🎧Hexagon introduces factory optimisation with digital reality

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has launched its new digitalisation solution, Digital Factory that has been designed to help manufacturers build highly accurate digital replicas of their factories. It enables manufacturers to optimise floor plans and pivot production lines for smarter and more sustainable future factories.

With open interfaces that enable digital twins of shopfloor assets, this could save a global manufacturing company £35 million per year* by avoiding costly mistakes.

Hexagon has expertise in delivering accurate reality capture and surveying equipment, software to visualise, explore and simulate scenarios in 3D, and collaboration workflows. Digitalisation technologies are a proven technology and have been used for over two decades in civil infrastructure, architecture and public safety, but their potential has yet to be fully realised in manufacturing.

Digital Factory is a future-ready alternative to traditional factory planning that empowers more efficient collaboration between manufacturing and operations teams from anywhere in the world. Digital Factory leverages a comprehensive portfolio of hardware and software solutions that includes Hexagon’s range of reality capture technology – such as the Leica BLK2GO handheld imaging laser scanner, the Leica BLK ARC autonomous scanning module for robotic and mobile carriers and terrestrial laser scanners like the Leica RTC360. These systems allow manufacturers to capture and create dimensionally-accurate point clouds of the factory floor using the Leica Cyclone software portfolio and Hexagon’s Reality Cloud Studio, powered by the HxDR, manufacturers can easily collaborate and quickly process data from Hexagon or a customer’s preferred scanning hardware to recreate up-to-date 3D spaces.

Hexagon offers complete workflows to ensure manufacturers achieve the maximum value from scanning the factory and processing the data into actionable 3D models for various applications to managing the data in the cloud. It will also provide remote team collaboration, facilitating remote collaboration among key teams at any time, using cloud-based tools with analysis and modelling capabilities with on-demand data.

The system will facilitate the planning and remodelling of factory layouts with accuracy and detail, capturing precise measurements of a factory and creating an exact and reliable digital model that can be accessed anytime from anywhere.

Additionally, by testing out new machines, factory floor layouts and workflows in the virtual 3D environment, companies can quickly identify feasibility and emissions considerations, enabling them to better understand the potential benefits of new technology and make future-ready smart factories a reality.

Nicholas Lachaud Bandres, VP of Industry Solutions at Hexagon commented: “Hexagon has developed a deep understanding of manufacturers’ needs. Digital Factory allows users to bring the physical world into an accurate virtual sandbox of their factories on-demand. Collaborating with their team and suppliers, they can consider ‘what-if’ scenarios to shape more effective plant designs and layouts and oversee implementation with irrefutable and accessible 3D plans. We’re making the digital factory more affordable and accessible, and we’re excited to see how our customers apply this to ramp up and remain competitive with smarter factories.”