Lattice Technology Releases Chapters 11 and 12 of “Improving Lean Manufacturing Through 3D Data” by Dr. Hiroshi Toriya

Case Studies Show How The Japan Space Agency, JAXA, Uses XVL For Operations on the International Space Station and How 3D User Manuals Have Taken Hold at Digital Soken.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif - Lattice Technology Inc., developers of digital manufacturing applications using the XVL® format, today released Chapters 11 and 12 of the new book, “Improving Lean Manufacturing Through 3D Data” by Dr. Hiroshi Toriya.

First published in Japan in late 2008, this book is targeted at manufacturing executives and educators trying out new strategies to build greater productivity and efficiencies into existing manufacturing processes. The book covers a wide range of case studies from leading Japanese manufacturers, along with recent survey data, to build understanding of how manufacturing can be enhanced using 3D data in downstream processes. It also explains the evolution of 3D and IT in the industry, and shows how it can be leveraged into other areas of manufacturing that are still using traditional processes.

Chapter 11 shows how Digital Soken, a division of Digital General Printing in Japan, delivers services and consulting to manufacturers who want to cut costs and streamline global operations through 3D technical documentation. Digital Soken delivers services such as creating illustrations directly from customers’ 3D data, delivering 3D assembly instructions to a manufacturer’s global operations long before a product is launched, through to advising manufacturers on how to improve their 3D design data for downstream use. The company believes that this kind of documentation is the media of the very near future for manufacturers.

JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency, is featured in Chapter 12 as a shining example of how XVL delivers critical information, easily, to dispersed groups. Japan’s Kibo experiment platform is now operational on the International Space Station, and will provide the base for zero-gravity experiments over the next 10 years. The experiment platform has more than 2 million parts, all designed in 3D CAD. Having transferred the CAD data to XVL, and implemented the data in a 3D Search database, operations staff and engineers on the ground and at many global locations can quickly identify specific faulty parts, see them in 3D, view operational data, and assist astronauts with repairs, while continuing to add critical maintenance and operations information into the database.