Fujitsu Launches Latest Version of its VPS Digital Production Preparation Tool

Fujitsu announced that it will begin selling the latest version of Fujitsu Manufacturing Industry Solution VPS(1), the V15L20 globally. The solution, a digital production preparation tool developed by Digital Process Ltd., delivers comprehensive support for product assembly processes. Like its predecessor, the V15L20 manages 3D model-derived data, including information on the procedures and workloads involved in assembly work. At the same time, this new version also enables the consolidation and display of a wider array of production data, such as video images of the work of actual machinery and inspection sheets on task performance. With increasingly diverse production methods and ways to approach manufacturing data, Fujitsu continues to empower customers with digital technology that supports production preparation work.

Background

In recent years, the front lines of the manufacturing industry have witnessed a demand for support for small-lot production of a variety of different products, in keeping with the accelerating diversification of customer needs. To maintain product quality in these circumstances, it remains crucial to share detailed and accurate data relating to production from the design stage through the production process, including information ranging from production drawings to assembly procedure. Despite this, tasks related to producing and managing relevant documents, including work instruction manuals and parts lists, continue to impose a tremendous burden. To address this challenge, Fujitsu has been providing its VPS digital production preparation tool to consolidate and display a variety of production-related data using 3D digital data for products created with CAD. This data includes information relating to the tools used and the workload required for assembly work, as well as points to be careful of in the work, in addition to production drawings and assembly procedures. Because even novice workers can understand assembly procedures visually with animation, the use of this tool has supported quality improvements and greater efficiencies in customers’ production preparation work.

Features of the New Version

The latest version of Fujitsu’s VPS tool enables video images taken of the actual work and documents for inputting task performance or inspection results to be incorporated into animations of the assembly procedures and reproduced and displayed(2), as well as updated. This makes it easier for workers to understand the assembly procedures while also enabling work records to be put into documents almost instantaneously. Without preparing any paperwork, workers can smoothly access the required information when needed on their PCs or tablets, and references and updates can be made, supporting greater efficiency in tasks like confirming the shapes of products and production flows. When confirming the production flow, the window size and layout for displaying the assembly parts configuration tree diagram can be easily recalled, with multiple patterns saved(3). The VPS tool also accommodates integrated and cut-away displays for each window, as well as multi-displays. Display windows can be easily customized to make them easy to use for each system user.