OMA Launches Advanced Manufacturing Mobile Lab
Lab will introduce manufacturers to cutting-edge technology on their own shop floor
The Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance is “going mobile” with its new Advanced Manufacturing Mobile Lab to give small and medium-sized firms a close-up view of high-tech equipment—all in the familiar settings of their own shop floor.
OMA’s Advanced Manufacturing Mobile Lab makes it easier than ever for companies to adopt new technology and improve their processes. The dedicated Mobile Lab van brings modern practices and innovative tools directly to their facility.
The Mobile Lab is operated by OMA’s manufacturing specialists and applications engineers, who have expertise in the integration of advanced production technologies. The technologies featured in the Mobile Lab include:
- Cobot applications: Easy to operate and provide lots of flexibility, with a range of application-specific options easily moved and assembled
- Material handling applications using an autonomous mobile robot (AMR): Has learning capabilities and can travel in a facility on defined pathways using mapped positions
- Wireless measurement image measurement systems: A simplistic and economical step into the world of quality measurement systems
- Augmented reality: Ideal for both younger tech-savvy workers and older generations of workers on the manufacturing floor to visualize how a tool or equipment fits into a real space using augmented reality
- Virtual reality: Ideal for situations where manufacturers need to compare different versions of shop floor layouts in virtual space
- Portable 3-D scanning: Used to demonstrate how manufacturers can capture a part or tool in 3-D model and use it to reverse engineer
OMA’s Advanced Manufacturing Mobile Lab was created to serve all Oklahoma companies, especially rural manufacturers. As part of this statewide outreach, OMA will utilize its close ties through OSU’s Ag Extension network of centers. That partnership will help make the Mobile Lab available in traditionally underserved areas of the state.
The new Mobile Lab is a valuable complement to OMA’s Advanced Manufacturing Center, which launched last year at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa. That 1,375-square-foot demonstration lab was designed to showcase cutting-edge technologies and process improvements while helping manufacturers engage a more capable workforce. Demonstrations at the center focus on applications involving collaborative robots, welding and industrial robots, 3-D printing, dimensional measurement and other high-tech automated systems.
A key factor behind creation of the complementary Mobile Lab is to take these advanced technologies straight to manufacturers across the state who may not have the time or ability to travel to OMA’s “brick-and-mortar” center at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa.
“The manufacturing center we have in Catoosa is fantastic, but that’s not always convenient for companies in other parts of the state,” said Dave Rowland, OMA President. “That’s why we still have a strong interest in providing proof of concepts and taking technology right to a manufacturer’s door. Integration of automation, especially among rural and smaller firms, is essential to keeping Oklahoma manufacturers competitive. We want to make sure all Oklahoma manufacturers can learn about these technologies, no matter where they’re located across the state.”
According to Ben Alexander, Senior Applications Engineer, the Mobile Lab will give firms a close-up view of advanced manufacturing equipment and show them what’s possible in their own facilities.
“Having the ability to educate manufacturers about the latest advancements for their operations—both in our center at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and by traveling to manufacturers’ own shop floors in our dedicated mobile lab van—is a unique combination that meets companies literally wherever they are. In every demonstration, we make sure to cover the most common applications that tackle manufacturers’ biggest needs. By being flexible in our ability to take these vital technologies directly to smaller manufacturers, we show them how they can use new technology throughout their operations in ways they might never have imagined.”
For more information, drop an email to assistance@okalliance.com.
