UBM Technology | Immersive technology makes the future of maintenance work full of imagination!

In the new paradigm of Industry 4.0, maintenance work has not been ignored, but has become more important because it can provide the same operational data that supports digital transformation everywhere.

From a human perspective, Industry 4.0 comes at the right time. Globally, the manufacturing and engineering fields are losing experienced engineers, taking with them a wealth of knowledge as they retire. These engineers have an almost intimate tactile relationship with hardware, using sight, smell, touch and hearing to predict and explain failures. It's this feeling-driven relationship that's hard to pass on to someone new - after all, it's the result of years of experience.

The good news is that the modern engineers who replaced these outgoing tech gurus are more digitally savvy, driven by small screens, and have access to vast amounts of data. In theory, these numbers should allow them to do better than their predecessors, especially being proactive. They also have access to more support—not just from their line managers, but from foreign technical experts thousands of miles away. It’s all thanks to data, connectivity and the “new normal” which is now just “normal”.

One of the rare pushes the pandemics of recent years have given humanity has been to accelerate the deployment of technologies and digital tools that, before COVID-19, would have only plodded along the path of modern engineering. enough attention. In the current environment, their necessity is already well reflected in operations.

With advances in the Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0, 5G, new Ethernet standards, broadband, and wearable and immersive technologies, a variety of engineering disciplines can take advantage of this digital playground. In an era when they are all rapidly popularizing, it would be somewhat conservative if we do not move toward virtuality and immersion.

Mechanical systems are a completely different challenge. Once you can't find a solution after reading the maintenance manual, the next option is to ask others for help, make a phone call, video call or send a few more photos of the scene, and then more experienced experts will come to handle it on site, all of which take up valuable time. time, effort and money, not to mention extended downtime. Therefore, it is clear that in more physical realms, virtual methods of remote interaction will bring greater benefits.

Image source: DesignSpark

When the pandemic hit, there was panic as factories had fewer workers, production lines were shut down or partially operational, and no one could fix the problems. But when enough engineers get involved, things start to look up. Technology media started reporting on how Italian machine builders were using iPads and webcams to conduct factory acceptance tests (FAT), or how wind turbines were put back into operation with 4G connections and mobile phone cameras.

Soon, iPads were replaced by legions of multi-angle 4K cameras and lighting rigs, Zoom conferencing software was replaced by other software with more features, and vendors set up private connections to provide seamless voice, video and data chat with their customers .

Soon, people in the industry discovered the benefits of this approach. The first has to do with cost. Three engineers, three days, three flights to a location 3,000 miles away, costs a lot of money. The same engineers are connected via video and immersive technologies at their desks at significantly lower costs. So what reason is there to go back to the old ways?

Face-to-face is certainly effective, but for non-essential situations, a less expensive virtual approach makes more sense. This immersive remote interaction is not limited to technical issues, it can be deployed across the entire project timeline, potentially saving significant time, cost, and effort.

What’s really surprising is the closer immersive approach offered by virtual reality (VR) and more recently augmented reality (AR). VR has been around for a while and has been a popular attraction at trade shows, but in industrial scenarios, the mixed reality offered by AR is even more useful.

Image source: DesignSpark

By overlaying real-life images with computer-generated schematics, line engineers and operators gain access to an incredible range of additional help, functionality and knowledge. Not only for maintenance, but also for training, production changeovers and design improvements. Like most technologies developed over the past 30 years, this functionality is based on CAD data, so it is possible that older machines will also benefit from this new digital approach.

Machine builders also demonstrated maintenance scenarios driven and activated by machine operating data. Once the system receives an alert, engineers see the corresponding part, its location on the machine and the time between repairs, and then see a button to initiate contact with the spare parts supplier.

In addition to line maintenance aspects, augmented reality models can be overlaid on your desk where operational issues can be discussed or layout adjustments can be made. At the same time, using CAD data, machine modules can be replaced as easily as toy building blocks.