5 Ways to Use Augmented Reality in Manufacturing in 2023

What is the state of manufacturing in 2023?

Although we are witnessing growth in terms of the number of new factories, the entire manufacturing industry is experiencing some pressing problems, the most significant being a lack of skilled personnel, unstable economic conditions, an increase in energy demand and consumption, and tense global competition.

Notwithstanding all these challenges, however, manufacturing is still surpassing the expectations of previous years.

According to Deloitte’s 2023 manufacturing industry outlook, to maintain growth and remain competitive, manufacturing stakeholders need to consider the following five industry trends:

As far as the “investing in advanced technologies” point is concerned, the manufacturing industry can make the grade by embracing powerful tech and tools such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and virtual and augmented reality. The latter in particular boasts a tremendous capacity to address the industry’s core pain points and help manufacturers become more productive.

Many industry leaders view AR/VR technology as an inseparable element of the transformation of the manufacturing domain. For example, in February 2023, Huawei showcased its upgraded Factory Network Solution for the manufacturing sector at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023, which foresaw the implementation of augmented reality technology for smart factories.

5 ways to use augmented reality in modern manufacturing

So far, the top 5 augmented reality applications for manufacturing include employee training and upskilling, quality control and maintenance, product design and assessment, logistics and warehouse management, and customer support.

Let’s delve into each specific use case and find out more about the impact of AR in manufacturing.

1. Employee training and upskilling

Manufacturers can make use of specialized AR devices and applications to help both new and experienced workers train and acquire new skills.

AR facilitates the simulation of real-life activities in a semi-virtual environment, enabling manufacturers to execute activities and create specialized contexts without physical equipment and materials.

Thanks to augmented reality solutions, new workers can be safely and effectively trained in all crucial manufacturing processes and taught how to operate expensive and complex machines and equipment. If they make a mistake or do something wrong during their training, the system will issue a real-time notification in the form of a visual warning or audio prompt.

By interacting with three-dimensional models and holograms of manufacturing equipment as well as realistic simulations of manufacturing workflows, employees can gain a better understanding of their responsibilities and duties while avoiding hazardous situations.

B2B skilling startup Cusmat is an example of a company offering businesses AR-enabled solutions for training employees. It is set to help firms boost retention rates and on-job performance training via its augmented reality, cloud-based learning management system.

2. Quality control and maintenance

The 3D imaging capabilities offered by augmented reality are increasingly used for efficient and accurate manufacturing, contributing to the growth of the market.

A worker wearing AR glasses will enjoy a high-quality, 360-degree representation of a product or element, and be able to view it from all sides. The enhanced visualization of products helps manufacturers prevent defects during the production stage as well as view and effectively fix anomalies during product exploitation.

With AR, manufacturers can also connect and cooperate with other experts from across the globe to work on and repair issues together. This, consequently, fosters continuous production and enables non-disruptive performance.

Coupled with the advances of the Internet of Things, augmented reality can deliver even greater results. So, manufacturers can consider embedding IoT sensors into their product components that will send data and alerts about product states and report issues.