How AR and VR in manufacturing are revolutionizing the Industry

According to Deloitte, more than 2.7 million baby boomers will retire from manufacturing in the next ten years. Manufacturers are facing a shortage of skilled and experienced workforce. At the same time, there is a strong need for improving the manufacturing process, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency.  In this article, we will see how AR and VR in manufacturing are helping the companies to overcome these challenges.

VR/AR on the path of mainstreamed adoption

According to a survey published by PwC, the adoption of AR and VR in the manufacturing industry is impressive. 23.3% of US manufacturers already use VR or have plans to adopt in the next year. Besides, 15.8% of the manufacturers are planning to use VR technology in the next three years.

Image Source

In the same survey, 18.2% of the manufacturers are planning to implement AR technology in the next three years. As the new technology is becoming mainstream, the cost of wearable devices such as smart glasses, smartwatches, and headsets will go significantly down. Let’s see how AR and VR in manufacturing are revolutionizing the industry.

1.   Addressing the shortage of trained workforce

Imagine you are working as a junior operative at an aluminum line in a factory. It’s your first time in a sheet rolling mill to detect issues. Your single mistake can result in expensive operational consequences.

Image Source

Manufacturers can use AR and VR technology to assist and train their workforce. In the long term, it will result in a better trained and highly skilled workforce without the need for human-led training. In the future, the cost of training and up-skilling your workforce will go down significantly. Besides, operational consequences can be avoided by minimizing human mistakes.

2.   Improvements in creating and assembling products

VR can enable a near-perfect assembly process. By employing goggles equipped with a camera, depth sensors, and motion sensors can simulate a real working environment. Using AR and VR, engineers can get instructions on how to assemble a particular component correctly. This will improve the efficiency and quality of the assembly process.

Image Source

Lockheed Martin, Ford Motor Company, and Boeing have started employing VR to build a better product for their customers. Lockheed Martin is using VR to build the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft. Engineers use VR devices to make sure that every part of the plane is fitted correctly. Using VR has made its workforce 30% faster, and manufacturing accuracy has reached up to 96%.

3.   Cost reduction and lesser need for building prototypes

Before the mass production starts, there must be a working prototype that meets specifications. To arrive at a final prototype, multiple prototypes need to be created, tested, and then retested. This can get very expensive for large-scale models.

Image Source

Manufacturers such as Boeing are using VR to eliminate the need to build full-scale models. Boeing engineers are using VR devices and HoloLens to every part of the equipment involved in the product design. They first develop a prototype in the virtual world instead of constructing it. This way, only a few final prototypes need to be created physically. Being is expected to save millions of dollars and reduce training time by 75%.

4.   Improving the safety of workers

California has the largest manufacturing sector in the United States. Still, it has managed to achieve the fourth-lowest rate of fatalities. VR will reduce the rate of fatalities even further. Using VR, plant managers are simulating the assembly line configurations and production process.

Image Source

Simulation is helping plant managers to identify potentially dangerous situations even before the products starts. Ford Motor Company is using VR technology to simulate road and weather conditions to create a safer product. VR technology has helped Ford to reduce the injury rate of employees by 70%. VR also be used to capture movements of workers and evaluate task feasibility and proficiency.

AR and VR in manufacturing will improve productivity and efficiency

AR and VR were expected to top into consumer electronics and reach the living rooms of consumers. However, the manufacturer of AR and VR consumer devices are struggling to find buyers. For an average consumer, the costs of purchasing the equipment and space required for an enhanced experience are the leading causes.

However, manufacturers have already started getting good results from these technologies. AR and VR and helping them to create a skilled workforce, improve worker safety, reduce costs of pre-manufacturing, and higher accuracy. As the adoption will increase in the future, we can expect manufacturers to achieve even more benefits.

Looking for a trustworthy company for AR and VR solutions?

We are one of the leading developers of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality solutions. Our team is skilled in providing solutions and experiences that inspire, inform, educate, and entertain users. If you are looking for a reliable partner for AR and VR solutions, contact us or send us an email. We would love to deliver technology solutions so that you can focus on your business.