Augmented reality (AR) is helping manufacturers see immeasurable gains in productivity, says Jeff Miller, vice president of software provider PTC. Speaking to a panel during a recent LiveWorx conference, Miller and Justin Hester of robotics manufacturer Hirotec described how using AR goggles and mobile devices is allowing companies to make the knowledge of experienced engineers available to new employees. Skilled engineers can record their own activity on wearable devices, and the information they share is then added to a central database, where it can be made instantly available through AR to other workers. This provides real-time expert supervisory feedback to workers, ensuring that new employees don’t miss important steps in manufacturing processes.
This application illustrates how AR is helping manufacturers become more efficient. ABI Research identifies AR as one of eight key technological innovations that are coming together to revolutionize the manufacturing industry. Here’s a look at three ways augmented reality is transforming manufacturing.
1. Enables DIY Prototyping
One way augmented reality is changing manufacturing is by allowing manufacturing customers to become more active participants in the prototyping process. Since AR technology allows users to observe digital data overlays of physical environments, manufacturing customers can see digital 3-D previews of how a prototype might look when completed. This can save time by allowing manufacturing customers to digitally try out different designs and determine which one is most suitable instead of having to wait for a physical prototype to be created and tested.
For instance, o-ring supplier Apple Rubber carries over 8,000 o-ring sizes in stock. Instead of having to try out different physical o-rings to determine which one is the most precise fit, an AR user could try out a number of different sizes on a digital model, potentially speeding up the prototyping process.
2. Improving Assembly and Maintenance Efficiency
Augmented reality is also helping manufacturers improve assembly and maintenance efficiency. One way AR is achieving this is by helping senior technicians remotely supervise the work of junior technicians. For instance, AV manufacturer Mechdyne has created a remote AR system that allows an experienced technician back at a company’s office to see what a less experienced technician is doing out in the field. Meanwhile the junior technician can see a digital overlay over the products under discussion, helping them to implement their supervisor’s instructions.
This type of technology has actually been around a long time, but is now starting to become more sophisticated and widespread. Delta Sigma, which has been involved in AR since 2005, has recently integrated its ProjectionWorks AR assembly system into the Air Force’s OEM manufacturing line for aircraft, resulting in a 71 percent decrease in standard deviation across skill levels, a 72 percent decrease in added-value labor and 92 percent savings in rework expenses.
3. Streamlining Supply Chain Management
Augmented reality is also making it easier for manufacturers to manage supply chains, says Deloitte Digital Reality independent. For instance, one time-consuming and expensive part of running a warehouse is training new workers to find their way through a large facility and identify the part they’re looking for. AR overlays enable workers to simply follow digital directions to the desired part. Using this type of AR system has enabled warehouses to reduce picking errors by up to 40 percent.
AR is similarly helping make last-mile delivery easier by making it easier for drivers to find packages. Drivers typically spend approximately half their time looking through their own trucks to find which package needs to be delivered next. Combining digital tags with AR enables drivers to instantly find the package they’re looking for.
By speeding up the prototyping process, improving the efficiency of assembly and maintenance and making supply chain management easier, augmented reality is helping manufacturers run their operations more smoothly. As AR is implemented into more areas of the manufacturing process and combined with other emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, manufacturers can expect to benefit significantly from this powerful innovation.
