Fujitsu Launches New 3D Augmented Reality Solution for More Effective Component Inspection

This time of year is a busy one for many, but that’s been especially true this year for information and communication technology company Fujitsu. Earlier this month, they released a new IoT solution that had been in the works for two years. The FUJITSU Manufacturing Industry Solution VisuaLine was designed to improve production efficiency in manufacturing facilities by collecting data from every piece of equipment and alerting production staff about any issues in function well before any major problems occur.

Today, the Tokyo-based company announced the release of the FUJITSU Manufacturing Industry Solution 3D Superimposed Product Design Diagnostic, a PLM solution that uses augmented reality and 3D modeling to virtually inspect products and manufacturing components. Rather than having to manually examine every manufactured item, users simply take a picture of each component with a smartphone or tablet, then overlay that picture with the 3D CAD file of the component, enabling them to quickly spot any differences or inconsistencies.

The solution was developed by Fujitsu in response to a growing trend of manufactured components growing larger and more complex – due at least in part to more advanced production methods such as, for example, 3D printing. As a result, it’s becoming more difficult for manufacturers to efficiently inspect each product and accurately determine whether it perfectly matches its design blueprints.

Fujitsu worked with construction technology company Tomoe Corporation to develop the system, which was tested last year at Tomoe’s Oyama factory. The two corporations worked together to verify the 3D AR solution’s effectiveness during component assembly, and found that it was able to reduce the time required for the inspection of manufactured components to one-tenth of what it had been with previous inspection methods, bringing it down to just a few minutes per part.

After testing the solution with Tomoe, which operates multiple businesses ranging from general construction to steel towers, bridges and steel frames, Fujitsu added additional diagnostic preparation functionality to the system for the purpose of improving task efficiency, as well as management and usage functionality for diagnostic results. The FUJITSU Manufacturing Industry Solution 3D Superimposed Product Design Diagnostic is now being offered to manufacturing companies interested in improving the efficiency and efficacy of their product inspection procedures.

The system is easy to operate and allows manufacturers to easily and quickly detect flaws and defects at an early stage, eliminating the need to send components back during a later phase in the manufacturing process. In addition, the diagnostic results are saved, allowing companies to keep a record of quality, share information and improve overall management.

The 3D Superimposed Product Design Diagnostic is currently only available in Japan, but Fujitsu’s goal is to have the system implemented in 100 companies by FY2019. As of today, the system can be purchased in the form of a server license for ¥2 million, or a client license starting at ¥4 million. Discuss in the Fujitsu forum at 3DPB.com.