Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has launched its new digitalisation answer, Digital Manufacturing unit, designed to assist producers construct extremely correct digital replicas of their factories. It permits producers to optimise their flooring plans and shortly pivot manufacturing strains right this moment, and function smarter and extra sustainable future factories with open interfaces that join digital twins of shopfloor property. Such options may save a worldwide manufacturing firm £35 million per 12 months* by avoiding pricey errors and providing a 50% discount within the typical journey prices and the on-site coaching required.
Hexagon is uniquely positioned to handle this difficulty via its experience in delivering best-in-class accuracy actuality seize and surveying tools, software program to visualise, discover and simulate situations in 3D, and high-productivity cloud-native collaboration workflows. Digitalisation applied sciences are a confirmed expertise and have been used for over twenty years in civil infrastructure, structure and public security, however their potential has but to be absolutely realised within the manufacturing area the place important disruption now requires producers – particularly brownfield website homeowners – to rethink their manufacturing tools and use of area.
In line with analysis performed by Forrester and commissioned by Hexagon, 32% of producers consider that outdated or ineffective handbook processes and workflows are limitations to productiveness and collaboration. Digital Manufacturing unit is a future-ready various to conventional manufacturing facility planning that permits producers to not solely ramp up productiveness, but additionally enhance effectivity in remodelling, stopping pricey errors. It additionally empowers extra environment friendly collaboration between manufacturing and operations groups from wherever on the earth. The core of this answer is improved entry to up-to-date knowledge in immersive digital environments that mirror actuality, addressing a serious barrier that good manufacturing facility initiatives face right this moment.
Digital Manufacturing unit leverages a complete portfolio of {hardware} and software program options that features Hexagon’s award-winning vary of actuality seize expertise – such because the Leica BLK2GO handheld imaging laser scanner, the Leica BLK ARC autonomous scanning module for robotic and cell carriers and terrestrial laser scanners just like the Leica RTC360 – that enable producers to seize and create dimensionally-accurate level clouds of the manufacturing facility flooring. Utilizing the Leica Cyclone software program portfolio and Hexagon’s Actuality Cloud Studio, powered by the HxDR, producers can simply collaborate and shortly course of knowledge from Hexagon or a buyer’s most well-liked scanning {hardware} to recreate up-to-date 3D areas with pace and suppleness.
Hexagon presents full workflows to make sure producers obtain the utmost worth, from scanning the manufacturing facility and processing the info into actionable 3D fashions for varied purposes, to managing the info within the cloud, making it simpler for crew members and exterior stakeholders to supply suggestions and make knowledgeable choices. By utilizing Digital Manufacturing unit, producers will have the ability to:
Conduct digital excursions for distant manufacturing facility monitoring – Lead a digital tour of a manufacturing facility with distant entry, eliminating the necessity for managers and contractors to journey onsite.
Distant crew collaboration – Facilitate distant collaboration amongst key groups and stakeholders at any time, utilizing cloud-based instruments with evaluation and modelling capabilities with on-demand knowledge. Manufacturing unit planners and manufacturing managers could make choices remotely and supply suggestions with confidence based mostly on dependable and up-to-date knowledge.
Plan and transform manufacturing facility layouts with accuracy and element – Seize exact measurements of a manufacturing facility, creating a precise and dependable digital mannequin that may be accessed anytime from wherever. Manufacturing unit homeowners can frequently monitor the progress of manufacturing strains underneath building in meticulous element, avoiding the prices related to sudden errors.
Simply improve and set up tools – Introduce and improve equipment akin to machining centres, 3D printers, robotics and metrology programs by evaluating their addition or alternative in a risk-free digital mannequin. This helps stop costly errors akin to ordering incorrect elements, not having enough footprint or entry to put in a machine.
Create operational test-beds and innovate quicker – By testing out new machines, manufacturing facility flooring layouts and workflows within the digital 3D setting, corporations can shortly establish feasibility and emissions issues, enabling them to higher perceive the potential advantages of latest expertise and make future-ready good factories a actuality.