Collaborative manufacturing design: a mixed reality and cloud-based framework for part design
Dimitris Mourtzis, John Angelopoulos, Nikos Panopoulos
Abstract
Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) can be considered as the cornerstones of the lifecycle of a manufacturing asset. Since the above-mentioned processes often involve multiple engineers, from different departments even from different companies, it is crucial to ensure the flawless communication between the different individuals as well as to make the design process more intuitive. In the era of digitalization and Internet of Things, digital technologies such as Mixed Reality (MR) are utilized from engineers in order to leverage the capabilities of existing computer aided tools (CAx). Therefore, in this research work, the design and development of a Cloud-based and Mixed Reality-based framework is presented. The purpose of the framework is to facilitate engineers during the design and manufacturing phase of new components by providing a mobile application and common design tools via MR graphical user interfaces (GUI). Further to that, taking into consideration the advanced capabilities of MR devices in terms of user interaction, special emphasis is given on the interaction of engineers with the holograms of the components via simple hand gestures. The resulting 3D geometries can be imported in CAD suites either for further development or for manufacturing the designed component. The applicability of the proposed framework is tested and validated in a laboratory-based machine shop.