Enable collaborative digital planning and layout at scale in XR

Factory layout Experience – Theorem Solutions

Source: https://www.theorem.com/visualize/factory-layout

Date: June 29 2022

Categories: AR News, AREA, Customers, Members, Members, Providers, Why AR for Enterprise

The Factory Layout Experience provides a full scale and in context environment using XR technology for defining, reviewing, editing and validating shop floor layouts. This can be done collaboratively with colleagues in different offices or countries, even suppliers can be involved. Libraries of existing plants, tools and equipment can be automatically uploaded and used in a collaborative team review session, no knowledge of CAD is needed.

Optimize designs in immersive XR

The Factory Layout Experience enables a planning or layout engineer, working independently or with a group of colleagues, locally or in remote locations, to optimize Factory layouts through the immersive experience of eXtended Reality (XR) technologies. Seeing your data at full scale, in context, instantly enables you to see the clashes, access issues and missing items which a CAD screen cannot show.

On the shop floor there are literally 1000’s of pieces of equipment- much of it bought in and designed externally. Building designs may only exist as scans or in architectural CAD systems, and robot cells may be designed in specialist CAD systems. There will be libraries of hand tools, storage racks and stillage equipment designed in a range of CAD systems, and product data designed in house in mechanical CAD. To understand the factory and assess changes, all of that has to be put together to get a full picture of where a new line, robot cell or work station will fit.

A catalogue of 3D resources can leverage 2D Factory layouts by being snapped to these layouts to quickly realize a rich 3D layout. Advanced positioning makes it very easy to move, snap and align 3D data. Widely used plant and equipment is readily available, there is no need to design it from scratch for every new layout. Simplified layout tools enable you to position, align and snap layout objects quickly, which can be used by none CAD experts, enabling all stakeholders to be involved in the process, improving communication.

Testing Design and Operational Factors

Human centred operations can be analysed using mannequins that can be switched to match different characteristics. You can test design and operational aspects of a variety of human factors, to determine reachability, access and injury risk situations, ensuring compliance with safety and ergonomic standards.

It enables companies to avoid costly layout redesign by enabling all parties involved to review the layout collaboratively, make or recommend changes, and capture those decisions for later review by staff who could not attend the session.

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