Looking Forward To The Future Of AR In Manufacturing

With the changing market conditions and technological advancements, the future of manufacturing is a mix of digital and physical. 

The key to success in manufacturing is the ability to respond to changing demands and market trends. With the fourth industrial revolution, we've seen several technologies like IIoT, AI, ML, and AR being introduced to the manufacturing industry. Among these technologies, AR plays a significant role in achieving the goal of digital and physical. 

The future of AR in manufacturing is not only about the technology itself. It's also about how it can be used to make production processes more efficient and profitable. AR in manufacturing is a step towards creating a more efficient business process. It helps manufacturers make better use of their existing resources by reducing their cost of operations while increasing their production capacity. 

The key benefits of AR in manufacturing help enterprises detect problems more quickly, reduce operating costs, increase productivity and improve quality. 

With a large chunk of the population using smartphones, AR is being deployed sooner than we think. According to 2021 reports of Statista, the market size of mobile AR is 9.5 billion US dollars with 810 million active mobile AR devices. 

With its growing market size, the use cases of AR are also growing. Here we've listed some of the use cases of AR in the manufacturing industry, which will continue to boom in the future. 

Assembly 

Assembling machines has undergone many changes over the decades. However, the latest advancements in technology have made it possible for the manufacturing industry to shift gears and enhance assembling processes through AR. 

AR in the assembly has become an essential part of the manufacturing industry. With customized and digital workflows, the assembly procedure for any machine becomes easy, even for a new worker. AR can help workers find the right parts through computer-generated images in the real-time view. It is used to help workers in the manufacturing industry by providing work instructions to be displayed in the operator's field of view. This allows them to be more productive and efficient, focusing on the task at hand rather than reading instructions. 

An AR product like Plutomen Workflow helps access digital work instructions that streamline workforce knowledge. The product digitalizes compliance audits and inspections, from execution, and submission to data management.

It simplifies repetitive procedures and reduces the gap in knowledge application in areas like compliance. By scanning the real environment and identifying the object, the manufacturer can easily create their own SOPs for the workforce. 

It simplifies repetitive procedures and reduces the gap in knowledge application in areas like compliance. By scanning the real environment and identifying the object, the manufacturer can easily create their own SOPs for the workforce. 

Maintenance 

Augmented reality can be used to support the maintenance of manufacturing equipment. It is a tool that can help facilities managers and production line workers to carry out their work more efficiently and effectively. 

Companies like Boeing have seen a 30% reduction in time spent on MRO(Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) activities, 40% increase in productivity, and 90% improvement in the quality of work 

Augmented reality can support the maintenance of manufacturing equipment by providing real-time information on what needs to be done and where it needs to be done. It can also provide data on how the equipment is functioning and its current condition. Companies like Mitsubishi have developed 3D-model AR technology for inspections during the maintenance process. 

Maintenance teams can use augmented reality to see the insides of machinery or equipment from a different perspective. This helps them identify problems faster and more accurately than ever before. 

AR can also increase the efficiency of workers in the overall maintenance process. With AR, workers can understand how a machine works, which helps in maintenance and troubleshooting. This helps with the efficiency of every worker as they don't have to spend time on tasks that are not their responsibility. 

As the use of AR increases, we can expect that it will be incorporated into more industries and become a staple of manufacturing companies' operations. 

Expert Remote Support 

The remote expert support using AR in the manufacturing industry can help companies increase efficiency and productivity. It is also helpful in reducing downtime addressing it promptly, and avoiding the need for workers to travel. 

AR provides a better view of the work environment and allows experts to offer assistance from anywhere they want. This helps them to focus on higher-level tasks like planning and strategy instead of the mundane tasks like assembling products or handling worker queries. If required, AR enables workers to get help from experts by providing them with a virtual experience as close as possible to being physically present with them. This helps reduce errors in complex tasks where workers need help with their work. This technology enables both the worker and the expert to access all the information they need to complete their tasks efficiently. 

With AR solutions like Plutomen Connect, workers can collaborate remotely on live videos to get expert help. It lets the workforce deliver quick incident response and expedite the field servicing process with one-click connect. Enterprises can minimize downtime, improve first-time fix rates and conduct field tasks – MRO, Troubleshooting, Compliance & Audits checks remotely. 

Quality assurance 

Apart from assembling machines, maintenance, and expert support, AR is also used for quality assurance. AR can help enhance the quality of work by making it easier for workers to identify defects and provide better quality control. Auditors and inspectors can remotely check the assembly line and quality of the products using SOPs and checklists. The ability to audit anytime, anywhere empowers them to conduct more audits. 

Product Development 

Product development is a lengthy process, and multiple parties are involved in it. Thus, there are high chances of errors if there is a communication gap between these parties. 

AR has many use cases in the field of product design and development. Still, one of the most popular use cases is when it helps designers collaborate with engineers during the process of product development. AR can help product developers collaborate during multiple processes of product development. With AR, product developers are able to visualize and share their designs and prototypes with their team members. 

In this case, designers create 3D models and share them with engineers, who can then build prototypes without having to be physically present at the same location. This saves time, money, and effort for both parties involved. 

Automation 

Augmented reality and the Internet of Things (IIoT) are two technologies coming together to enable automation in the manufacturing industry. With AR and IIoT combined, we will be able to automate many factory processes that are currently done manually, such as machine tracking, inspection, batching, and sorting. This will allow factories to run more efficiently by eliminating human errors and increasing productivity. 

AR and IIoT will pave the way for automation in the manufacturing industry. Combining these technologies will enable manufacturers to leverage context awareness through the Internet of Things to collect information about their operations. This will help them make better decisions about their production processes and make it easier for them to improve safety and efficiency. 

AR and IIoT will help companies achieve their goals by connecting machines with data and people with information. They will also be able to make adjustments on the fly, saving time and increasing productivity. This can be done through AR-enabled mobile apps, digital signage, or even AR glasses. 

The Future of AR in Manufacturing 

With the recent advancements in AR technology, we can expect to see more and more use cases in the near future. As the technology develops, it is likely that it will be applied in a wide range of fields. AR technology is getting more affordable and easier to integrate into manufacturing processes. The adoption of AR technology can help the manufacturing industry overcome problems by making processes more efficient, reducing overall costs, and improving production rates. The future of AR looks bright as this technology continues to develop at a rapid pace.