Context:

A complex manual assembly process of a medical device in a clean room, with the device approximately the size of a shoebox. It is made of roughly 35 individual parts and components.

Previous process: Workbench style layout. Per sub-assembly on the table, and one worker with a one-piece flow setup. For this particular process, a floor space of 3 tables was initially used in the clean room. Additionally, the work instructions for each product are printed with highly detailed and complex explanations of the assembly process.

Solution: Implementation of a Projected AR Worker Guidance System, which projects work instructions step by step on the workbench table, and an integrated camera system does quality control in every step. Workbench improvement from paper, w/o any QC, fluctuation of quality, and workers. We implemented a worker guidance system with camera control for operators to check quality.

Accomplishment

We performed the following tasks:

• Performed an analysis (1 month)
  • Analysis of the current workflow
  • Figured out the requirements
  • Figured out the costs of manpower and time
  • Figured the costs of quality
  • Performed an ROI
• Selection process (2 months):
  • Performed a selection process for the whole system
• Implementation (1 month):
  • Supervised the installation
  • Ensured proper commissioning and training of manufacturing engineers

Outcome:

• In less than 6 months, the new system was in production.
• It improved the quality by 60% and reduced the training time for assembly workers to almost zero.
• So it enabled flexibility for the client with the planning of the workers, so they deployed this system in 3 other places.
• Reduced floorspace/footprint in the clean room by 66% by adding low-running assembly products into one workbench.