Introduction to Virtual Reality in Car Manufacturing
The Chrysler Technology Center is home to a cutting-edge metal structure equipped with sensors, often called the "virtual reality arena." This progressive lab is where Stellantis NV engineers don headsets and controllers to simulate assembly line experiences in any of the corporate’s North American production facilities.
Simulating Assembly Line Experiences
In this virtual reality laboratory, engineers can simulate tasks corresponding to attaching doors to a Jeep Wrangler SUV or connecting wiring on the underbody of a Ram 1500 pickup. The primary goal of this lab is to enhance existing assembly lines and design recent factories. By using virtual reality, engineers can test ergonomic or efficiency improvements and mock up the installation of latest equipment at an worker’s workstation.
Benefits of Virtual Reality
According to Keenan O’Brien, head of the automaker’s Process Engineering Center, "It’s very costly to shut down an assembly plant—we never want to try this; we’re not making products for our customers. So doing as much as we will within the digital world beforehand shortens that period wherein now we have to depend on physical trials and prototypes to get things up and running." The virtual reality room, which opened in 2018, has been continually updated with higher software and equipment.
Digital Mock-Ups of Assembly Plants
Stellantis has created digital mock-ups of all its North American assembly plants and simulations of most of those plants’ operations. The company has also opened similar VR labs at several of its European and South American sites. Even before construction began on the Detroit Assembly Complex-Mack plant, engineers were working inside a "digital twin" of the factory. Virtual testing helps update plants which might be being converted to make recent models, including factories switching over to make electric vehicles.
Industry-Wide Adoption of Virtual Reality
Other automakers, corresponding to BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz Group AG, are also using digital mock-ups to enhance their manufacturing designs. Mercedes and chipmaker Nvidia partnered two years ago to digitize the automaker’s production processes to make higher factories. Virtual reality is becoming an important tool within the automobile manufacturing industry, enabling corporations to design and test recent production processes and factories in a cheap and efficient manner.
3D Printing Capabilities
In addition to virtual reality, Stellantis can also be utilizing 3D printing to enhance its manufacturing sites. All of the corporate’s North American assembly plants have been equipped with 3D printing capabilities, which may produce hand tools, parts, and fixtures needed to maintain the assembly line running. The 3D printers use a mixture of carbon fiber and fiberglass to generate components with metal-like strength.
Conclusion
The use of virtual reality and 3D printing is revolutionizing the automobile manufacturing industry. By leveraging these technologies, corporations like Stellantis can design and test recent production processes and factories in a cheap and efficient manner. As the industry continues to evolve, it is probably going that we’ll see much more progressive applications of virtual reality and 3D printing in automobile manufacturing.
