between performance and manufacturability
MES, the project manager, said: "When a bar stock part is converted into a casting, the part itself also undergoes changes. Wall thickness, draft angles, surfaces that are sensitive to porosity, and reference schemes all need to be redesigned for the new process. Subsequently, machining features must maintain tolerances on the cast surface, rather than on a solid block. We will work with the engineering team to address these issues part by part to ensure that the first set of mass production molds is done correctly from the start."
MES indicates that the company provides die-casting, forging, extrusion, and precision CNC processing support for robotics manufacturers through a network of suppliers distributed globally. The company also conducts supplier qualification audits, reviews manufacturability designs, and manages quality across regions as project scales expand.
The complete analysis report for MES titled " Inside Robotics Manufacturing : What It Takes to Build Robots at Scale " can be viewed at https :// www.mesinc.net / inside-robotics-manufacturing.
Regarding MES Inc.
MES Inc is a global manufacturing procurement and supply chain company headquartered in Lewis Center, Ohio, founded by Hiten Shah. The company provides services to Fortune 500 original equipment manufacturers in industries such as automotive, energy, robotics, electrical, lighting, as well as construction and agriculture. MES manages procurement, quality, and delivery end-to-end through its operations in the United States, Mexico, Poland, India, Vietnam, China, and other regions. Since 2009, the company has held ISO 9001:2015 certification and has also obtained NMSDC certification. For more information, please visit www.mesinc.net.
