From Spinning Jenny to Modern Automation, Sound in Manufacturing

“Many of us remember Spinning Jenny from history lessons in high school. It was one of the key innovations that started the industrial revolution in 1760s. Since this machine revolutionizing cotton manufacturing industry had several rotating parts, it is very likely that operators of Spinning Jenny used their hearing as means to detect problems in the machine. In fact, the machine was invented to minimize labor cost in the UK, while competitive methods were labor intensive in other parts of the world. So, it can be argued that sound was one of the early tools of industrial revolution more than 250 years ago and continues to bet that in modern era.” - Antti Leskinen CEO of AuresSound

The improved spinning jenny that was used in textile mills By Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent. - See above., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6642355

Industrial Revolution and Sound In the early days of the Industrial Revolution, operators used their ears to monitor the operation of industrial devices. This involved listening for changes in the sound of the machinery to detect any issues that may have arisen during production. While this method was limited in its effectiveness and accuracy, it was the one of only options available at the time.

Modern Time Manufacturing and Sound In the latter part of the 20th century the advent of digital signal processing gave us the theoretical basis for systematic, constant industrial control, maintenance, and management systems. The developments in computing power in the 21st century have given us the technology needed for sound data to be collected and analyzed in real-time. This has provided accurate monitoring of industrial devices, leading to increased efficiency, operational efficiency, and reduced downtime. Digital signal processing is now commonly used in a wide range of industrial applications using sound quality analysis for assessing, predicting optimal operation of machinery.

Looking ahead In conclusion, sound monitoring has come a long way since the early days of the Industrial Revolution when operators relied solely on their ears to detect problems. With the development of new technologies such as digital signal processing and intelligent algorithms, sound monitoring has become potential application in ensuring predictive, safe, and efficient operation of industrial processes.