Introduction of operator support systems
Industry 4.0 and mass customisation imply a higher variability in the production process. To support operators dealing with this complexity - whilst improving productivity, warding ergonomics and avoiding technostress - we offer various operator support systems.
What do we offer?
To ensure qualitative products and good performance, operators need to receive suitable support. Typically, this support is offered by work instructions. We focus on using human capabilities to improve the user experience of complex systems. This approach is based on industrial standards to make our solutions platform and vendor independent. We support companies with:
- Capturing of requirements, performance evaluation and guidelines for the selection of operator support systems;
- The possibility to test various platforms at your premise;
- Software architectures for ‘Industrial Internet of Things’ (IIoT) enabled work instructions;
- Bi-directional operator specific information system knowledge:
- A modelling approach for digital work instructions based on the industrial ISA-95 standard, which allows us to automatically adapt the instruction to the requirements of the operator;
- Operator feedback;
- Integrated quality monitoring;
- (Semi-)automatic generation of instructions from CAD.
- Optimal (virtual, on-the-job, …) training strategies based on the characteristics of the job as well as the learning and forgetting capabilities of the individual operator.
Our unique software & hardware
We use various unique software and hardware tools in this process:
- Software:
- Commercial software:
- CAD, DWI, VR, AR, Ergonomic load
- Proprietary software:
- CAD2DWI tool to automatically generate Digital Work Instructions for CAD files
- Commercial software:
- Hardware:
- Range of digital work instruction systems:
- Quality Control: Smart Klaus
- Tablet, Smartphone, Smart glasses, AR: Proceedix/Custom
- Projection: Arkite, Ansomatic
- Motion capture systems: cameras, wearable sensors
- Make Lab and Operator Support 4.0 lab: Showcases for operator-support systems
- Range of digital work instruction systems:
- Various mock-up assembly systems
Customer success story
Smart paperless instructions for operators of weaving machines.
Problem
The customer needs to reduce error levels, increase efficiency & speed-up the learning curve of operators. Paper-based instructions were used but they were not always up to date nor operator specific.
Solution
- We installed Assembly Software to obtain one information flow;
- We replaced paper on the shop floor by bi-directional and operator-specific digital work instructions on tablets and google glasses;
- We linked personalized instructions for the operators to his/her skill level.
Customer value
- +/- 10 % reduction of training time.
- > 50% less failures in the end-product.
- +/- 20% efficiency increase.
- We obtained a SUS scoring (user acceptance scoring) of 80.
- Operators are more flexibly employable.
- Operators experience less cognitive load and are more confident.