The New Edge in Manufacturing

A shop floor operator is tasked with assembling abe replaced by 3KOs. However, because there are
landing gear for an infrequently ordered aircraft. Afteralmost always more students than live equipment,
finding the work instructions and schematics, heoften more than 20 students per machine, 3KOs can
cautiously begins the assembly. However, due to lackbe used in the workshop and hangar to give
of familiarity and unclear visual examples, he breaks astudents something to practice with, while waiting for
critical component. The result is trashed landing geartheir turn with the live equipment.
and increased cycle time.Now Knowledge Objects can bring similar benefits to
On the other side of the country, a Global 2000manufacturing by:
company plans to roll out a new drilling system across- Providing technicians with on-demand access to a
multiple manufacturing locations in different countries.fully interactive 3D knowledge base, allowing them to
How can they provide operator training before theyperform procedures correctly the first time, and
ever hit the plant, and jump-start productionimproving productivity;
deadlines?- Capturing and organizing complex equipment
There are many challenges facing manufacturinginformation from multiple, disparate sources within a
organizations today. Complex and infrequentlysingle repository, and realizing increased production
performed tasks don't allow sufficient practice touptime through faster procedures; and,
maintain skills, and just-in-time access to reference- Augmenting work instructions with Knowledge
materials and subject matter experts may not beObjects, which contain animated procedures, part
possible all the time. The result is often delayed repairproperties, and links to external reference materials,
and maintenance cycles, longer equipment downtime,and can be easily deployed on common desktop,
increased costs and lost productivity.laptop, and tablet PCs.
Unless more effective training can be provided toIn manufacturing, the opportunity to draw on the
shop floor workers, and better reference materialsbenefits of interactive 3D Knowledge Objects can be
are made available on the ground, these issues willachieved relatively faster than in many other sectors,
continue to present some of the biggestby leveraging the organization's available 3D CAD data
challenges,and opportunities, to manufacturersand other digital reference materials.
everywhere.Available 3D data makes the creation of Knowledge
Fortunately, there is now a significant opportunity forObjects, which are the basis of the solution, easier
improvement. 3D Interactive Knowledge Objectsand quicker. Applications are available to transform
(3KOs) can address many deficiencies on the shopindustry-leading CAD and interchange formats into
floor, and have been shown to deliver an ROI ofKnowledge Objects, typically in a matter of minutes,
between 49% and 212% in real world applications.depending on the complexity of the files.
In his report, Assessment of Emerging Interactive 3DOnce converted to NGRAIN 3KOs, models built with
Solution for Post-Design Applications, industry analystthe 3D data cannot be reverse-engineered,
& consultant Clark Aldrich (formerly research directorprotecting the underlying intellectual property.
at the Gartner Group) concluded that using 3DOrganizations that do not have access to 3D data
Knowledge Objects, training on complex equipmentcan leverage the professional services of their
can be delivered with twice the efficiency,solution provider to create 3KOs using proven
effectively cutting training time in half while enhancingmodeling techniques and methodologies, in a relatively
the learning experience and knowledge retentionshort time.
among students. And due to their light weight, 3KOsOnce a 3KO is rendered into the NGRAIN format,
are deployable on common computers, providingrelated product knowledge is embedded into the
users on the shop floor with instant access tovarious components of the 3D equipment. This
instruction materials, procedural animations andknowledge can be in the form of hyperlinks to
references, whenever and wherever they need it.existing digital reference materials including Adobe
The Knowledge Object solution is a new trend beingAcrobat documents, Microsoft Office files,
applied in the defense and related manufacturingphotographs and technical illustrations, and Web
sector to maintenance training applications, topages.
accelerate training, shorten time-to-proficiency and,Procedural animations can also be created and
enable first-time-right repairs in the field.incorporated into the 3KO, along with voice
In the defense industry, 3KOs are being used in ainstructions, to help demonstrate procedures in a
range of scenarios, including:more easy-to-understand, easy-to-remember fashion.
1. Classroom: Whether embedded into PowerPoint orA 3KO can then be distributed throughout the
used on their own, 3KOs provide trainers with aorganization either through a LAN network, via e-mail
powerful instructional aid that can simplify complexor other preferred methods.
topics, accelerating student comprehension.Training program managers and instructors can then
2. Laboratory: Unlike traditional hard trainers, on whichincorporate the 3KOs into courseware, html pages or
students have limited time and often must share,e-work instruction material.
3KOs allow students to learn at their own pace, andAdditionally, 3KOs can be integrated into an existing
watch and practice procedures repeatedly until thePLM or shop floor management pipeline.
knowledge is retained. Virtual equipment delivers aIn summary, some of key benefits of the
more realistic experience to students. Students canKnowledge Object solution for manufacturing include:
view and interact with the virtual equipment in itsImproved Production Performance Rates - 3KOs
entirety, rather than trying to learn procedures usingprovide technicians with on-demand access to a fully
individual equipment parts arranged on a board.interactive 3D knowledge base, allowing them to
3. Workshop/Hangar: Hands-on time with the liveperform procedures correctly the first time, which
equipment is an essential part of training that cannotdirectly impacts productivity on the shop floor.