Berge’s “Law of Technological Necessity” in advanced automation

In my 33+ years in manufacturing, and also simply living my life during these past few decades of technological explosion, I have made certain observations about the way things are and have developed a statement about it. This statement is not a confession of what I prefer; in fact, I strongly disagree with the direction our society is taking regarding this idea. But I believe the following is an accurate statement about life as we now know it:

Berge’s Law of Technological Necessity: A particular technology exists: therefore; we must use it.

Let me explain.

About that Coffee Maker

In everyday life it might look like this: Do our coffee makers really need computer chips? When I bought my coffee maker, I did a lot of research on the best machines available. The one that received some of the highest ratings (and I ended up purchasing) was a dirt-simple machine that had only an on/off switch. Nothing else. It brews one pot of coffee at exactly the right temperature, and it takes exactly the correct amount of time. Perfect coffee every time, without a computer chip!

Every function in my car, on the other hand, runs on a computer. One thing goes wrong, and the entire computer must be replaced. I’m speaking from experience; this happened to me, and it cost around $1,800.

What about the internet of things? Do I really need a smart refrigerator that can tell me when I’m out of milk? How about I just open the door and look? Do I really need to change the temperature in my house with my smartphone while I’m 20 miles away from home? Do I really need the ability to order things from websites verbally without bothering to get up out of my easy chair? Do I really need 15 different apps just to chat with my friends? None of these things were available even a few years ago, and we survived without them.

But here’s the clincher: Has our quality of life actually improved vis-a-vis the technology that has intruded into our lives? I would answer that with a resounding “NO!” Numerous studies prove that our quality of life and relationships actually have suffered with the onslaught of technology.

Enter the world of manufacturing and robotics, where Berge’s Law of Technological Necessity is alive and well.

Robotic Welding Technology

Many robotic equipment manufacturers believe and practice this maxim to its fullest. If a particular new technology exists, then they try hard to find a way to incorporate it into their robotic systems. Computerized welding machines are marvelous, but they also are more difficult to understand, optimize, and maintain. They take forever to boot up, and each manufacturer seems to have its own idea of what an optimal waveform looks like.

I understand the motivation. We live in a highly competitive world. There are more options today for literally everything than 20 years ago. Suppliers of robots, automation, and welding equipment are trying very hard to set themselves apart from the crowd. But the most important question that remains is this: Has all this new technology really made your robotic systems work better?

Some of the best-running robotic welding systems I’ve observed, producing some of the highest-quality parts I’ve seen,¬ have been simple systems with basic controls and no fancy technology whatsoever. How can this be?

The Fundamentals

Vince Lombardi is said to have walked into training camp in the summer of 1961 holding a pigskin in his hand for all to see and saying, “Gentlemen, this is a football.”

It’s all about fundamentals. If your parts don’t fit up properly; if there are big gaps; if your fixtures are not designed and functioning properly; if your welding torch is bent; if your tool center point is not accurate, then you will have problems, regardless of the level of fancy, high-tech gizmos included in your robotic welding cell. No matter what your application, the part volumes, your part designs, the manufacturing space available, or your workers’ skill levels, it’s crucial that you begin by making sure the fundamentals are covered.

The high-tech options that equipment manufacturers are pushing so hard these days are all well and good within their specific application, but they are by no means a panacea. There is no such thing in robotic welding. Every single time in my decadeslong career that I’ve seen an abuse of the fundamentals, I have seen quality or throughput suffer accordingly. And the same truth can be stated the other way around: Every time quality or throughput has suffered, it has always been because some fundamental was being ignored or abused.

Playing guitar for most of my life, I have seen this played out in the music scene many times. I know people who buy $7,000 guitars who are not very good players at all. And I’ve seen amazingly beautiful music being made from a $200 guitar. In this case, the technology made no difference whatsoever. It’s the skill and the mastery of the fundamentals that mattered.

Welding Parts With Gaps

Am I against all the new developments in robotics and welding? Of course not. I take advantage of them every day. Let’s look at a very specific example: Welding parts with gaps.

Many new options for welding open roots on thin materials have been developed in the recent years. I guess people have realized that despite all efforts, having weld joints with some amount of gap is inevitable. There also are many applications that require welding an open root.

Enter a surfeit of solutions for welding gaps. Cold welds are deposited by smart welding machines that can sense when a short circuit is about to occur in the weld puddle and manipulate the arc within milliseconds (or faster!) to help the puddle literally bridge thin air. The shape of the arc, the length of the arc, the shape of penetration into the base metal, the fluidity of the molten puddle—all are simply programmable variables. Wonderful!

The Full-meal Deal

Let’s talk about the computer technology integrated with robotic welding systems. Software packages are available today that were literally science fiction 20 years ago. Connect your robot to the network, and you can gather intimate details about productivity, uptime, weld parameters, weld quality, which programmer last messed with the program, and even how long it took him or her to do it.

These things certainly have their place, but too many times I’ve seen companies dive head-first into the full-meal deal, essentially wasting their money on features that they will either never use or can’t actually apply to their application.

The robotic automation industry is now in a mature state. We all made a lot of mistakes decades ago when electric servo robots were first introduced. But these days we know what it takes to succeed. In fact, I would argue that the multiplication of high-tech options and amazing technology in the world of robotics and automation is a sign of a mature industry. And with that maturity comes all kinds of ideas on how to perform specific tasks better.

Back to the Basics

That’s really what’s at the heart of Berge’s Law of Technological Necessity—we now have the ability to fix specific problems that have been haunting us for years. But the technologies that are required to fix those very specific problems often are touted as necessary for basic robotic welding; again, it’s really only about fundamentals. If your road to work is flat and smooth, then virtually any vehicle can get you there. But if you plan to ride the Rubicon Trail, then you will need a very specific type of automotive technology.

Ninety-five percent of robot users need only the basics. Cover your fundamentals—good part fit-up (the most challenging and important of all), good fixtures, good robot maintenance, and good training—and you’ll be fine. Most of the amazing technological advances are targeted toward the 5 percent who are working with exotic materials, very challenging or extremely high-tolerance weld joints, or other niche processes.

Please understand that I am not bashing companies engaged in research and development of amazing technologies. I just don’t believe in throwing high-tech developments at problems that are caused by ignoring the fundamentals.

Remember “this is a football,” and you’ll be just fine.