Augmented reality technology applications in the manufacturing industry (Part 1)

Augmented reality (AR) technology is known as a fertile ground for industrial manufacturers to exploit in the context of the booming industrial revolution 4.0. Many technologies that are highly compatible with AR such as Internet of Things, Big data, Cloud computing, Machine learning or fully automatic CNC transformers, etc, are now becoming a bridge to help AR spread stronger in the manufacturing industry.

Here are some typical applications:

1. Support and manipulate with remote models

One of the great advantages of augmented reality technologies is that they can send a digital copy of the entire manufacturing process to the back office. Ash Eldritch, CEO and co-founder of Vital Enterprises (An AR technology developer) said: “We work in many different fields, whenever the manufacturer needs technical support. This work requires moving to the location of the device to work directly.”

“For distributed manufacturing operations, the producers have a lot of supervisors as well as technical staff for the process”, he added. However, the number of experts to handle unexpected situations is very limited. Often they need to get the experts to the right position, but by providing realistic images through AR devices, experts can get a glimpse of the entire system and positions that need assistance. They get the same angle of view as field technicians without having to move a lot, through which they can point out features that technicians cannot recognize.

In general, instead of spending effort and expense training technicians one by one, companies can use AR technology to deliver expert instructions to the operator during their shift.

2. Measurement

Digital copies of objects constructed using augmented reality technology can provide the operator with ample and safe space to check specifications and environmental impact within production process.

Airbus is using “Mixed Reality Application” or MiRA to integrate digital models into production environments, giving assembly workers access to complete 3D models of the type of aircraft being produced. According to Airbus, MiRA was used on the production lines of A380 and A350 XWB aircraft to check the integrity of secondary structures on airframe. As a result, the risks of occupational safety as well as failure rate are significantly reduced.

(To be continued)

Productivity and Quality Office