Toyota Finds Benefit on Production Line Changes With Laser Scanning(2)

Brennan's epiphany came when he realized that if his team had high-fidelity (±3mm) 3D CAD geometry of the existing production equipment and the ability to add kinematics to it--then the questions about what equipment they would need to change, what this would cost, and how long this would take could be answered with confidence. The challenge was that much of this equipment, even in comparatively new facilities such as Toyota's, was designed in 2D in the first place. Production equipment is typically not modeled in 3D. Little if any design information about the equipment was available in CATIA V5, the software Toyota uses for design. Moreover, the equipment has a lifecycle of 15-20 years and is often field-modified. Such modifications are rarely documented in 3D CAD models.

Laser Scanning Used to Capture Production Equipment Geometry

Here's where laser scanning comes in. After proving the concept by building CATIA models of select production equipment based on manual measurements, Brennan had in-house contractor Mark Holtz, digital engineering specialist, investigate using 3D laser scanning to capture accurate and complete digital information about production-equipment geometry. After several failed attempts with scanning equipment ill suited to capturing information about machines as big as 10m x 8m x 8m, Brennan's team found success using a work process developed jointly with Can-Tech Design, Guelph, Ontario. Holtz and Can-Tech have executed 15 scanning projects using a Z+F Imager 5003 scanner, and have produced CAD geometry for approximately 250 production machines at three Toyota facilities in North America.

Capital Investment Avoidance is Biggest Benefit

Brennan reports that Toyota saved several million dollars on one project alone, and that the payback is 10 to 20 times the scanning investment. How? Brennan says the biggest benefit of using 3D laser scanning to capture equipment data comes from capital investment avoidance. Often existing production equipment can be re-purposed to accommodate product design changes, saving unnecessary-i.e., wasteful-capital investment. These savings go straight to Toyota's bottom line. How is capital spending avoided? Not only can the contingency reserves for scope changes be reduced, but Brennan says the company no longer has to rely on its equipment vendors for equipment design modifications-"we know what needs to be changed and can develop tighter estimates for the real costs." Having accurate 3D data based on laser scanning assembly equipment also means that production- the heartbeat of the company-can have a greater role in influencing product design. Brennan explains that often changes can be made to product design that are transparent to the end-consumer but can have a material impact on manufacturing cost. To achieve this, timely and accurate 3D information is essential. Also, with accurate 3D data "you don't have to be an engineering genius" to solve these problems, says Brennan. Often the as-installed equipment is different than the as-designed. 3D laser scanning is a new tool to enable production managers to manage variances between design and plant-floor conditions.

Work Process: Laser Scanning to CATIA

Can-Tech's work process is to capture the point-cloud data with a Z+F Imager 5003 scanner, then register and model the point-cloud data in Z+F LFM software. Scanning is performed on weekends to avoid interrupting vehicle production. LFM solid (SAT format) models are created, then exported as STEP geometry for subsequent importing to CATIA by Toyota engineers. According to Orford, model accuracy is ±3mm. The modeling effort is significant as it can take 15-40 hours to model each machine, depending on machine complexity. Toyota next creates sub-assemblies of the data, and then uses the CATIA models for DELMIA to create simulations of ma-chine kinematics. Consequently, very detailed information about pivot points, motion sequence and the full range and extent of motion has to be captured. Brennan says Toyota has been working with DELMIA to address shortcomings in the motion simulation capabilities of the product uncovered by the process. Holtz says the work process could be streamlined if large point-cloud datasets could be displayed and manipulated directly in CATIA. Currently CATIA can handle only highly decimated (thinned-out) point-cloud data, according to Holtz. (The capability to display, navigate and manipulate point-cloud databases of hundreds of millions of points directly in other sophisticated 3D CAD environments such as Intergraph's PDS and Bentley's MicroStation exists today-Spar Point believes this capability will come in time in applications such as CATIA, UGS NX and Pro/ENGINEER.)

No one in the automotive industry expects reductions in product design changes any time soon. Vehicles are getting bigger and product variation is ever-increasing. Will product design changes stressing manufacturing systems allow the new design to pass through the existing paint shop? Will the carrier still fit the car body? Where are the new contact points? What equipment needs to be changed and when? 3D laser scanning brings a new way to tackle these difficult problems, cost-effectively.

For more information about Tom Greaves, Spar Point Research LLC (Danvers, MA) visit www.sparllc.com.

Here's where laser scanning comes in. After proving the concept by building CATIA models of select production equipment based on manual measurements, Brennan had in-house contractor Mark Holtz, digital engineering specialist, investigate using 3D laser scanning to capture accurate and complete digital information about production-equipment geometry. After several failed attempts with scanning equipment ill suited to capturing information about machines as big as 10m x 8m x 8m, Brennan's team found success using a work process developed jointly with Can-Tech Design, Guelph, Ontario. Holtz and Can-Tech have executed 15 scanning projects using a Z+F Imager 5003 scanner, and have produced CAD geometry for approximately 250 production machines at three Toyota facilities in North America.Brennan reports that Toyota saved several million dollars on one project alone, and that the payback is 10 to 20 times the scanning investment. How? Brennan says the biggest benefit of using 3D laser scanning to capture equipment data comes from capital investment avoidance. Often existing production equipment can be re-purposed to accommodate product design changes, saving unnecessary-i.e., wasteful-capital investment. These savings go straight to Toyota's bottom line. How is capital spending avoided? Not only can the contingency reserves for scope changes be reduced, but Brennan says the company no longer has to rely on its equipment vendors for equipment design modifications-"we know what needs to be changed and can develop tighter estimates for the real costs." Having accurate 3D data based on laser scanning assembly equipment also means that production- the heartbeat of the company-can have a greater role in influencing product design. Brennan explains that often changes can be made to product design that are transparent to the end-consumer but can have a material impact on manufacturing cost. To achieve this, timely and accurate 3D information is essential. Also, with accurate 3D data "you don't have to be an engineering genius" to solve these problems, says Brennan. Often the as-installed equipment is different than the as-designed. 3D laser scanning is a new tool to enable production managers to manage variances between design and plant-floor conditions.Can-Tech's work process is to capture the point-cloud data with a Z+F Imager 5003 scanner, then register and model the point-cloud data in Z+F LFM software. Scanning is performed on weekends to avoid interrupting vehicle production. LFM solid (SAT format) models are created, then exported as STEP geometry for subsequent importing to CATIA by Toyota engineers. According to Orford, model accuracy is ±3mm. The modeling effort is significant as it can take 15-40 hours to model each machine, depending on machine complexity. Toyota next creates sub-assemblies of the data, and then uses the CATIA models for DELMIA to create simulations of ma-chine kinematics. Consequently, very detailed information about pivot points, motion sequence and the full range and extent of motion has to be captured. Brennan says Toyota has been working with DELMIA to address shortcomings in the motion simulation capabilities of the product uncovered by the process. Holtz says the work process could be streamlined if large point-cloud datasets could be displayed and manipulated directly in CATIA. Currently CATIA can handle only highly decimated (thinned-out) point-cloud data, according to Holtz. (The capability to display, navigate and manipulate point-cloud databases of hundreds of millions of points directly in other sophisticated 3D CAD environments such as Intergraph's PDS and Bentley's MicroStation exists today-Spar Point believes this capability will come in time in applications such as CATIA, UGS NX and Pro/ENGINEER.)No one in the automotive industry expects reductions in product design changes any time soon. Vehicles are getting bigger and product variation is ever-increasing. Will product design changes stressing manufacturing systems allow the new design to pass through the existing paint shop? Will the carrier still fit the car body? Where are the new contact points? What equipment needs to be changed and when? 3D laser scanning brings a new way to tackle these difficult problems, cost-effectively.

 

Here's where laser scanning comes in. After proving the concept by building CATIA models of select production equipment based on manual measurements, Brennan had in-house contractor Mark Holtz, digital engineering specialist, investigate using 3D laser scanning to capture accurate and complete digital information about production-equipment geometry. After several failed attempts with scanning equipment ill suited to capturing information about machines as big as 10m x 8m x 8m, Brennan's team found success using a work process developed jointly with Can-Tech Design, Guelph, Ontario. Holtz and Can-Tech have executed 15 scanning projects using a Z+F Imager 5003 scanner, and have produced CAD geometry for approximately 250 production machines at three Toyota facilities in North America.Brennan reports that Toyota saved several million dollars on one project alone, and that the payback is 10 to 20 times the scanning investment. How? Brennan says the biggest benefit of using 3D laser scanning to capture equipment data comes from capital investment avoidance. Often existing production equipment can be re-purposed to accommodate product design changes, saving unnecessary-i.e., wasteful-capital investment. These savings go straight to Toyota's bottom line. How is capital spending avoided? Not only can the contingency reserves for scope changes be reduced, but Brennan says the company no longer has to rely on its equipment vendors for equipment design modifications-"we know what needs to be changed and can develop tighter estimates for the real costs." Having accurate 3D data based on laser scanning assembly equipment also means that production- the heartbeat of the company-can have a greater role in influencing product design. Brennan explains that often changes can be made to product design that are transparent to the end-consumer but can have a material impact on manufacturing cost. To achieve this, timely and accurate 3D information is essential. Also, with accurate 3D data "you don't have to be an engineering genius" to solve these problems, says Brennan. Often the as-installed equipment is different than the as-designed. 3D laser scanning is a new tool to enable production managers to manage variances between design and plant-floor conditions.Can-Tech's work process is to capture the point-cloud data with a Z+F Imager 5003 scanner, then register and model the point-cloud data in Z+F LFM software. Scanning is performed on weekends to avoid interrupting vehicle production. LFM solid (SAT format) models are created, then exported as STEP geometry for subsequent importing to CATIA by Toyota engineers. According to Orford, model accuracy is ±3mm. The modeling effort is significant as it can take 15-40 hours to model each machine, depending on machine complexity. Toyota next creates sub-assemblies of the data, and then uses the CATIA models for DELMIA to create simulations of ma-chine kinematics. Consequently, very detailed information about pivot points, motion sequence and the full range and extent of motion has to be captured. Brennan says Toyota has been working with DELMIA to address shortcomings in the motion simulation capabilities of the product uncovered by the process. Holtz says the work process could be streamlined if large point-cloud datasets could be displayed and manipulated directly in CATIA. Currently CATIA can handle only highly decimated (thinned-out) point-cloud data, according to Holtz. (The capability to display, navigate and manipulate point-cloud databases of hundreds of millions of points directly in other sophisticated 3D CAD environments such as Intergraph's PDS and Bentley's MicroStation exists today-Spar Point believes this capability will come in time in applications such as CATIA, UGS NX and Pro/ENGINEER.)No one in the automotive industry expects reductions in product design changes any time soon. Vehicles are getting bigger and product variation is ever-increasing. Will product design changes stressing manufacturing systems allow the new design to pass through the existing paint shop? Will the carrier still fit the car body? Where are the new contact points? What equipment needs to be changed and when? 3D laser scanning brings a new way to tackle these difficult problems, cost-effectively.