In the past, worker guidance was usually analog, for example by means of manuals or laminated instruction boards that were displayed at the station or, for tasks with precision requirements, sometimes with large positioning or inspection templates. Due to increased complexity and the growing number of variants in the industry, companies are now increasingly relying on digital worker assistance systems such as dynamic laser and video projection.
What is worker guidance?
A basic distinction can be made between free-order worker guidance with any sequence of work steps and fixed-order processes with a fixed sequence of work instructions. The more complex the latter are, the more steps the worker has to carry out in a specific sequence in an exact order. Many companies therefore already use digital worker guidance in the form of so-called pick-by-light systems or simple screens that display step-by-step instructions at the workstation. For work where the spatial context is important, however, dynamic laser and video projection comes into play: it displays CAD data, work instructions or other important information directly on the part or assembly in the correct position and with precision – even while the part or assembly is moving. In this way, even more complex processes can be mapped by worker assistance systems and high precision ensured.
3 KEY BENEFITS IN THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS
3 KEY BENEFITS IN THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS
Improve quality:
Convenient, digital worker guidance ensures that no work step is forgotten. With this solution, companies reduce the risk of errors and increase quality.
Increase efficiency:
With short cycle times or a large number of variants, it is often cumbersome for assembly workers to manually count which hole they need to insert the next plug into, for example, without making a mistake. Digital worker assistance systems significantly speed up these processes.
Defy skills shortages and fluctuation:
The more support the worker management offers the fitter, the less prior knowledge they need. Specific training is no longer absolutely necessary to get started quickly. The intuitive visual guidance also overcomes language barriers. This enables companies to better counter the consequences of the shortage of skilled workers and high fluctuation in the assembly process.
WHY WORKER GUIDANCE WITH IPG?
WHY WORKER GUIDANCE WITH IPG?
Sustainable cooperation with our customers is very important to us. That’s why we ensure that our worker assistance systems are scalable – even if the production environment changes. We also offer our customers maintenance contracts for software and hardware, which ensure that updates are installed regularly. This is because it is always possible that some systems may need to be migrated to a more
up-to-date Windows version or a different CAD format. As part of software maintenance, our specialists ensure that digital worker guidance continues to run stably. At the same time, we ensure downward compatibility so that the solution continues to work with older systems.
FAQs - Frequently asked questions about worker guidance in industry
FAQs - Frequently asked questions about worker guidance in industry
When is worker guidance worthwhile?
Digital worker guidance with laser or video projection is particularly recommended for numerous or even complex manual work steps, short cycle times, a large number of variants, high complexity or high employee turnover. It provides employees with the necessary work instructions to reduce errors and ensure high quality in assembly.
In which industries and application areas is worker guidance useful?
The technology is suitable for the automotive industry, aircraft construction, commercial and special vehicle construction, shipbuilding, mechanical engineering, electronics production, logistics, assembly from manual to automated. It can provide supporting work instructions in both individual and series production, thereby increasing efficiency, saving costs and improving quality.
When is IPG solution recommended: laser projection and when video projection?
Both laser- and video projection are suitable for worker guidance. Which option is most suitable depends on the individual requirements of the assembly process. The decisive factor is what the parts or assemblies to be processed look like or what challenges the working environment presents. For example, a laser is suitable for a dirty or dusty environment and higher precision, and a video projector for projection in color. Live demonstrations can help to get an idea of sharpness, contrast or recognizability.
Is laser or video projection also possible in automated processes?
Increasing individualization means that manufacturers increasingly have to remove parts or assemblies from the assembly line for manual processing. AGVs (autonomous guided vehicles) transport them to assembly islands so that workers can carry out complex manual tasks that require more time. Using dynamic laser and video projection, parts or assemblies can be processed individually and without cycle constraints and then brought back to the production line by AGVs – for example for time-intensive and high-precision work for battery cell assembly in electric cars.
Can IPG laser or video projection be combined with tool tracking or integrated image processing?
The combination of digital worker guidance with tool tracking or optical part or assembly recognition is possible and offers companies the opportunity to transfer data from manual processing back into the digital model. This allows the entire production process to be mapped digitally. Companies can then correlate the collected process data with other data sources, analyze it with the help of AI or integrate it into a digital twin.