3D visualisation as a tool for managing diagnostic and prognostic information of industrial machinery

This article presents the results of the Prognosis 3D project. A 3D user interface is presented, which combines the results of the prognosis computation with the factory model, producing an intuitive 3D interface, where the failing / failed components can be located easily. Both the 3D user interface principles and an example application demonstrating these principles are presented. There were two cases: The loading machine in the Pyhäsalmi mine and the crane in the Rautaruukki works. In both cases a commercial software package has been recently installed for operational use, which contains a 3D component that fulfils the principles presented here. The example application is more limited in scope, and it uses simulated data. The data transfer protocol between the status / failure data producing system and the 3D interface is OPC XML-DA. So the status / failure data producing system is an OPC XML-DA Server, while the 3D interface is an OPC XML-DA Client. The 3D interface has the following features: The real-time state of the machinery is shown; the user can navigate in the model; soon-to-fail or failed devices are shown in colour; and clicking a component with the mouse opens the service instructions relevant to that particular component.