Augmented Reality is transforming the planet, and manufacturing is no different. AR offers a more interactive approach in training company personnel, and through its use, provides management and employees a far superior way of learning manufacturing processes, especially when you consider the alternatives of paper documentation, PowerPoints or listening to audio.
That said, let’s understand how AR is used in manufacturing in detail.
6 Use Cases of Augmented Reality in Manufacturing
Manufacturers can deploy AR in the following areas:?
- Augmented Reality (AR) is extremely helpful in training new employees how to use complex machinery.
- Manufacturers can also upskill employees by offering complicated technical training using (AR). For instance, Jaguar Land Rover and Bosch use AR-powered apps to train employees how to locate and install the Range Rover Sport vehicle’s dashboard components.
2. Manage Shop Floor Control (SFC)
- With augmented reality, the assembly process, having been defined at a prior point in time, can be used to discover where a process broke, and show a scenario that no one may have considered, and just like AR’s use in showing a surgeon how to set a broken arm.
- AR can be used to demonstrate the correct steps and procedures of how the manufacturing process works, and what happens when not followed.
- Using AR headsets, staff can literally walk through a manufacturing facility and visually see different color-coded areas where inventory should be, and for what products.
- For example, if there’s a widget (X), (Y) and (Z), and widget (Y) is always assembled on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s, then on those days, staff can walk through a manufacturing facility wearing their AR headset and view, in real-time, where all the parts are located for loading into the manufacturing process for that day, as well as see which floor-equipment required reconfigurations for the day.
4. Better Design through Augmented Reality
- Using (AR) can greatly improve the design process, both in time saved, as well as during the development of prototypes.
- For example, the founders of the “DAQRI” Smart Helmet have developed a helmet that has an array of sensors built into it, along with a computing platform, that provides a visual output that the person wearing the helmet can see, for example, visually seeing real-time temperatures of industrial pipes while working on a production floor.
- With AR however, you can streamline the assembly process and mitigate the chances of errors. For instance, technicians can view where each component will go in a near-real-time environment, eliminating errors and lowering production time.
- Boeing uses AR glasses to streamline 130 miles of wiring required in its 747–8 Freighter. AR provides its technicians with necessary instructions in the viewfinder, and as a result, Boeing believes they are reducing production time by as much as 25%.
6. Better Customer Support
- Manufacturers can use augmented reality to assist customers and onsite sales representatives as well, being able to show customers how something will look or fit, such as a new stove in the kitchen or a new pool in the backyard.
- For example, an AR-powered app can display the components and features of products (or machines), helping customers better understand the item.
In the grand scheme of time, augmented reality is still in its infancy, but that’s changing quickly. In the coming decade, AR will mature, and as businesses and technology providers begin to understand how the technology can improve the manufacturing and production process, you will see more applications come into the marketplace.
Big players and Wall Street money have already started investing in AR to disrupt the marketplace, and over time, you can expect AR to become mainstream and inexpensive.
