As digitisation continues to accelerate in the industrial gases industry, here we provide a perspective on how augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are already making their way into the wider field of plant maintenance.
Virtual technology has been around for almost half a century, with industries such as entertainment, education and design all incorporating varying aspects. However, it has only been in the past five years where AR and VR have made their way into industrial environments. Here, Nick Boughton, Digital Lead at leading systems integrator Boulting Technology, explains how AR and VR are re-defining plant maintenance.
Enabled by Industry 4.0 technologies and the increased networking of equipment, such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, predictive maintenance uses data obtained by sensors to facilitate consistent monitoring of the condition of all equipment. By analysing this data, engineers can predict when equipment parts may need servicing or replacing, allowing them to intervene before the system fails.
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