The 3DExperience Playground claims to bridge the gap between designer intent and manufacturing lines seamlessly. We thought it was worth checking out.
Story: Joshua Varghese
Photography: Dassault Systèmes
Dassault Systèmes conducted their first ‘Manufacturing in the Age of Experience’ event in Pune. The event was a regional adaptation of their global ‘Age of Experience’ event. They are a well-known name in the world of 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up and Product Lifecycle Management, and currently support over 12 industries ranging from transport to defence concerns. Market leaders in the automotive industry like the PSA Group, Renault, Toyota, BMW, Honda, Volkswagen, Jaguar-Land Rover, Tesla, and Hyundai are among their clientele.
In this event Dassault Systèmes focused mainly on the 3DExperience Playground: a collection of technology featuring interactive stations. It comprises 3D Lean Experience, Future Manufacturing Cockpit, Digital Continuity, 3D Visual Quality Defect Tracking (3DVQDT) and 3DExperience Factory. We were given a tour and a live demo of these technologies.
The 3D Lean Experience enables a lean team to quickly put up a team board which ensures that all the members are connected and updated. This translates into smooth and efficient operation on the shop floor. The Future Manufacturing Cockpit is the ultimate solution for tomorrow’s industries. It enables the user to view detailed holographic representations of industries from a global perspective right down to a single manufacturing line in a plant. Digital Continuity is aimed at removing the gap between designer intent and manufacturing lines. Any changes in dimension or a manufacturing constraint are communicated directly to the designer, making the entire process faster and efficient. 3DVQDT enables engineers to record defects and subject them to advanced analysis.
3DExperience Factory in combination with the HTC Vive gives the user the power to predict issues and fix them before an actual investment is made, saving millions in cash without physical experimentation.
The whole 3DExperience Playground significantly reduces the product development time from five years to less than a year, at reduced costs. Dassault Systèmes claim that simulations run using their software are almost identical to real-life tests, further eliminating the need for precious resources and countless man-hours. They also say that the accuracy of their tools will increase with a subsequent increase in computing power.
In an evolving automotive industry like India, it could make all the difference, with the prestigious Maybach S 500 being locally manufactured at Chakan, near Pune. Who knows, manufacturers might muster enough confidence to bring their much sought-after international models to our shores too (think Honda Civic, Lotus Exige, Volkswagen Golf or Ford Mondeo).
