FabStation founder and CEO Randy Warnaar explains how augmented reality helps steel fabricators compare physical assemblies with their original 3D models, shorten initial inspections and catch mistakes before they become expensive rework.
A fabrication mistake can be relatively easy to correct while steel components are temporarily tacked into position. The cost rises once the assembly has been welded, painted, transported or delivered to a construction site.
FabStation overlays the approved 3D model onto the physical steel through an iPad Pro or AR headset. Workers can identify missing, misplaced or incorrectly oriented parts before using conventional inspection tools to confirm the problem.
“The tape measure is still the primary means for inspection,” Warnaar told The XR Beat. “We’re helping speed up the process of finding where these problem areas might be.”
FabStation says an inspection of a 10-metre column containing 20 to 30 parts can take around 30 to 40 minutes using drawings and manual measurements. Warnaar said the AR-assisted process can reduce the same benchmark to between five and eight minutes.
One unnamed customer reportedly tracked the errors found using FabStation over a year. According to Warnaar, its spreadsheet showed between $200,000 and $300,000 in avoided rework and related costs from one headset.
The fabricator subsequently expanded to approximately seven headsets. The XR Beat couldn’t independently verify its calculation.
FabStation has also expanded beyond AR inspection into deficiency reporting and production management. A failed assembly can be recorded and held back from shipping until the fault has been corrected.
Warnaar also discusses why detailed 3D data can remain “trapped in the office”, the importance of involving shop-floor workers before deployment and where AR fits alongside established inspection methods.
Read The XR Beat’s earlier analysis of FabStation’s steel-inspection workflow or watch the full interview above.
