Evaluation of New Technologies within Manufacturing Engineering

Abstract

Abstract As the manufacturing industry is getting more competitive the need for new supporting technologies is increasing. Recently, the market for Virtual Reality (VR) has expanded significantly and become more accessible for consumers, with driving forces being the gaming industry and Industry 4.0. Therefore this technology will need to be researched and evaluated to further understand if and where it can be used and implemented. To do this, a method needed to be developed. The aim and purpose for this thesis was set accordingly, to find a method for evaluating new technologies and to see what the result from the implementation would be from a sustainability perspective. The thesis includes a case study at an automotive company where the method was developed and validated. The purpose and aim were fulfilled by creating a new and functioning method to evaluate new technologies within manufacturing engineering and identifying application opportunities. The method includes three major steps: a data collection, mapping of the findings and a verification of the result through a physical test. By following the created method resulted in an identification of three improvement areas: analysis, communication and visualization. Within these three areas a set of 17 activities, at the case company, were found. The findings shows that an implementation of VR in these activities would result in improvements for the case company. Recommendations to the case company are to implement VR in the found activities, for example communication and ergonomics. Further research could include integration of VR peripherals, where haptic feedback should be prioritized, and to then study the effects on cost, quality, time and user experience.