FEDDEM focuses on remote maintenance with augmented reality

Not only in times when visits to customers are suspended out of concern for the health of employees, but also for efficiently addressing a variety of small, quickly solvable challenges at the compounding line, FEDDEM GmbH & Co. KG will in future offer remote maintenance support via a smartphone app.

To support customers in the maintenance of extrusion lines, the Sinzig-based machinery builder will in future rely on Oculavis SHARE software for effective communication. The use of this browser- and cloud-based software complies with state-of-the-art security standards and enables the customer to network with a FEDDEM service technician for identifying and eliminating errors in the shortest possible time. The way it works is simple: open the app, start the video call and off you go. The networked software generates an encrypted connection. The HD video as well as audio transmission allow you to follow the technician’s step-by-step instructions directly.

For more complex actions at the installation, powerful data glasses can be employed, which allow the partner on site to carry out work with both hands without disrupting the communication flow. Various functions, such as machine and sensor connections as well as superimposed documents or documentation, allow for a comprehensive solution for digital remote maintenance with the aid of augmented reality.

“We are currently still in the implementation phase”, says Klaus Hojer, Business Development Manager at FEDDEM. “It is already becoming apparent that the customer does not necessarily have to use special glasses for imaging communication, but that it will also work well in the short term via an application app on a customer’s smartphone or tablet”. Initial experience has already been gained with a FEDDEM LFT system that had already been commissioned. In a dialogue, the customer received further, practical information on changing the settings of the system for processing a modified product with online guidance by a FEDDEM technician. According to FEDDEM, it is also possible to communicate via annotated still images if a customer is concerned about the confidentiality of his production environment.