Posts Tagged manufacturing
ISMAR09: Manufacturing Discussion
Posted by Tom Carpenter in Industrial AR, augmented reality on September 10th, 2009
ISMAR09 Sympsium & Expo is right around the corner and I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be not only attending ISMAR09, but I will be presenting during the Manufacturing section on Monday and joining the panel discussion as a representative of Toyota. I’ll be reviewing the possibilities of augmented reality in an industrial setting, including a project that I’m working on with Metaio. Hopefully I can enlighten participants on the constraints and challenges of implementing augmented reality on the factory floor.
I’m announcing this on my blog, so if anyone has any requests for topics during the discussion, I can be sure to bring them up. I was only able to confirm attendance last week, so there’s still plenty of time to update my presentation.
Not only am I excited about presenting, but I’m more excited about getting to meet a lot of the people I’ve interacted with throughout the AR world. I’ll be there from Sunday until Tuesday afternoon, so if you’re going to be there then, I’d love to meet up, chat and maybe, share a drink.
To reach me before or to contact me during the conferance, email me at tom.carpenter (@) tema.toyota.com or twitter to thomaskcarpente. (Yes, the name is missing the ‘r’ since my name was too big for twitter.) I’ll be tweeting updates during the conferance (as well, I use it regularly for posts and other augmented reality related news.)
Popularity: 12% [?]
Immersion’s Cubtile 3D Multitouch Device
Posted by Tom Carpenter in Industrial AR on May 17th, 2009
The following video from Immersion R&D shows the manipulation of a 3D object using their Cubtile device. I’m not particularly keen on the cube because it seems more like a prop out of a bad science fiction movie rather than a real interface device. I really couldn’t imagine having one of those in my house or at work.
However, the manipulation of the 3D object shows off nice usage of AR in a hologram sort of way. The interesting part of the video comes at 1:08 when she pulls the object out of the cube.
Using a haptic or air-touch system, 3D object manipulation could be useful for designers that need to see all views of an object. But they will also need a way to select individual surfaces, lines or points to make real changes.
Having watched many of my engineers or techs manipulate 3D objects, I can say they spend a lot of time rotating objects around to get the proper view. Using AR glasses with a freeform control that feels natural (not the cube) in their resident 3D program (design, manufacturing, etc), they could improve their development time by a significant amount to make it worth the additional cost of the AR program.
Unfortunately, this means unless a universal AR viewer can be applied to any 3D program, each product developer will have to incorporate AR into their product. We use a wide variety of programs at our one facility: MasterCam, CamTool, Pro/E Wildfire, CADLite, etc., so the cost could skyrocket quickly, making any benefits cost prohibitive.
Popularity: 8% [?]
50th Post!
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality, digital singularity on April 30th, 2009
When I started this blog a few months ago, I thought it was going to be hard to have something to talk even once a week. Little did I know, I would have to restrain myself from posting everyday or sometimes twice a day. The wealth of topics says a lot for the robustness of the fledgling augmented reality movement. Hopefully in my enthusiasm, I’ve tilted the scales into the quality and not quantity category, but I’ll let you, the reader, judge me.
My readership has increased steadily the past three months which has encouraged me to try harder and make sure I’m giving you a reason to come back. For those that may have recently stumbled upon my little corner of the Internet, I wanted to go back and pick out some of my favorite posts so far.
Sign of the Singularity. This one was one of my favorites to write because I got to work in “robot apocalypse” and “the machine that goes ping!”. I, like most nerds, relish any apocalyptic catastrophe because of the chance of being the only male in a hidden settlement with Megan Fox look-a-likes. Oh yeah, and there’s a computer that can perform experiments. Did I mention Megan Fox?
Can AR Help Manufacturing? and AR for Industry. When I started this I honestly didn’t expect to find good uses for AR for my day job as a Toyota plant Quality and Engineering Manager. However, after reviewing a few videos and having a great conversation with Jan from Metaio, my mind was ablaze with ideas. In fact, I’ve started working with Metaio on a few projects and hopefully, in a month or so, I can give more details on how we’re using augmented reality in an industrial setting.
The Digital Sea. This is what got me started. Working up the concepts for three novels left me with orphan ideas without a home, so I decided to start this blog to share. This is one of my early posts. I’m not sure I like my voice, but we have to start somewhere.
Why Digital Matters. I’ve hit this theme for specific industries a few times since, and I’m sure I’ll find more examples in the future. But for any industry that deals in information locked into physical media. Beware. Your time is coming.
Machines That Know. The Good and the Bad. In this trifecta of posts I looked at the repercussions of personal data in an augmented reality world. As machines can recognize people, facial expression and objects, our freedoms can be impinged upon. While AR is a fun technology with lots of potential. We should always remember that the laws of unintended consequences can bite us if we’re not vigilant.
This concludes my little flashback into the recent past and now that its over, I’m ready to get back to more cool new stuff. I have a notebook full of new ideas and as I look around the Internet, people are blowing away my expectations of what augmented reality can do right now. I can’t wait for the next post.
Popularity: 5% [?]
AR for Industry
Posted by Tom Carpenter in Industrial AR on April 14th, 2009
Today I had a nice phone conferance with Thomas and Jan from Metaio. Jan is the author of the Augmented Reality Blog. Jan had contacted me after reading my writeup about the use of AR in manufacturing based on a Microsoft video. Thomas is one of their designers and has experience with automotive manufacturing. And I’m looking for applications of AR to improve production at my Toyota casting plant.
The basics of our discussion was how to apply AR concepts to a manufacturing enviroment. The advantage I see for AR in a production enviroment is it brings complex levels of information to a real time enviroment. Many of the challenges of running a factory is getting the right information to the right people to make the right decisions. Every day people must make complex decisions, often with limited information, to perform their job. We apply many systems to these operations to ensure we’re producing a quality product at a good price, but often times we waste efforts because everyone doesn’t have the information they need at the moment they need it.
The combination of real time information in a production enviroment can reduce waste and improve quality if done correctly. One example I can illustrate this example is with die repair. We use steel dies for creating our castings and the dimensions of these dies need to be held tight tolerances of less than 0.20mm. This means we must constantly repair our dies because of wear from the aluminum (aluminum is corrosive to steel).
When we have to repair our die, we first have to weld it, then we machine it back to the required dimensions and then we check the quality. If we make a mistake, we have to go back to the beginning and start over. A common mistake is not putting enough weld material down, so when the weld is machined back to standard, gaps are created from the missing weld. This picture illustrates the example:
Using AR we can superimpose the correct dimension of the final shape over the worn die, so the welder knows if he’s put enough weld material on the die. This gets the right information to the right person at the right time. Before we had the right information, but we didn’t get it to the right person until much later in the process, so effort was wasted in between.
This is one small example of using AR in a production enviroment. And though we only had a brief discussion today about potential applications, my mind has been a-whirl about other possibilities, so I’m looking forward to working with Thomas and Jan to explore the potentials of this fledgling technology.
Popularity: 9% [?]
More Philosophy for Entrepreneurs
Posted by Tom Carpenter in Industrial AR on April 13th, 2009
Tim Ferriss on his popular Four Hour Work Week blog, had an interested guest post about the practical use of philosophy in business from Ryan Holiday. Ryan focuses on the branch of philosophy called Stoicism. I’m not going to further dissect his excellent analysis and application of the philosophy, but I would like to challenge his assertion that Stoicism is the only philosophy that has practical applications (I would also point out that Stoicism is similar to the Eastern philosophy of Taoism, best explained in The Tao of Pooh.)
I would like to discuss the philosophies of Socrates in relation to Toyota.
It’s no secret that one of the keys to Toyota’s success is its Toyota Production System. In the United States, the Toyota Production System (TPS) tends to be dumbed down into lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing is akin to taking a martial arts class so you can beat up the guy down the street because he looked at your sister. It gets you quick satisfaction, but doesn’t help grow you as a person.
The TPS I want to talk about is rooted in The Toyota Way, which is a guiding philosophy of the company. The aspects of the The Toyota Way I would like to talk about are the concepts of 5-Whys and the open mind. The concept of 5-Why is that when presented with a problem, keeping asking the question “Why” until the true root cause is found. Often times, the superior will ask his subordinate these questions when the superior feels that the subordinate hasn’t driven down to the real root cause. This method is essentially, the Socratic Method.
It is an important tool of any business because often times we’re busy solving the symptom of the problem and not the true root cause. As an entrepreneur it can be even more important, because you don’t want to be bogged down making every decision for your employees. By asking them questions, and letting them arrive at the correct conclusion (with proper feedback and positive encouragement), you can solve the problem and empower them. As Tim states numerous times in 4HWW, you want to eliminate yourself from the process.
The second, and most important philosophy that is similar between Toyota and Socrates, is the concept of the open mind or in the words of Socrates “I know that I know nothing“. This concept most manifests itself during formal individual or group problem solving activities. Leaders of a Jishuken activity (translates to “self-study”) are chosen by their willingness to have an open mind.
The reason for emphasis placed on the open mind is a student who comes in with a predisposed mind will not succeed because they will be trapped by the limits of their knowledge. One first has to admit that you know nothing (in a relative sense, we’re not asking to forget everything!) before you can truly approach the problem. The open mind is sometimes developed through exercises such as an Ohno Circle or impossible tasks that force the student to look at things in new ways.
I have found that the more knowledgeable members of Toyota are the most willing to say that they “do not know.” I have heard Plant Managers and Managing Officers admit their not knowing. They did not feel the need to “seem to know”, but were perfectly calm with their ignorance. Then in doing so, they would ask many questions that would both inform the answerer and themselves.
One of the highest levels of TPS thinking comes from the OMDD group within Toyota. Students are put through rigorous training for two years and then are expected to return to their group and level up the thinking of those around them. The most important trait that an OMDD candidate is expected to have is an open mind.
While I do not know if the Toyoda family had read Socrates in their development of The Toyota Way, I am certain that if they didn’t; they arrived by the same willingness to examine everything with a critical eye, most importantly, themselves.
“I know you won’t believe me, but the highest form of Human Excellence is to question oneself and others” — Socrates
Popularity: 9% [?]
Can AR Help Manufacturing?
Posted by Tom Carpenter in Industrial AR, augmented reality on April 1st, 2009
I found this interesting video from Microsoft about how AR could be used in a manufacturing environment, and specifically in the car business. Currently, I am a Manager of Quality and Engineering at a Toyota facility here in the US, so I have my own take on what AR can do for manufacturing.
The video goes through a variety of stages of car design from test driving to assembly to purchase. While I don’t have intimate knowledge of every stage of the process, I’ve seen enough of it to know that this video idealizes the usefulness of AR. I also realize that the point of the video is to stretch the imagination, and not to give a point-by-point improvement plan of AR, but I’d like to clarify the reality anyway.
I am an AR enthusiast, but I don’t want people to have an unrealistic expectation of what AR can do. One area I thought glossed over the reality was in the design phase. The video suggested that the AR desk would magically transform the sketch into a design. The reality of design is it takes thousands of manhours to get every detail right. It’s extremely important to make sure all the dimensions add up, and not interfere with other parts. Four or five years before a part is actually made in production (and I’m speaking of the more complex parts), I’ll get a print or a 3D model to understand how it will affect the production. So I don’t think AR is going to suddenly reduce design time. Design time improvements would come more from linking together various 3D models easier which is more about processing speeds and point-clouds.
I also disagreed with the idea AR would help with maintaining equipment, as shown when the woman walked by the robot and scheduled maintenance. Computerized maintenance systems are the same as any database in the world. You get what you put in it. We find simpler paper systems work much better than elaborate computerized ones.
Areas I think AR would help would be in inspection and manual assembly areas. The exact manner a person puts a part on matters greatly in the final quality of the part. By using AR to give a visual guide to the worker, the worker is more likely to do it correctly the first time. And if we use the idea of “games” from yesterday’s post, then we can help the worker understand how well he’s doing and keep score for the day.
Inspection would also be easier with AR because the specifications could be seen easily. Also, judgement of defects would become easier as AR could project measurement scales onto parts. In casting plants, its often difficult to decide good or bad of certain types of defects because the exact size is hard to discern. This is compounded by a short inspection time. AR could help the worker quickly make a decision.
The other area I think AR would help with is information sharing. I think part design is too specific and detailed, but general schedules, production progress or other non-critical information would be useful in an AR environment.
So my conclusion is that, yes, AR can help manufacturing, but it’s not a panacea to be applied to all problems. Useful applications of AR could immediately improve manufacturing, but only if applied in ways that are trying to solve an existing problem and not just play with pretty toys.
Popularity: 13% [?]
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