According to a 2015 study by the German Academy of Science and Engineering, maintenance generates an annual equivalent value of around one trillion euros for German industry through plant availability and productivity alone. The potential for fast and conscientious maintenance work is therefore a decisive factor for a cost-efficient production process. A new solution from Fieldbit and Actemium, Vinci Energies' industry-focused brand, uses augmented reality (AR) to make the availability of machines and systems even more reliable and therefore more profitable.

Supporting the maintenance technician with AR

"Modern systems are so complex that even exceptional engineers can be overwhelmed and it would take too much time to familiarize themselves with system plans," explains Edwin Bastings, Account Manager at Actemium. "We wanted to use modern digital technology to provide employees with a particularly comprehensive set of tools so that they can complete even highly specialized tasks straight away."

Work instructions can be displayed graphically. © Fieldbit

The combination of augmented reality with image and sound transmission creates this additional performance. Via smartphone, tablet or smartglasses, users can access a range of digital tools in real time that help them to carry out analog applications faster and more efficiently.

Current measurement data can also be displayed directly. © Actemium

The so-called Fieldbit suite consists of a total of four modules: Hero (interactive AR collaboration, "out-of-the-box"), Cosmic (data access and display), Logic (digital step program) and Knowledge (cloud/server database). Depending on customer requirements, data is stored and transferred either via the cloud (public, private or hybrid) or as an on-premises model via local servers. The Fieldbit app runs on mobile devices (Apple iOS or Android operating system) and receives, processes and forwards the data via WLAN. The helpdesk works via a web application based on HTML5. Optical image recognition or QR codes are used to uniquely identify machines and systems. All system data is read out in Cosmic via the existing SCADA or PLC systems. Actemium provides the necessary framework for this.

In practice, the components of the four modules interact with each other: if a spare part needs to be replaced on a machine, for example, an expert accompanies the technician on site via mobile communications (3G or 4G). Once the technician has scanned the system, the Fieldbit app recognizes it and uses AR technology to digitally superimpose information graphics, circuit diagrams or entire system parts onto the real camera image of the mobile device. All upcoming work steps can even be displayed virtually and explained simultaneously by radio. The increased efficiency results in time savings of 20 to 30 percent.