Manufacturing Magazine - December 2021 | Page 50

DIGITAL FACTORY

Across the board , many manufacturers in the automotive industry can benefit from digital design capabilities . Liddell emphasises that there are sectors that this concept will be imperative for , for example - Aerospace . “ When manufacturing in aerospace there are very low tolerances , so for things like high performance jet engines where precision is required , this capability will be imperative for manufacturing those products and doing so safely . I also see this capability being applied when doing more basic tasks like dentistry to model prosthetic teeth which are created with a 3D printer . I also see it being used to maximise the use of sheet based raw materials to be able to optimse the use and minimise waste .”

Other benefits of digital design for manufacturers include productivity - “ digital design provides manufacturers with a ‘ blueprint ’ to help them reduce the product life cycle time from R & D to prototypes to full production . This allows them to bring a product to market in less time than their competitors ,” says Nowoswiat - as well as optimising processes and safety .

“ Taking a look at the overall assembly line or a plant layout you can go through the modelling and simulation of operations of that plant and determine the best positions to put your stations whether it ' s welding or an additive station . Being able to simulate the movements or products from one process to another , as well as being able to design the plant to minimise the crossing of paths between artificial movement and human movement , that ' s a huge safety element . But then it also provides the ability to take a look at potential product failure , for something that could be in a product that is harmful . I think it ' s critical to be able to do that type of simulation ahead of time ,” adds Liddell .

MAURICE LIDDELL , PRINCIPAL AND SENIOR CLIENT EXECUTIVE , BDO DIGITAL

50 December 2021