TECH
Talk to us - Garry Lofthouse rapidly grow to 30 .
Now , one of Applied Integration ’ s growth areas is creating simulation models or “ digital twins ”.
Garry explains : “ When someone ’ s going to build a machine , a process line or a new car , we design everything using software called Emulate 3D and we simulate what they are going to be making before they commit any money to the production of whatever it is they want to build .
“ By building a digital model and simulating the process of the build , we can determine if their process is going to work before they commit to the build .
“ If we were building a car production line , for example , we could check parameters , whether everything fits where it ’ s meant to , we can look at every process they are going to do on their production line and check it will work - before they ’ ve spent a penny on it .”
Years ago , engineers would do this with drawings and then spend a huge amount of time rectifying what had been built so it worked correctly , impacting project delivery timelines and cost .
“ Using digital technology , we can highlight areas of concern before any building takes place ,” Garry says . “ If a production line is going to have a throughput of a trillion items a year , we can map and model it to see if it can manage that throughput , before the company builds anything .”
The company also specialises in automated vehicles and has recently designed a new process for a factory involving a vehicle that collects products at the end of the first stage of production
“ Using digital technology , we can highlight areas of concern before any building takes place .”
and moves them to an intermediary storage area .
This has the potential to save time and money , compared to products being left on the factory floor until there is enough of them to be moved manually .
In some cases , clients give the team a concept of how they think something is going to work and Applied integration may put a different proposal to them .
“ We can give them another option or alternative if we believe there ’ s a better , more efficient way of producing something ,” Garry says .
“ This is because we ’ ve simulated their system and then looked at how we can make that better , before the customer has spent a penny on the build .”
In this way , digital simulation allows Applied Integration ’ s clients to visually conceptualise the feasibility of their designs .
The emulation stage then allows clients to test code before it is applied to the real system .
Garry explains : “ Emulation allows you to do all the testing and interaction in a simulated world while the model is being built .
“ The result is you get a more reliable product at the end of it . You do things with the software you would never do with a real live system to test it to the limit .”
Augmented reality enables the client to use a tablet with the correct software on it and move it over a piece of equipment to get all the details of what ’ s happening with that equipment , such as its performance levels .
“ It can analyse what you are doing in different scenarios ,” Garry explains .
Virtual reality also enables clients to take their product or process into a multitude of environments .
Ultimately , saving companies money is a huge part of what Applied Integration is all about .
Garry says : “ Quite a number of companies now will pay between £ 25,000 and £ 50,000 for a full digital simulation to see the processes and products they have in mind .
“ The machinery might cost them £ 2m or £ 3m to build .
“ It is possible to spend £ 2m on a machine without knowing if it ’ s going to work or not . But by analysing it beforehand , by creating a digital twin and working together , we get the best performance levels from the customer ’ s assets .”
For more details , visit appliedintegration . co . uk
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