A Digital Railcar Manufacturing Factory

BACKGROUND

OUR TEAM

The Gibela rail consortium aims to revitalize local railcar manufacturing by spending over 65% of train

value locally (Gibela-Rail, 2019). Achieving this goal necessitates local skills development hence, the

Gibela Research Chair (GRC) is proposing the concept of a digital manufacturing factory to facilitate

product design, assembly planning, training and virtual commissioning. The proposal is substantiated

by success stories from The Ford Motor Company which, improved vehicle quality by 11% and reduced

assembly-related worker injuries by integrating motion-tracking in virtual assembly processes for

ergonomic simulations improving workstation design (Thornton, 2009). The Toyota Motor Group which,

introduced digital manufacturing in the design phase, and realized reduction in lead times by 33%, in

product changes by 33% and in product development costs by 50% (Hills, 2004).

The Digital Factory is built for Engineers, Technicians, SMMEs and Technology Innovators in the

railcar manufacturing value chain. The users have varying requirements that must be integrated into

the virtual environment hence, the Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach is used to develop the

VR-based solution. Figure 1 above, illustrates the HCD approach and an agile methodology is applied

to ensure shorter time-to-market with sufficient research resulting from the HCD approach.

OUR PROCESS

The Railcar Learning Factory is showcasing three reconfigurable machines for cutting and bending sheet metal

(RGS & BPM), facilitating the assembly of heavy parts (RAF) and filtering particles in construction and mining

(RVS). Each of these machines will have VR-based manuals that make it easier to demonstrate the inventions to

potential users without moving the machines.

Stakeholders in Gibela are keen on exploring digital manuals to train on operating over forty Welding Jigs (WJ)

across multiple platforms including desktop, mobile and Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs). The digital manuals are

divided into four deliverables. Table 1 below, presents the duration of developing each digital manual and the

schedule thereof.

• The Product Owner approves project deliverables and

manages the use of the VR applications.

• The Project Manager tracks the progress of the team and

manages project risks.

• The Instructional Designers describe all scenes required

in the virtual environment.

• 3D Modelers design, develop and seldom source

CAD files.

• VR Software Engineers build all interfaces

with visuals, audio and interactions specified

by the Instructional Designer.

VR-based systems are a means to bridge the gap between industry and academia as they provide a platform

for stakeholders outside industry to contribute to the resolution of production challenges experienced virtually.

Moreover, their development provides an opportunity for research, skills and technology transfer which is

imperative given the economic condition of South Africa and the mandate of improving local manufacturing.

By: The information Technology and Industrial Engineering Group

An Incubatee of RMCERI,

Email: Info@itiegroup.com

Gibela Research Chair

Product Owner

Industrial Engineer

Project Manager

Researchers

Instructional

Designer

Electrical Engineers

VR Software

Engineer

Industrial Engineers

3D Modeller

SCHEDULE

PROGRESS MADE

CONCLUSION

No Deliverable Start date Completion date Duration (months)

1. Reconfigurable Guillotine Shear &

Bending Press Machine (RGS&BPM)2020/09/01 2021/04/19 8

2.Welding Jigs (WJ) 2020/10/26 2021/06/04 6

3. Reconfigurable Assembly Fixture

(RAF)2021/01/11 2021/06/28 6

4. Reconfigurable Vibrating Screen

(RVS) & Brick Molder (BM)2021/02/15 2021/09/30 8

Total 28

We co-created three virtual modules with Naledi3D from the Innovation Hub and successfully commissioned them in

the X-Reality Lab after rigorous evaluation. Lessons from the project necessitate the involvement of interdisciplinary

Researchers as well as the dual output of theory and artefact ensuring usable VR systems. The figures below show

the interfaces of the three modules.

a b

c d

Fig 3. a)RBPM b)Gibela Tour c)Learning and assessment mode d)Welding jigs

Fig 2. Hierarchical Structure

Fig 1. Human Centered Design (HCD) Approach

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The ITIE Group is appreciative of the support from RMCERI, lecturers and researchers of the GRC and the

skills development funds from MERSETA through SACGRA.