Intelligent Mixed Reality Platform for CNC Machine and 3D Printer Operation and Management
摘要
The advancement of mixed reality (MR) technology presents significant potential for transforming advanced human-machine interactions in the manufacturing regime. By seamlessly mixing digital and physical elements, MR creates immersive and interactive experiences for users during the machining operation. On the other hand, current manufacturing machine operations, such as CNC machines and 3D printers, still rely heavily on physical controllers, with each brand of machine featuring distinct control panels that require extensive training. Moreover, fixed control panels significantly constrain their ability to accommodate rapidly evolving functionalities, such as digital twins, machine learning, and AI integration. As CNC machining and 3D printing are among the most versatile and widely utilized manufacturing methods, this paper introduces an MR platform designed to control these processes with a single MR application. The platform provides a customizable, step-by-step guided user interface on the Microsoft® HoloLens 2, designed to simplify the learning process. The architecture of the platform is highly extensible, allowing the integration of different types of machines and sensors for real-time monitoring. Furthermore, a unified server facilitates the incorporation of advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques in the future, paving the way for smarter, more efficient manufacturing processes.