What is Augmented Reality (AR), and where does it fit in relation to other ‘reality’ technologies in the market today? Locating these technologies isn’t cut and dry. There’s some overlap and they are better understood as a spectrum rather than distinct items.
Extended Reality or (XR) refers to all the real-and-virtual environments generated by computer technology and wearables – in other words a spectrum of capabilities.
Augmented Reality for Your Packaging Operation
AR is making it possible to more quickly train or provide expert guidance to a workforce, and provide them the information they need at the right time and with the correct context.
Staff can be guided through how to get a machine back up and running, perform a product line changeover, or be alerted to a performance issue using AR technologies.
We see the AR value proposition as delivering significant productivity gains in human labor; improvements on the order of 30-60% depending on the specific application.
Watch Alexander Ouellet, our Innovation Engineer, talk more about AR
and how it can be a gamechanger for packaging operations. >
Digital transformation has legs for a reason: It helps us to “Do More and Go Faster’ by leveraging data to make the traditional barriers to change – that is time, cost, and risk – easier to manipulate. Packaging, like any other manufacturing function, creates more value when we can control it better, change it easier, and can still rely on consistent performance. So, If data is the lifeblood of digital transformation, smart-connected machines are its heart, pumping contextualized data where and when we need it.
What's Driving Digital Transformation in Packaging?
The power of digital transformation starts with smart, connected machines that leverage information into better control over packaging operations. Control translates into quantifiable improvements across a spectrum of production performance measures. This makes smart machines essential to operationalizing digital transformation on the packaging production floor.
A smart, connected machine combines mechanical and electrical components, smart components, such as sensors, microprocessors, data storage, and controls software, and connectivity components like ports, antennae, protocols, and networks. They are designed to:
Unlike legacy packaging platforms, they anticipate tight integration between plant operations and information technologies. The features that make them “smart” also make them more flexible and therefore easier to adapt to changing business conditions.
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Digital Transformation translates to operational benefits, like reduced downtime, anomaly reduction, faster NPI, OEE improvement, better asset utilization and lower TCO.
The convergence of physical and cyber worlds impacts every aspect of society. Packaging is no different. With voice of customer in mind, we built a 4-stage, multi-year roadmap to operationalize digital transformation across a customers' packaging operation. Our four-stage strategic plan is founded on a premier partnership with Rockwell Automation, with a focus on building every customer solution based on the Allen Bradley® Integrated Architecture™ controls platform.
Phase 1: Establish Smart, Connected Automation Foundation
Migrating our machines onto a single, standardized controls platform to establish a smart, connected “foundation” for our customers. This phase is almost complete.
Customers benefit from a unified, commercial off the shelf controls platform because it better adheres to common corporate standards, leverages a very common skills set (Allen Bradly is widely known), and gives customers easy, global access to competitively priced commercial of the shelf parts and support services.
Phase 2: Augmented Reality Tools for Training and Maintenance Workflows
Layer in augmented reality workflows and integration to deliver new capabilities in staff training and machine maintenance efforts.
Software-based Augmented Reality tools, such as PTC’s Vuforia or Chalk improve maintenance and training workflows. Vuforia™ enables common mobile devices to display virtual overlays on physical equipment that visually simulates maintenance or troubleshooting procedures. Chalk™ facilitates real-time, interactive visual collaboration with remote expert resources.
From a customer impact standpoint, the ability to deliver instantly understandable visual training/guidance or collaborate with expert resources is a game changer. It enables new remote maintenance techniques and leverages existing widely employed smart phones and tablets.
Phase 3: Incorporate Internet of Things (IoT) Devices
Expand to incorporate more IoT touchpoints, essentially blending the machine with its digital twin to offer an enhanced operating experience and information integration. Expanding the breadth and depth of embedded IoT enables us to integrate with advanced IoT applications that expose detailed machine operations in real-time to production staff.
This stage represents an exponential leap in data acquisition and exposure, and sets the stage for the coming cloud-based, big data environment. More data means that more in context production information is available in real-time both to staff and to on-board diagnostics.
Phase 4: Predictive Analytics and Performance Benchmarking
In the final stage of our plan we will start to offer unique insight by applying machine learning and AI to the vast amounts of as-produced data collected during production.
This final stage represents an evolutionary step for customers in terms of their OEM relationship. Big data Solutions that leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) will make the holy grail of predicative maintenance analytics in our markets attainable.
This will be disruptive – first because predicting failures before they occur enables customers to restructure legacy maintenance and cost models to eliminate a huge percentage of unplanned downtime, and 2nd because industry-wide performance benchmarking draws back the curtain and exposes things for how they really are.
We offer smart, connected packaging platforms that reduce the complexity, time, and cost of building or extending any automated packaging solution. Rockwell Automation’s Integrated Architecture® replaces multiple, disparate control systems with one common framework for control, visualization, motion, safety and networking – converging control and information into a single, secure high-performance architecture for your packaging lines. Improve agility and performance at a lower total cost of ownership. Our integrated automation platform means your packaging lines:
Smart, connected packaging solutions help you meet demands through flexibility, greater connectivity, better insight, superior accuracy, continuous improvement, integrated safety and widely-supported training resources and parts.
Smart packaging equipment simplifies operations, making it easier to do more and go faster, with less. Tailored, smart solutions help our customers compete in the complex, changing packaging environment.