AR encourages manufacturing companies to shift from traditional methods to modern tools and technologies. Thanks to AR, it becomes easy for manufacturers to get a complete visualization of a product even before the creation of its prototype. And there is no doubt that the implementation of Augmented Reality remote assistance in manufacturing is soon going to make manufacturing smarter.
AR-based smart manufacturing solutions can facilitate you to get full visibility of resources, assets, processes, and final products. Such solutions are also useful to simplify complexities, streamline processes, optimize productivity, and thereby improve ROIs.
However, building smart factories is not just about deploying a single software or an application across the entire manufacturing floor. But it contains a combination of different technologies that can optimize the entire manufacturing process. In this blog post, we will discuss how Augmented Reality will enhance smart manufacturing.
Ways AR is Making Manufacturing Smart and Agile
The fourth industrial revolution is going to blur the difference between the physical and digital world by creating a fusion of different technologies. And augmented reality will take this revolution one step further by providing manufacturers with robust tools and technology for equipment maintenance and workforce training. As per a study, the AR technology market is predicted to reach around $198.7 billion by 2025.
A majority of manufacturers and suppliers are harnessing the power of Augmented Reality to provide their employees and clients virtual hands-on training on machine operations. Here is how AR will make manufacturing processes efficient –
1. Employee Training
One-to-one employee training is expensive and requires multiple types of equipment. Here companies can use AR-based tools instead of following traditional methodologies. AR-based tools assist organizations to provide real-time visual guidance to employees.
You can use AR-based devices to demonstrate the design and capabilities of a production unit. Moreover, you can use smart goggles to take photos and record videos. As a result, it becomes easier for you to track manufacturing progress and keep tabs on errors. They can capture hands-free photos in seconds, and those images can be submitted to off-site teams for troubleshooting.
You can also use AR to help your workforce and to reduce possible pressure on them. It will provide immersive in-person training on areas where employees lack skills and upskill them efficiently.
2. Improving Efficiency and Productivity
A good number of experienced professionals became unemployed because of the wrath of the pandemic. According to research, the global unemployment rate was around 6.47% in 2020. Therefore, manufacturers have to embrace the latest technologies, adapt to the new working norms, fill the skill gap, and improve workforce productivity.
The good thing about AR-based devices is that they are scalable. You can easily add more features and functionalities as your enterprise expands. Also, they ensure real-time visual assistance for employees who need help with their work.
Furthermore, Augmented Reality remote assistance supports the collaboration between team members. It also allows teammates to connect with experts in real-time, share their physical space, and receive guidance through AR content and annotations. Overall, an AR-enabled workspace will benefit the workforce and bring long-term organizational growth.
3. Streamlined Logistics
Employees have to multitask when it comes to ordering fulfilment and warehouse organization. There are also a lot of other manual tasks that can make the manufacturing process tedious and time-consuming.
Apart from this, emerging AR technologies can assist workers to access a connected system that suggests exactly what needs to be done. They will make it easier for logistic workers to scan the necessary information about the product which would help them to disseminate the order properly.
Also Read : Extended Reality (XR), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) – What’s the Difference?
4. Product Design and Development
Designing, prototyping, and conceptualization prove to be a resource-intensive and lengthy process as it requires multiple revisions and constant communication. Such things can be pre-checking before the product gets passed to production and manufacturing. Even a further review can be required before the final product launch.
By adding Augmented Reality in manufacturing, the admins of manufacturing units can eliminate tedious and streamlined collaboration within the factory. You can also use Augmented Reality remote assistance to reduce turnaround time by personalizing design processes as per customer demand. Furthermore, AR could provide insights and direction that would eliminate the back-and-forth that many conceptual systems require.
5. Quality Control
AR technologies can help manufacturers to enhance the quality of the final product significantly. Manufacturers can use AR-empowered tools to find defects in the final product and its packaging so that they can create better strategies to reduce them. A study suggests that AI-based technical inspections give more accurate results than manual inspection with an accuracy of 90%.
Other than this, AI can help manufacturers to analyze the performance and availability of all the equipment used in the manufacturing process. Subsequently, manufacturers are able to predict when maintenance is needed so that the equipment can be fixed at appropriate times to extend its life and avoid any costly downtimes.
Concluding Lines
The future of manufacturing lies within smart automation as a majority of manufacturers will constantly experience improvements in inefficiency. Subsequently, it will help you minimize production costs and improve margins. However, becoming a smarter manufacturing unit or factory is not something that can be achieved overnight.
Therefore, it is important to take steps towards digital transformation if you have not been attracted already. In this blog, we have discussed the advantages of AR using AR in smart factories. And there are many resources available to provide insightful information that make it easier for you to start and continue your journey towards success.
