The Virtual Factory Becomes a Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) is becoming commonplace due to its increasing popularity in the gaming industry. Companies within industry are also now recognizing the benefits of this technology and are starting to use it. The ability to virtually review designs even before the first physical prototype is created offers enormous advantages for companies.
Design systems continue to develop
Factory design methods are advancing rapidly, and even though research has already made far-reaching progress in process and material flow optimization, the results are only slowly finding their way into industry. This is where software providers for factory design come in. As a result, proven design methods are being increasingly incorporated into the functional scope of their software systems. This means that even a small restructuring of a part of the production plant can take place on the basis of optimized design.
SMEs benefit from modern factory design
It is often wrongly assumed that the cost of using virtual reality for factory design is too high, especially for small and medium-sized companies. For this reason, corners are often cut during the design process. This means that potential is lost and it becomes harder to align production with increasing market demand at the design stage. Companies that use virtual reality to allow staff to immerse themselves in their new factory design, quickly benefit from the advantages.
The use of VR often leads to the identification and elimination of problems that would otherwise only have become apparent later on. It is much cheaper to fix problems during the design phase than it is to rectify them during construction, and especially before the plant becomes operational. A very concise argument, especially for SMEs, when it comes to weighing the benefits of the virtual factory today.
The path to a virtual factory
The path from 2D layout to 3D design, to a virtual factory does not have to be complicated. Software providers like CAD Schroer GmbH offer a state-of-the-art solution. With its factory layout software, entire buildings and production lines can be quickly designed, no matter how large or complex they are. The 3D factory model can then be easily exported to the popular FBX format. The FBX file can then be viewed using a VR viewer.
With the M4 VIRTUAL REVIEW VR viewer, which is compatible with Microsoft Mixed Reality, CAD Schroer offers a direct way to achieve and experience a virtual factory. The software developer also supports companies in getting started with VR by providing 3D modelling services to customers whose machinery and buildings are not already available in 3D. CAD Schroer helps companies realise their first project and paves the way to their first virtual factory based on simple 2D layouts.
