The Institute of Production Science at KIT focuses on application-oriented research of the production of tomorrow: from global, resilient production networks to the breathing factory with highly productive plants and innovative business models to quality assurance. Specifically, practical tools are developed for industry, which are then translated into entrepreneurial success.

BENTELER Group, a metal process specialist, produces safety-relevant products, systems, and services for the automotive, energy, and machinery industries worldwide.

BENTELER Automotive is a development partner of leading automotive manufacturers. With 19,000 employees and around 70 plants in over 20 countries, the division develops customized solutions: Components and modules for chassis, body, engine, and exhaust systems as well as innovative solutions for electric vehicles.

Automatic assembly and welding of a car axle from sheet metal parts

As part of a research project, an assembly line from BENTELER Automotive was to be analyzed. In this assembly line, a passenger car axle is assembled from sheet metal parts. The production of the sheet metal parts, i.e., pressing and punching, is not considered here; the focus is solely on the assembly and welding of the sheet metal parts.

The assembly line consists of 5 welding cells and one cell for laser cutting. The cells are connected by handling robots; the line also includes the supply of the sheet metal parts and the removal of the final product.

In each welding cell, a different number of sheet metal parts are welded into an assembly. This intermediate product is transferred to the following cell and then welded with further components to form a new assembly. With the help of rotary tables, processing, loading, and unloading partly take place simultaneously.

Assembly lines of such complexity cannot be planned manually

When planning such an assembly line, numerous requirements must be considered. The rotary tables and handling robots must be arranged in such a way that optimum accessibility is ensured, i.e., that the distances and thus the cycle times are as short as possible. Collisions must be avoided at all times. In addition, the processes must be coordinated in such a way that processing and loading/unloading can be carried out in parallel. Finally, the welding line must be supplied with the sheet metal parts and the end products must be removed.

In the past, such assembly lines were planned manually and with the help of Excel spreadsheets. However, such complex production systems cannot be modified or adapted in a short time; moreover, a realistic representation of the assembly line and its processes is missing.

To enable more precise planning of production systems and to reduce the time-to-market, it is necessary to use modern software for factory planning and simulation. The Institute of Production Science has chosen Visual Components for this purpose.

Professional software for factory planning and simulation

At Visual Components, we are proud to be recognized as one of the world’s leading providers of 3D factory design and simulation solutions. Our software includes an extensive library of predefined factory components, empowering planners to design, plan, and simulate production facilities efficiently. Users can create digital twins of everything from individual machines and production lines to entire factories. These digital twins are essential tools that facilitate meticulous planning, optimize production processes, and enable virtual commissioning, ensuring that our customers are well-prepared for real-world implementation.

Based in Espoo, Finland, our solutions have a global footprint and are utilized across a diverse range of industries, including industrial machinery, automotive, packaging, and logistics. Our software is available in various versions that cater not only to large corporations but also to smaller enterprises through both purchase and rental options. This flexibility helps businesses of all sizes leverage our advanced simulation capabilities.

Furthermore, we offer particularly attractive conditions for educational institutions, supporting the next generation of engineers and industry professionals in gaining hands-on experience with industry-leading simulation technology.

Numerous CAD interfaces and a comprehensive catalog of factory components

The models of the components to be welded can be imported into Visual Components in native CAD format or as JT or STEP files. The data of numerous robots from all leading manufacturers, including detailed kinematics, are available in the library, the eCatalog of Visual Components. In total, our eCatalog contains more than 3,000 predefined components, such as machines, conveyors, and racks which can be used out-of-the-box to create factory models. If a component should not be available in the eCatalog, e.g., a special robot gripper, it can simply be modeled in Visual Components, including its kinematic properties, and then used by any robot.

Visual Components very accurately represents the components and processes, including all details. BENTELER Automotive is enthusiastic about the many possibilities that Visual Components offers for factory planning.

Mr. Louis Schäfer, M.Sc., academic assistant at the Institute of Production Science

The stations can be linked as desired by simple drag-and-drop

All stations of the welding system were set up in Visual Components. The modular structure facilitates future modifications because new concepts of the welding system can easily be set up and quickly tested and optimized via simulation. It is also possible to extend the model into a digital twin after the physical welding line has been built. Such a digital twin behaves exactly like the real system. A digital twin saves a lot of time and costs in development, optimization, and commissioning.

Validation of robot programs in terms of reachability and axis values

According to Mr. Schäfer, the Institute of Production Science also intends to use Visual Components for the validation of robot programs in terms of reachability and axis values. The modularization allows new versions of the production line to be set up accurately in a short time. Other problems can also be solved via simulation, e.g., the identification of bottlenecks in the production flow or the evaluation of differences between automatic and manual handling. A digital twin is also being considered, i.e., the integration of real process data into the model.

In summary, Mr. Schäfer states that Visual Components offers enormous potential for a wide variety of simulation-related tasks. The user-friendly system allows a detailed analysis, as one can represent even very complex issues. In addition, working with Visual Components is a lot of fun. The user forum provides a lot of support: In case of questions, helpful solutions are quickly provided by the large user community.

About Visual Components

Founded by a team of simulation experts and amassing over 20 years in business, Visual Components is one of the pioneers of the 3D manufacturing simulation industry. The organization is a trusted technology partner to a number of leading brands, offering machine builders, system integrators, and manufacturers a simple, quick, and cost-effective solution to design and simulate production processes and offline robot programming (OLP) technology for fast, accurate, and error-free programming of industrial robots.

Want to learn more about the benefits of our solutions for your business? Contact us today!

The post BENTELER rolls out the production technology of tomorrow with the help of Visual Components appeared first on Visual Components.

NIMAK – The inventor of the robot welding gun

NIMAK GmbH, based in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany is the inventor of the robot welding gun and a leading manufacturer in the field of industrial joining technology. In addition to welding guns and equipment for spot welding and roller seam welding, the company also manufactures machines for projection welding. In projection welding the weld is created by means of raised sections, or projections, on one or both of the workpieces to be joined. Only these projections form electrical contacts. During the current flow, the projection partially melts and joins with the other component. This allows, for example, screw nuts to be welded to sheet metal.

NIMAK also offers high-performance equipment for automated gluing. Today, more and more adhesive bonds are being used in the industry. They offer completely new possibilities, especially in lightweight structures, because different types of materials can be reliably joined.

Engineering of plant layouts with Visual Components

NIMAK GmbH employs approximately 430 people worldwide. Its customers operate in the automotive, consumer goods, aerospace, and metal processing industries. The technical sales department in the Automation division is responsible for responding to customer enquiries, developing equipment concepts together with the design department and preparing detailed and compelling proposals for the customers. 

The software of the Finnish solution provider Visual Components is used for these diverse tasks. With this solution for 3D factory planning and simulation, complete manufacturing systems can be designed and optimized; offline programming of robots can also be done. The software simulates the entire manufacturing process, from stand-alone machines to complex integrated systems. Thanks to the simulation, production processes can be optimized, e.g. cycle times can be determined and minimized, and questions such as accessibility by robots and collision avoidance can be resolved.

3D simulation helps NIMAK to stand out from its competitors

Michael Hintz is working in NIMAK’s technical sales department: “I use Visual Components software every day for the development of concepts for automation systems. Our customers thus obtain a highly detailed concept in 3D in short time, which they can then show to their management.” In this way the sales of equipment can be sped up because 3D simulation of production equipment helps to create more convincing offers, to stand out from the competition and to win the trust of customers.

I use Visual Components software every day for the development of concepts for automation systems. Our customers thus obtain a highly detailed concept in 3D in short time, which they can then show to their management.

Michael Hintz, NIMAK Technical Sales Department

Usually, the starting point is an existing CAD model of the machine, which is imported into Visual Components via its CAD interface. This static model is then converted into a simulation-ready system using the modelling feature of Visual Components Professional. If additional factory components such as robots, barriers or conveyors are needed for larger plants, these can be easily inserted into the model from the extensive ecatalog of intelligent factory components supplied with Visual Components software.

Creating compelling marketing videos with Visual Components

Another interesting application of Visual Components is the creation of a promotional video for the NIMAK multiFLEX, one of the most flexible machines for processing flat sheet metal. This coordinate machine can be used for projection welding, spot welding and gluing, but also for other processes such as punching, signing, plasmatizing or laser cutting. Sliding carriages allow up to six different processes to be carried out on this machine. Even the feeding of standard parts such as weld nuts or punch rivets is no problem.

Michael Hintz explains: “The aim of the project was to create a short promotional video showing the many possible features. But the machine was already in use at the customer’s premises and was no longer available for real footage. In addition, we wanted to show all possible add-ons, even those that were not actually installed on the machine in question.”

Here again, an existing CAD model of the machine was imported into Visual Components and then converted into a simulation-ready system. Mr. Hintz talks about his experiences: “It wasn’t easy at the beginning, but a Visual Components consultant, who had also carried out a training course at our company, helped me a lot here.” 

The expenses for a marketing agency – we can save those now

The effort was definitely worth it: “In the past, we would have hired a marketing agency for such a video. The time and costs required for this are much higher compared to the flexibility and savings that Visual Components provides us. Once the video is created, we can adapt it at any time and without much effort. We can also integrate the machine into larger automation systems.”

NIMAK’s sales department benefits significantly from the Visual Components software. Mr. Hintz describes the advantages of the solution: “Thanks to Visual Components, we are able to create a video of almost any machine or system to describe its setup and functionality. In keeping with the proverb “A picture is worth a thousand words”, we can thus present the customer with a much clearer vision of our ideas.”

Use of Visual Components for advanced analysis and simulation

Mr. Hintz also has clear plans for the future applications of the software: “At present, we mainly use Visual Components to improve the quality of our quotations by creating 3D images and videos of machines and equipment. We have also performed cycle time analyses with great success. For the future we plan to use the numerous other possibilities offered by Visual Components, especially for analyses and simulations in the early phases of quotation.”

For the future we plan to use the numerous other possibilities offered by Visual Components, especially for analyses and simulations in the early phases of quotation.”

Michael Hintz, NIMAK Technical Sales Department

However, improving marketing and sales will remain a key focus, because NIMAK GmbH intends to further expand its strong presence in the automotive and domestic appliances segments. Even if you cannot see – and still should not see – the welding spots and seams on the finished products.

The post NIMAK Case Study: There Would Be No Cars Without This Company appeared first on Visual Components.

About the project

In automotive manufacturing, production times are vital and so is the quality. In this case, the PSA Group’s automotive manufacturing plant in Sochaux, France, was looking to optimize front-wheel screw tightening to accelerate cycle times and improve the production quality. FiRAC utilized Visual Components simulation technology to demonstrate how the process could be automated. Screw tightening at the plant was previously being performed manually, so in addition to creating an automated solution, cycle times had to remain fast and consistent to ensure overall productivity goals were met.

Specifically, this sub-assembly requires five screws to be tightened for the vehicle’s front wheels, four of the screws (M6-8 Nm) which are on the front side and one (M8-20 Nm) on the backside of the panel. This assembly was previously performed by a worker across four shifts, however, this individual’s skill level largely dictated performance cycle times, which varied from 30 to 60 seconds. The inconsistency of this task often made it challenging to stay in line with the main assembly.

“Any second lost during this process means a loss of productivity in the mainline considering a car is produced about every 60 seconds,” says Corentin Monnot, Project Manager at FiRAC.

Automating the process

FiRAC utilized Visual Components 3D manufacturing simulation to conduct a variety of scenarios to help PSA Group automate the process. Scenarios consisted of using just one robot, two robots facing the product and two robots face-to-face, among others. 

The first scenario that was tested included just one robot performing the screw tightening task, which it performed in just over a minute.

The second scenario included simulating two robots side-by-side, one that was tightening the four M6 screws and the second that was tightening the M8 screw. This cycle time clocked in at 54.8 seconds.

The final third scenario was designed with two robots, but in a face-to-face setup. This proved to be the most optimal solution and the fastest simulation of the process, completing the task in under 53 seconds. This was the simulation that was accepted by PSA Group, as it proved to be the ideal compromise between cost and performance.

“Visual Components is so versatile that it was very easy to implement the different configurations and view their effect on the cycle time,” says Corentin Monnot, Project Manager at FiRAC. “Once we found the best simulation, we were able to edit a video of the process and provide quantified and visual reasoning to support our final solution.”

Visual Components is so versatile that it was very easy to implement the different configurations and view their effect on the cycle time. Once we found the best simulation, we were able to edit a video of the process and provide quantified and visual reasoning to support our final solution.

Corentin Monnot, Project Manager at FiRAC

The Visual Components advantage

FiRAC competitors that were also consulted for this project insisted that the process could be automated using only one robot. However, these competing firms failed to show any visualization to truly demonstrate how it could be done quickly and efficiently.

In addition to the visual representation of the process, Visual Components allowed FiRAC to consider multiple external time-consuming factors and anticipate their effect. Thus, the AGV moving time, the screw tightening time, or even the camera process time were taken into account very early stage, therefore providing a strong engineering background to the proposal.

That was one of the big advantages of using the Visual Components software that the visualized and validated proposal could be effectively communicated to PSA Group. 

Visual Components also helped FiRAC solve optimization challenges with the robots so it could better understand and design the best way to reach the client’s desired cycle times. For example, in the simulation where both robots were positioned on the same side, one robot would have to wait for several seconds for the other to finish its task before it could begin its respective task. In some simulations, the two robots would collide with one another, further stalling the process. It’s part of the reason why the two robots in face-to-face positioning proved to be the most efficient solution. 

“With simulation, it was clearly demonstrated why it was impossible to fit the process in the required cycle time with only one robot,” said Corentin Monnot, Project Manager at FiRAC. “The customer was really impressed with the visual implementation of the process – and that’s how FiRAC got the competitive edge to win this project.”

And Visual Components role didn’t stop after FiRAC won the job. After the project was awarded, FiRAC continued to utilize the technology to validate the mechanical design of all the elements to ensure accessibility, proper clearance and factory implementation. The solution was implemented within about 6 months, with FiRAC spending a few months on-site to fully test and integrate the solution on the shop floor. 

The customer was really impressed with the visual implementation of the process – and that’s how FiRAC got the competitive edge to win this project.

Corentin Monnot, Project Manager at FiRAC

Project facts

The post How FiRAC helped automate manual sub assembly processes in PSA Group’s plant appeared first on Visual Components.

Imagine that as a tire supplier, you have to deliver 12,000 tires per day to a car manufacturer, just in time and just in sequence – in the exact order in which the cars are assembled on the assembly line and how their customers have ordered – and with numerous different tire types. This is a technical and operational challenge that requires a well-organized interim storage facility and sophisticated logistics in order to manage.

In this case study, we’ll show you how Güdel, one of the world’s leading providers of automation, linear, and drive technology; used Visual Components to plan and design an automated solution for the sorting, storage and palletizing of tires from production to shipping.

A technology-defined solution

The solution that Güdel designed for this customer project was impressive, in terms of both its technology and scale. It included a massive ASRS gantry robot system that could sort, store, and organize a random infeed of tires and retrieve completed sets of tires for delivery. After production, tires arrive in a random order via the infeed conveyor technology to a barcode scanner that reads the barcode of the tire and sends it to the material flow computer. This decides which buffer the tire should go to. The gantry bridge responsible for the buffer then removes the tire and a gripper that moves across the storage area on linear axes and gantries places it on an existing stack of the same type or forms a new stack. For reasons of stability, the stack height is limited to a maximum of 1.6 meters. Within the buffer, which can accommodate up to 8,000 tires, a tire type is temporarily stored until there are enough tires to fill a complete range for transport. As soon as a complete set of tires is completed, the stack is gripped by a gripper and transported to a palletizing unit. In order to achieve the required high throughput of 12,000 tires per day, several grippers are used on several portal bridges. These grippers move at speeds of up to 3.5 meters / second in the Y-axis and accelerations of up to 5 meters / sec2 in the Z-axis.

Although many standard components from Güdel are used in such systems, it is always a customer-specific task, because the size of the hall, the dimensions and weights of the goods to be palletized and the requirements for throughput are different each time. The complexity and the high demands on reliability and throughput make it necessary to use a powerful solution for factory planning and simulation. With Visual Components 3D factory simulation software, Güdel has found an ideal system with which they can design, simulate, and validate their production solutions.

Turning a 2D drawing into a 3D simulation model with Visual Components

The starting point when planning such a system is usually a 2D drawing that has been coordinated with the customer. The 2D drawing is imported into Visual Components to provide a reference point for the layout, and a 3D layout of the system is designed and configured using components from the component library. In designing this system, Güdel utilized the large library of components available in the Visual Components eCatalog; as well as the numerous components they created for their own user-defined library (Güdel Smart Components such as linear axes, portals and robots). Since the travel paths of the bridges are very dynamic in such projects, the simulation logic is mapped with Python. Güdel has developed its own Python library for this purpose, which is tailored to the “Sorting and Palletizing” division. Thanks to all of these libraries, the planning and design times for such systems can be significantly reduced.

Jonathan Camenzind from the “Software Technologies” department at Güdel AG, together with his colleagues, takes care of the software for complete systems, including the programming of material flow computers and warehouse management systems. For this project, the part of the system that fell within the area of responsibility of Güdel was completely mapped with Visual Components. In this way, the system could be designed virtually according to the specification, statistics could be collected and potential performance problems in the system could be discovered and eliminated at an early stage.

“I devote a large part of my working time to creating 3D simulations with Visual Components,” says Camenzind. “With the help of Visual Components, we created a detailed simulation for this project. This enabled us to precisely analyze cycle times, portal utilization and buffer utilization in various scenarios.”

With the help of Visual Components, we created a detailed simulation for this project. This enabled us to precisely analyze cycle times, portal utilization and buffer utilization in various scenarios.

Jonathan Camenzind, Software Technologies Department, Güdel AG

Verifying the system meets the customer’s requirements

How can Güdel ensure that the system provides the service requested by the customer? This is exactly where Camenzind sees one of the main advantages of the factory simulation with Visual Components: “Thanks to the evaluation of cycle times and utilization of the portal bridges, we were able to ensure that the system meets the customer’s requirements in terms of throughput. The simulation also showed that the number of buffer spaces is sufficient.”

Another important benefit Güdel has realized with using Visual Components is time savings. “Thanks to the Visual Components libraries and the additions by Güdel, the development times for such projects are only a fraction of the time previously required,” says Mr. Camenzind. “Using the smart components in the Visual Components software, for example, I can easily connect the bearings, bridges, infeeds and outfeeds visually. I only spent around 100 hours on the first version of the complete system, including the programming of material flow computers. For further scenarios, around 80 hours were added in the following weeks.”

Thanks to the Visual Components libraries and the additions by Güdel, the development times for such projects are only a fraction of the time previously required. Using the smart components in the Visual Components software, for example, I can easily connect the bearings, bridges, infeeds and outfeeds visually.

Jonathan Camenzind, Software Technologies Department, Güdel AG

Using simulation to help win new orders

The customer was also impressed by the solution. “The simulation with Visual Components was viewed very positively by our customer,” said Camenzind. “It increases the customer’s confidence in the system builder when he can see a sophisticated simulation of the planned system. And that certainly also helps to win orders and lay the foundation for further success in the future.”

If you would like to see a similar Güdel system in operation, this video shows a system for storing and sorting complete wheels:

About the Güdel Group

The Güdel Group is one of the world’s leading providers of automation, linear, and drive technology, with its headquarters in Langenthal, Switzerland. The Güdel Group has been family-owned since it was founded in 1954 and employs around 1,200 people worldwide at over 30 locations. Their product range extends from linear guides, racks, pinions and gears to linear axes and portal robots. In addition to a wide range of automation components, Güdel also offers complete systems, such as for the production of components for prefabricated houses, food palletizing, and for the storage, sorting and picking of products of all kinds.

The post How Güdel optimized tire logistics with automated sorting and palletizing using Visual Components appeared first on Visual Components.

Bell Helicopter is a Texas-based manufacturer of vertical lift aircraft. Bell has become the industry leader since its founding in 1935 and was also the first company in the world to obtain certification for a commercial helicopter.

Bell Helicopter representatives were able to see firsthand the incredible potential provided with robot simulation at the Visual Components display during the 2012 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). The ease-of-use of the software and ability to import a wide variety of model types inspired the aircraft manufacturer to try Visual Components – with impressive results.

“The support and training we have received from the Visual Components team has allowed us to come a long way in just a few years in developing advanced capabilities and implementation of automation technology into Bell Helicopter production,” says Jeffrey Nissen, Bell’s Business Development Manager – Science and Technology.

Bell has evaluated several other competing programming and simulation packages, but the adaptability, power, ease-of-use and level of support they receive from Visual Components has made the software a valuable asset for Bell.

Visual Components is perfectly suited to excel in Bell Helicopter’s design environment through its software flexibility as well as new development with Visual Components technical support.

Jeffrey Nissen, Business Development Mgr – Science and Technology, Bell Helicopter

The perfect solution for working with niche technologies

Bell’s Advanced Quality Systems Applications Laboratory is responsible for the development and implementation of automation technology focused on rotorcraft manufacturing and inspection. One use of Visual Components software is to perform application analysis as well as production programming support. So far five employees have been trained to use the software, with several more to come.

The engineers model virtual manufacturing operations to establish feasibility and demonstrate capability to Bell leadership. Bell is also using Visual Components’ advanced functionality to simulate operations such as white light scanning and automated drilling. In addition, the Python scripting capabilities of the software allows the team to rapidly create robot programs that can be immediately integrated into the lab or production floor.

Visual Components has greatly reduced the time to develop an automation solution and implement that solution into production. This reduces both the risks for failure and time to market for automation solutions.

“The aerospace industry is a collection of niche technologies,” Nissen says. “Visual Components is perfectly suited to excel in Bell Helicopter’s environment through its software flexibility as well as new development with Visual Components technical support.”

The post Bell Helicopter Case Study: Setting the pace for the vertical lift industry appeared first on Visual Components.

Pollux is a forward-looking industrial automation company based in Brazil. Founded 20 years ago, Pollux is working mainly with automotive manufacturers, robotics and pharmaceutical companies. They are known in their home market as leaders in the use of visualization and simulation in designing and testing factory production lines.

To push the whole manufacturing industry forward, Pollux is keen to develop solutions based on the concept of Industry 4.0. As it is clear that the manufacturing revolution brought about by Industry 4.0 requires new skills from engineers, Pollux has also wanted to help foster a new generation of engineers with the know-how to put the concept into practice. Naturally, they see the use of simulation as one of the most important competences.

As a result, Pollux has launched a four-month course together with local universities, which will educate 20 students about robotics and Industry 4.0. Out of the 20 students, five will be guaranteed employment at Pollux once their course is finished. It’s clear that Pollux is investing heavily in Industry 4.0.

Pioneering simulation in Brazil

While the manufacturing industry in Brazil is massive, accounting for 28.5% of the GDP, the use of simulation in designing and improving factories and production lines has not yet been widely adopted. Pollux is determined to change this, adopting Visual Components as a sales tool when presenting new manufacturing production lines.

Not only does visualization help avoid costly errors in the sales process, it has also increased Pollux’s chances of making the sale as customers are able to get a better overview of what they will get. And once a sale is made, the implementation of the project is faster as visualization can be used as a source for simulation.

Not only does visualization help avoid costly errors in the sales process, it has also increased Pollux’s chances of making the sale as customers are able to get a better overview of what they will get.

Pollux is also acting as a Visual Components reseller in Brazil, so if you are interested in learning more, visit pollux.com.br

The post Pollux Case Study: Advancing Industry 4.0 with simulation appeared first on Visual Components.

As one of the biggest global suppliers of car seats, optimized production processes and quality assurance are crucial for Faurecia in strengthening and maintaining their position. To help develop and improve their production lines, DUALIS IT Solutions – the largest distributor of Visual Components in German speaking countries – introduced Visual Components’ 3D Simulation as a solution.

Realizing Faurecia’s vision through 3D

3D simulation is used already in the early stages of planning the production lines and processes. Simulation helps to visualize material flow and internal logistics supply – along with virtual system validation and sales support.

“We have used simulation for decades. However our previous software didn’t match our growing needs for more flexible solutions”, explains Hartmut Beisner from the Manufacturing Support Function in Faurecia Automotive Seating from Faurecia GmbH.

Faurecia started searching for more flexible software to meet their growing simulation needs. Visual Components was ultimately chosen as the solution for the creation of new production lines and the standardization of existing lines.

Digitalizing the factory with 3DCreate and 3DRealize

Faurecia uses Visual Components’ 3DCreate and 3DRealize software (which are no longer available and have been replaced by the Visual Components 4.0 manufacturing simulation product line, now called Essentials, Professional, and Premium). As a more engineering oriented tool, 3DCreate serves as a basis for analysis and optimization for detecting and solving problems in advance.

3DRealize on the other hand makes the sales process easier. Simple drag and drop tools enable the creation of customised 3D layouts, which enables the visualization of production line layouts already in the sales stage to help support investments decisions.

Virtualized material flows and job assignments

With the help of Visual Components’ products, Faurecia is able to show, among other things, the transport of individual components between welding areas. The software indicates if the worker-to-machine ratio is correct and whether the transport times correspond as planned. Are there any weaknesses in the system? How many people and vehicles are needed in the transport process? These and many other questions can be answered with simulation.

Simulation helps to plan the optimal production processes and the ideal content of work for each worker. The component library has a strong focus on the simulation of workers, their job assignments and related material supply.

Flexibility is the key.

Hartmut Beisner

“Product cycles are constantly getting shorter, so a company like us needs flexibility in the production process. It is possible that the equipment gets dismantled or removed and used for other projects,” Hartmut Beisner continues.

The simulation of the material flow and the close cooperation with DUALIS enables Faurecia to respond to changes and to visualize the workflows before commissioning the production line.

The post Faurecia Case Study appeared first on Visual Components.