The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way companies design, manufacture, and service their products and manufacturing floors. ‘Service’ is one of the most notable areas to be impacted by this wave of technology and connected devices. Monitoring assets in the field and on the shop floor gives service technicians access to usage, error, and predictive analytics prior to a repair. As companies continue to adopt the IoT, more organizations are satisfying the prerequisites to easily deploy augmented reality for service.
With the convergence of the digital and physical worlds, manufacturers are using augmented reality as a tool to help improve their service capabilities. Augmented Reality (AR) can deliver the right information at the very moment that it’s needed on the manufacturing floor so that field service technicians and other factory workers can reduce errors, enhance efficiencies, and improve productivity. AR also allows for content to be presented in arguably the most contextual way possible. When accurate information is presented over real-world devices there is little room for error and misunderstanding.
If field service technicians aren’t available to be on-site for a critical situation, then technicians can remotely assist customers with the help of AR. Customers will be able to observe service manuals with interactive 3D animations to disassemble components or work on equipment with which they’re unfamiliar with. If the users need further help, then the experienced field service technician can walk users through instructions while steaming the user’s device view in real time.
Augmented Reality Barriers to Entry
Your service and parts information have to be accurate and up-to-date in order to fully benefit from an augmented reality investment. Making sure your organization has a reliable Service Lifecycle Management system in place is the first step to digital transformation. Without accurate information on parts and equipment, field service technicians could replace the wrong part or be confronted with an outdated, undocumented design.
In order to be labeled a “smart connected enterprise,” a company should have a strategy to connect all of their assets and data; this includes technical publications. Connected technical illustrations have the power to show the current status for every part and piece of equipment. For example, if a mechanic could see a 3D representation of a vehicle’s carburetor and view critical metrics it would help them understand the potential for repairs or future failure.
Your organization needs to be IoT ready – meaning that there needs to be a strategy in place to input sensors on products and equipment. The Internet of Things allows products and assets to send alerts to a maintenance system that assigns a field service technician to perform a repair. Without the sensors that relay information about the status of those parts, and accurate 3D representations, augmented reality devices would be useless because there would be no relevant or up-to-date information to leverage in the field.
The IoT and Augmented Reality are transforming service and enhancing the field service process. Check out EAC’s solutions to see how you can start using AR today.
Engineers leverage simulation tools to develop innovative and high-performing products in a virtual design space using computer-aided design (CAD) technology.
Imagine what you could do as a designer or engineer if you could take your simulation a step further and study a digital working copy of a product under actual working conditions. It could help you rapidly optimize the design, life, and maintenance of a product.
What is a digital twin?
Companies are collecting real-time operating data from product-mounted sensors. They use the data to create an exact replica of a working product, process, or service. This exact replica, called a digital twin, is a simulated model in a virtual space that performs under real-world conditions to help companies find performance issues, schedule predictive maintenance, reduce downtime, and minimize warranty expenses.
Digital twins drive innovation and performance. They give product development technicians predictive analytics and they give companies the ability to improve customer experience. Digital twins allow for better understanding of customer needs, enhanced existing products, streamlined operations, and improved service-after-sales; all while creating headway for new products and services.
The Internet of Things (IoT) has made it possible for digital twins to exist. IoT platforms bridge the gap between the digital and physical world. How does it work? Smart connected products and smart connected operations are connected to a cloud-based system that receives and processes all the data monitored by sensors.
Using the data captured by sensors, the simulation model, or digital twin, is continuously updated and gives designers and engineers the insight they need to improve future product development efforts. (An example would be visibility into real-world bearing operating temperatures and the downstream effects on tolerances right within a CAD model.)
By studying the digital twin under actual working conditions, companies can see the product in action. Engineers can make more informed choices during the design process and use digital twins to make their simulations more accurate.
Bringing digital twins to life with the Internet of Things
For businesses already using engineering simulation to design products, connecting the simulation to the physical product in the field is necessary to deploy the digital twin solution.
For businesses that are new to simulation, the engineering team would first need to build the 3D product model, optimize its performance, and replicate the real world in which the product system would operate. Re-using this data in similar product simulation scenarios for future product development saves time and money.
In process of applying a digital twin to your design is explained in PTC’s blog as follows:
- Build a product using 3D CAD
- Build a physical prototype of the product
- Add sensors to the prototype
- Build the sensors in the 3D CAD model
- Collect the data (E.g., via ThingWorx)
- Associate the sensors’ data streams to the sensors in your 3D CAD model
- Voila! Now your model can talk.
Not only do digital twins improve future innovation and product development efforts for designers and engineers – they build a stronger relationship between engineering and operations teams.
The data collected from sensors is analyzed by the operations team to optimize performance, service, and maintenance over the lifetime of a product. The digital twin can help organizations avoid costly downtime, repairs, replacements, or stay ahead of other performance issues.
This is a guest post from our friends over on the PTC blog.
This week in Chicago, IoT business and IT leaders from multiple industries came together at Bosch Connected World to share best practices and case studies around connected products, services, and solutions.
During the conference, the emerging trend of using augmented reality in manufacturing was explored in a keynote on Wednesday by PTC CEO and IoT expert and visionary, Jim Heppelmann, where he shared a research-driven framework for how companies can capitalize on the convergence of the physical and digital worlds.
Heppelmann emphasized the experiences and opportunities augmented reality is creating for competitive advantage in the IoT.
With the number of smart, connected products increasing each day, the volume of data generated continues to grow, presenting both challenges and opportunities. More data is being created than humans can possibly consume, which creates the need for new processes and applications to address this challenge. The ability to make this information more digestible, while also being able to identify what is valuable and requires action, will become a key competitive advantage. Data analytics is one way to take this large amount of data and condense it to a smaller actionable amount, but AR presents another level of opportunity to redefine the way we as humans absorb and learn from this information.
The excitement over AR’s ability to change the way we consume and communicate information is getting a lot of attention. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook weighed in on his view that AR will be bigger than VR in an interview with ABC, saying, “…my own view is that augmented reality is the larger of the two, probably by far, because this gives the capability for both of us to sit and be very present, talking to each other, but also have other things — visually — for both of us to see.”
Last week, an article in The Huffington Post also addressed how AR can offer tangible benefits by providing a more immersive form of education and training. As evident in Heppelmann’s keynote at Bosch Connected World, this can be very valuable in a business or manufacturing setting.
Using AR to ‘educate’ in a business setting opens up a vast amount of possibilities for addressing the many challenges that manufacturers across industries face in the age of IoT, including:
• Being able to better understand IoT data and make it actionable
• Marketing and selling smart, connected products
• Overcoming the manufacturing skills gap by optimizing training through simulation, which leads to better retention of information
• Changing the way service information is consumed and the way smart, connected products are serviced
The use of AR in enterprise will continue to grow. It is not only changing the way we interact with things, but also holds a lot of promise for increasing our understanding of information and improving the way we work.
A customer purchased your product. Is that the end of your relationship or the beginning?
To stay competitive and keep customers satisfied, companies are finding they need to provide more value. Instead of treating a product sale as end point with a customer, successful companies are thinking about how to provide value to customers as their product is used, for as long as it is used, to maximize the value and relationship with the customer.
Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) is a way of managing the lifecycle of a product, as it is used by the customer, to maximize the value of that product. SLM gives companies a competitive advantage by perpetuating the relationship with a customer and creating value over the lifetime of the customer’s products.
SLM gives companies new ways to add value for products, such as:
- optimizing performance with smart connected products
- minimizing downtime with predictive analytics
- provide access to accurate and relevant documentation, illustrations, and part lists
- improving service response time and first-time fix rates
- optimizing service parts availability and pricing
- paying for product performance with product-as-a-service (PaaS) models
What is a Service Life Cycle Management (SLM) solution?
An SLM solution helps organizations deliver new value to customers by leveraging embedded software and connected systems to manage the events and performance of product being used by a customer.
Typically SLM solutions add value by reusing existing engineering and CAD data, automating accurate service and parts documentation and illustration, connecting to smart products in the field, predicting product service events and failures, and optimizing service and parts operations.
With the additional opportunity created through an SLM solution, companies gain greater insight into how products perform with customers, when products need service, and how to best service products.
How to profit from Service Life Cycle Management software
Engaging with customers beyond the point of sale opens up new opportunities for companies to provide value, and this value can be monetized into new revenue streams. Moreover, existing parts and services operations can be shifted from a cost center to a profit center by leveraging SLM and maximizing efficiency.
Smart connected products give companies new ways to provide valuable features to customers, who may opt to pay more for these benefits over non-connected products. High brand affinity is often attributed to products with accurate and relevant product and service information, which can be created efficiently and automatically. Companies can reduce service and parts costs through service optimization, and capture new revenue opportunities created by product value though PaaS offerings.
Should service companies be using PLM and SLM together?
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is typically used to manage all stages of product development with a specific focus on engineering and product revision. PLM often helps manage a cycle of continuous improvement, whereby products are created and sold, then improved to be created and sold again. Service Lifecycle Management extends this cycle, by information about the product journey after its sale and during which a product is used by a customer.
Before SLM software existed, companies had to focus on operational efficiencies and service management as separate entities from the rest of their business. Companies can finally approach service operations as a means of collaboration between product development from PLM and product performance from SLM. Implementing PLM and SLM solutions together gives companies the power to have a complete process in how a product is made and how it is used by a customer.
Which SLM software solutions does EAC provide?
EAC Product Development Solutions has many Service Lifecycle Management solutions depending on your company’s needs. We would be happy to help you find the right-sized solution for your team. Reach out to our Director of Information Services, Mike Simon, or browse our website for more information.
Creo Illustrate
Creo Illustrate simplifies your 2D and 3D illustrations by creating them from CAD data, and it provides a wealth of features including: art styling, BOM management, illustrated parts lists, callouts, service procedures, and 3D animations.
Arbortext Editor / Styler
Arbortext Editor / Styler helps your authors create structured content and technical publications used for service procedures, illustrated parts lists, operator and service manuals, work instructions, help and training, and other technical publications based on XML standards such as DITA, S1000D, and DocBook.
Windchill Service Information Manager
Windchill Service Information Manager allows you to organize and manage service content, reuse common content, managing content translation to multiple languages, and create automated technical publications.
Windchill Service Parts
Windchill Service Parts allows you to build service bills of material and spare parts for every product configuration and enables the automated delivery of illustrated parts lists throughout the product lifecycle.
Arbortext Publishing Engine
Arbortext Publishing Engine powerfully and intelligently publishes accurate and relevant product and service information to a variety of formats including PDF, HTML, and EPUB, and can be scripted and extended to publish to other formats and systems.
Arbortext Content Delivery (formerly Windchill InService)
Arbortext Content Delivery (formerly Windchill InService) provides service teams, dealers, distributors, and customers a parts and service portal with accurate and timely product and service information in both online and offline formats. Users have access to product information and parts illustrations to help them with service procedures and order parts.
Vuforia Studio
Vuforia Studio allows you to easily create engaging AR experiences by leverage existing 3D content and connected product performance analytics, and deploy those experiences to those engaged with your connected product.
ThingWorx
ThingWorx is an industrial internet of things (IIoT) platform that allows you to build smart connected products and interact with those products with smart connected operations. Connected service with ThingWorx allows you to connect and observe product performance, enable predictive analytics, and assess service needs for optimizing product performance and first-time fix rates.
Augmented Reality (AR) uses devices such as smart glasses and phone applications to overlay digital information on the real world. The resulting experiences provide a convergence of digital and physical worlds. Isn’t this what we’ve all been waiting for? For technology to catch up with us? How did we end up here? Where did it all begin?
If you think back to your earliest introduction to Augmented Reality, what do you think of? I tend to think back to Star Trek’s holodecks – augmented facilities that characters used for recreation and for work. But the idea of bringing together virtual and physical worlds has been around for longer than you think.
The first traces of an Augmented Reality device originated in the late 1960’s by computer scientist, Ivan Sutherland, at Harvard University when he was working on what he called “the ultimate display.” The device, called the Sword of Damocles, displayed a geometric grid of graphics over the user’s view of the room. The component parts to the device were so large and heavy that it had to be mounted from the ceiling and suspended with a mechanical arm that supported the head mounted display (HMD). It wouldn’t be until many years later that AR would be introduced to mainstream media as a device that could be used in the manufacturing world.
Not unlike Steve Jobs’ idea that the individual consumer may want his or her own personal computer – working designers and engineers are implementing the individual use of AR to improve workforce efficiencies. Why might manufacturers want Augmented Reality in their hands and in the workplace? What are the benefits?
Augmented Reality helps you work a lot faster.
For Designers and Engineers, a lot of time spent on the manufacturing floor is working with the design in one work space and moving to another space to test the product. With the aid of hands-free AR devices, you’ll be spending a lot less time writing down changes. You’ll be able to make a virtual change to a design with the swipe of a finger or by the nod of your head. You will no longer have messy notepads filled with your ingenious ideas with room for error, missing notepads, or frustration with file-keeping. Your AR glasses will be able to keep up with your fast-paced mind and you’ll be redirecting your energy towards developing new products and improving existing ones.
You can use AR to provide hands-on learning for employees.
Have you ever sat in class writing or typing down all the notes you could possibly think of to ensure that you would apply those rules later while you’re in the field? I know I have. How many times have you actually looked back at those notes? Augmented Reality in the workplace gives employees an opportunity to thrive in their learning environments. Hands-on learning can result in up to a 75% retention rate. AR devices produce real-time images of physical objects with virtual work instructions that guide you while you’re on the manufacturing floor. So yes, traditional training will still be relevant – but you’ll be able to supplement your learning with hands-on experience too.
Vuforia Studio allows you to access data easily.
Vuforia Studio, a PTC Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) tool, is used to improve service, operation, engineering, and manufacturing with AR capabilities. This app is a powerful solution for creating, deploying, and consuming AR experiences within your enterprise. Vuforia Studio has an easy-to-use ‘drag and drop’ interface so that users can quickly create and share scalable AR experiences.
Augmented Reality helps to refine and optimize design in early stages of product development. Smartphones, tablets, and smart glasses can retrieve product data such as sensor readings, locations, temperatures, sales history, warranty history, and other service information. Concepts, modifications, and new ideas can be reviewed and changed quickly. 3D parts observed using a wearable augmented reality device will give designers and engineers a better visualization of a finished product. What’s the result? Rapid repetitious design cycles and the optimization of product design and development.
Solve business problems and provide competitive differentiation with Vuforia Studio – download the product brief.
If you’re interested in talking to us today about Vuforia Studio, then email us at communications@eacpds.com or call us at 1-888-225-7579.
In preparation for the LiveWorx 2017 conference in Boston an amazing team of EAC, PTC, and RCR folks worked to create an entirely new experience for NASCAR fans. The experience was unveiled at the entrance of the Xtropolis exhibit hall floor and allowed LiveWorx attendees to interact with an actual RCR race vehicle using augmented reality (AR). The experience wowed show sponsors and attendees alike.
Racing provides many traditional experiences; the race track, the stands, concessions, meet and greets, etc. You may get to
see a car from a few feet away, but rarely will anyone get a chance to see inside a car or what’s beneath the sheetmetal. Our development team created four ThingWorx View “experiences” for people. Each one allows them to interact with a different part of the car in a different way using nothing but their smart phone or table and the ThingWorx View app that is available for free on both the Apple App Store and Google PlayStore.
In the picture below you will see one example. On an iPad we are able to scan a ThingMark and launch an AR video that shows the fuel system and how a car is fueled.
Another experience lets a viewer watch the official tire change process. It’s really cool stuff.
Moving to the other side of the car lets you see the roll cage structure and displays some really interesting facts and information across the top of the screen.
EAC, RCR, and PTC are using technology, available now, to engage customers and fans in an entirely new way. Let us know if you’d like to know more about how AR and the IoT can transform the way your internal and external customers engage with your products.
