Munich. The BMW Group Production focuses increasingly
on trendsetting, easy-to-use and effective virtual (VR) and augmented
(AR) reality applications. VR images, or artificially created images,
are ever more realistic and hard to distinguish from real pictures. In
AR applications, illustrations complement real images. AR and VR
images can be viewed in special headsets or on normal tablet
computers. In production, these images are powerful tools in numerous
use cases in training and qualification, planning of workstations at
the assembly line, or quality control. In all applications, the
technology keeps modestly in the background. No extensive IT expertise
is required to use these applications efficiently.
Workstation planning
Thanks to VR, planners in construction, plant engineering, logistics
and assembly can now assess new production areas completely virtually
together with production staff and test new processes in 3D. This type
of planning is based on digitized factory data available in 3D. For
several years now, the BMW Group has been digitally capturing its
actual plant structures with special 3D scanners and high-resolution
cameras to an accuracy of just a few millimeters. This provides a
three-dimensional image, or scatter plot, of production areas and does
away with the complex, digital reconstruction of structures and manual
on-site recording. When planning future workstations or entire
assembly halls, the BMW Group’s business units now combine existing
data with a virtual library of shelves, mesh boxes, small load
carriers and around 50 other particularly common operating resources.
Training and qualification
At its Production Academy, the BMW Group trains managers, production
planners, process leaders and quality specialists on the principles of
lean production. As key communicators, training participants then pass
on this knowledge on the shop floor. For about 18 months now, AR
goggles have been used in training sessions for engine assembly
units. Visualizations guide participants through all process steps
and give specific information. Participants can work at their own
pace, determining the speed of the training via voice control. Three
people can go through the AR training at the same time, after
receiving quick guidelines from a trainer who supervises their
progress. Previously, a trainer had to work with one person at a time,
while with the new system this number has increased to three. Surveys
among participants and evaluations of their learning success have
shown that there are no differences in quality compared to
conventional training courses.
The engine assembly training can also be easily adapted to other
screw joint processes – thanks to an authoring tool developed by the
BMW Group for designing training programs. Setting up a new training
program with this software is quick and easy: To complement real
images, the relevant points of interest are determined at a regular PC
and then set with the aid of AR goggles, and that’s all. In the course
of 2019, this software will be made available to all interested staff
via the self-service portal.
Target/actual comparisons in operations
Checking a complex part weighing up to 25 tons, such as a press tool
for the production of body parts, can take a lot of time. But speed is
an issue: If the inspection takes place at Goods Receipt, an
incompletely delivered tool can be returned even before being
transferred to an interim storage site. The process is simple: Staff
at the Munich location of the BMW Group Toolmaking and Plant
Engineering unit mount a standard tablet on a tripod. The built-in
camera of the tablet produces an image of the tool. Then, an AR
application superimposes this image with the CAD construction data of
the tool ordered. Based on an average of 50 criteria, such as drill
holes and other clear surface features, the staff can see whether all
production specifications have been implemented. In the event of minor
deviations, it may make sense to rework the tool on site – because the
early detection of the issue leaves sufficient time before the tool
has to be sent to the assembly area for completion with further components.
Later this year, the toolmaking unit in Munich will completely
convert the incoming goods inspection of delivered tools to the AR
application. The tedious comparison between CAD data on the screen and
the actual tool will then be a thing of the past.
The BMW Group also applies target/actual comparisons at its Munich
plant. Using an AR application, specialists use pre-series vehicles to
check the maturity of construction concepts and the correct
installation position of components in these vehicles. The system
makes it possible, for instance, to determine whether a side wall
(fender) has the right dimensions, an exhaust system is installed in
the correct position, or all the necessary parts have been mounted.
Visualisation of relevant CAD data only takes a few seconds. Data
from several parts can be combined as desired and superimposed on the
camera image of the tablet PC. An algorithm calculates the best fit,
i.e. the ideal position of individual components in relation to each
other, and highlights important design features. The application
developed jointly with the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics
Research provides important information as to whether any adjustments,
be it in vehicle design or manufacturing processes, are necessary
before a model can go into series production.