HeiMAX OPS supports assembly and service processes
21.11.2018
Image caption:The current status of processes can be checked on a tablet at any time: HeiMAX OPS eliminates the endless piles of paper assembly instructions as well as the need to manually document the construction. (Source: Heitec)
The HeiMAX OPS mobile assistance system from the automation specialist Heitec supports the service, maintenance, and assembly of machines and plants.
Today the development of machines and plants is primarily digital – so it’s only natural that this data should also be used for subsequent processes. HeiMAX OPS specifies the precise assembly sequence so that the supervisor can clearly determine the personnel who should be sent to the machine and when. Installers work together, in parallel, or sequentially. The system automatically synchronizes information on all the connected tablets as soon as it’s entered, so that each member of the team is always up to date. However, it’s also possible for employees to filter the display to view only their own steps. Reports, statistics, and defect lists can be generated any time with a single click. The assembly supervisor can view the documentation, verify items that are still pending, and decide what needs to be done next. If there are new software updates with the next machine release, new inspection points can be easily integrated so that each employee again receives the latest installation instructions and inspection protocols. Construction errors can be easily documented to prevent their repetition, as can suggestions for optimizing the process. Instead of being lost, knowledge and experience are stored in the system and further processed. In other words: The program learns along with its users.
Connection to the EPLAN cloud means that control cabinet wiring can be displayed and inspected on the tablet. As an integrated solution, HeiMAX OPS also allows digital article data and product configurators for the control cabinet and connected systems and components to be displayed.. On the ThingWorx industrial platform, users can access Industrial IoT applications like augmented reality that merge the real and digital worlds and therefore support service.
On a larger scale, the assistance tool is proving its worth at Heitec PTS, a Heitec subsidiary that produces industrial x-ray systems for inspecting aluminum wheels. These systems are used worldwide. The employees there rely on HeiMAX OPS for service and assembly so that they always have the latest documentation on hand for each machine. Now their fully automated wheel inspection systems are even being manufactured under license in Asia, and HeiMAX OPS is also being used. Heitec specialists in Germany can monitor the progress of colleagues in China online at any time and promptly offer them support if problems arise. The Heitec subsidiary is now assembling multiple wheel inspection systems in parallel using the HeiMAX OPS assistance tool. A total of up to 50 people can work on construction simultaneously.
In the future, it should be possible to use the HeiMAX assistant after a machine has been successfully built to document the acceptance test electronically. In the past, this has always been done in the conventional manner on paper. The requirements were listed on the contractual documents and the manufacturer and customer read through the list item by item, checking off each one individually. Defect documentation and to-do lists were also generated manually. All this can be now performed more efficiently using the assistant tool.
PR-HEITEC-SPS-IPC-Drives-2018-HeiMAX-en.zip