Virtual reality (VR) technology has become ever mature today with affordable and yet powerful hardware. In the manufacturing industry, there is a growing interest of adopting VR to improve existing work procedures. Factory layout planning (FLP) is a long standing area in production engineering that sees great potentials of VR integration. Virtual reality supported layout planning (VLP) is gaining wider attention in research and practice as the virtual environment allows designers to test out "what if" scenarios in relative ease. However, previous research of VLP mostly focus on general layout planning but not the detailed level planning. Also, it is reported that the virtual modeling process is time-consuming and costly. In this study, we propose a point cloud based virtual factory modelling approach for the VLP tasks. It incorporates point cloud representation of physical environment with CAD data to model the virtual factory with the aims of simplifying the modelling process and improving decision-making for the VLP tasks. The proposed approach is exemplified and refined through three industrial cases. The implementations and results of the cases are highlighted and discussed in details. At the end, a general guidance for VLP is extracted and presented for future point cloud based VR support in FLP tasks.

Effective assessment and communication of the environmental footprint is increasingly important to process development and marketing purposes. Traditionally, static methods have been applied to analyze the environmental impact during a product's life cycle; however, they are unable to incorporate dynamic aspects of real world operations. This paper discusses a method using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to analyze production systems and simultaneously enable labeling of products' environmental footprint. The method steps include data management, determination of environmental footprint, and communication of the results. The method is developed during a case study of a job-shop-production facility. To evaluate the DES method, the DES results were compared with the results of a Simplified Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) conducted on the same production system. The case study demonstrates the possibility for the DES method to determine the variation between products in terms of the environmental footprint and highlights some of the difficulties involved.

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Utilizing point cloud models from 3D laser scans for visualization of manufacturing facilities and systems provides highly realistic representations. Recent developments has improved the accuracy of point cloud models in terms of color and positioning. This technology has the potential to generate savings in time and money compared to traditional methods. Visualization in terms of accurate geometrical factory data has traditionally not been feasible when developing discrete event simulation (DES) models. Currently, methods for utilizing point clouds in DES models are lacking. Better visualization could improve communication of results and make them available to a wider target audience. Creating methods to combine point cloud technologies with DES would enable realistic visualization and improved accuracy including level of detail regarding geometric representation in DES models.

As the modern society is in the middle of its fourth industrial revolution, many enabling technologies are now viable to use in an engineering context. Several of these technologies are mature and available off the shelf; however, in the industrial setting they are rather novel. Two of these are virtual reality (VR), which has grown immensely in the gaming sector, and 3-D imaging, which is commonly used in archeology and construction. This study presents lessons learned from combining these two technologies in an industrial context with the digital twin concept. Three industrial case studies have been performed, and several observations have been identified in all three aspects of sustainability. For example, improved solution fidelity at an early stage can be achieved by externalizing tacit knowledge, and multiple issues during planning and installation phases have been avoided by utilizing the hybrid digital twin models. This type of digital twin enables highly detailed production system access, enabling engineering abilities from anywhere, anytime. Furthermore, the model becomes a powerful communication tool, which has reduced the resistance to workplace changes, as stakeholders lacking computer-aided design (CAD) knowledge can be involved in the change process. The highly detailed models have also allowed more focus to be put on safety and regulations, as these aspects naturally are more suited to experience in immersive VR. In conclusion, the hybrid digital twin concept developed in this study is a promising tool for decision makers and stakeholders alike, bound to benefit those who use it in all three aspects of sustainability.