MiniTec SmartAssist

MiniTec SmartAssist:
Assistance system rethought

Particularly with variant-rich production, companies are increasingly faced with the task of how to quickly train their employees in the respective assembly activities and support them during their work. This is where digital worker assistance systems can provide valuable help.

Due to the great demand from customers, we have developed our own solution for this: MiniTec SmartAssist. In line with the MiniTec motto "The Art of Simplicity", the focus was on making handling and operation as simple as possible. We benefited from our many years of experience in workplace design, but also from the expertise of MiniTec Smart Solutions in the field of Industry 4.0.

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Easy work thanks to individual support

MiniTec SmartAssist guides the worker step by step through the assembly process by displaying the required activities on the screen with the help of texts, graphics, photos or videos. There are various options for process support and interaction, because the system is modular and allows the control of a wide variety of hardware components - for example Pick To Light light strips, touch monitors, intervention sensors, scales and much more.

Short training period
Autodidactic work
Work in accordance with individual needs
(symbolism, font size, language, color, etc.)

[Translate to English:] Arbeitsplatz MiniTec SmartAssist

Create instructions yourself via editor

The central component of the MiniTec assistance system is the intuitive MiniTec SmartEdi editor, which allows customers to easily design and store the processes for assembling new products themselves. This means more flexibility and independence. The system requires no programming knowledge and is virtually self-explanatory.

No programming skills required
Intuitive and easy creation of work instructions
Easy duplication of knowledge
High time savings during induction or retraining

[Translate to English:] Editor MiniTec SmartAssist

[Translate to English:] Westpfalz Werkstätten

This system offers great potential, especially for supporting the work process of people with disabilities. The simple programming of the assembly instructions allows any caregiver to prepare the workplace and the intuitive operation works great even with handicap.

- Employee | Westpfalz-Werkstätte Landstuhl

[Translate to English:] Meisterschule für Handwerker Kaiserslautern

The project goal of our group was to implement the partial steps of assembly for the kit of a "Lego technology car" in the form of a flow assembly in the device software. With MiniTec SmartAssist, we were able to enable the smooth assembly of the model by compiling our own assembly instructions.

- Project manager | Meisterschule für Handwerker Kaiserslautern

Multiple advantages with MiniTec SmartAssist

The MiniTec assistance system significantly reduces the learning time and ensures a noticeable increase in productivity. The error rate is lower, the quality better. In times of shortage of skilled workers, it offers the possibility to integrate untrained personnel into the assembly process.

This also gives employees with disabilities the opportunity to participate in working life again. In addition to assembly, the solution can of course also be used in other areas, such as incoming goods, order picking or shipping.

Image Recognition

For performing various inspection tasks using a camera system.

Laser Projection

Laser projection enables targeted highlighting of objects during assembly steps – controlled by the assistance system. Markings can be projected onto the work surface, components can be highlighted, or objects (such as tools) and areas outside the work surface can be illuminated.
The editor offers a wide range of shapes for laser projection, such as rectangles, arrows, circles, and many more.
Using a polygon with four freely adjustable corners, distortions on angled surfaces can even be compensated.

ERP Integration

MiniTec SmartAssist can be connected to ERP and MES systems via the plugin module.
This enables the transfer and feedback of specific order data between enterprise software and the assistance system.

Pick-to-Light

Pick-to-Light light strips indicate to the operator which compartment to pick from next.
Equipped with reach-in detection, the system recognizes whether the operator has reached into the correct compartment, internally confirms the action, and then displays the next assembly step.
If the reach-in detection includes a counting function, the system can even detect how many parts have been removed.

Hand/Foot Switch

The hand or foot switch is used to trigger work steps or to send confirmations to the system. Alternatively, a keyboard can be used.

Handheld Scanner

The handheld scanner can be integrated into the workflow in various ways – for example, to start processes or to confirm work steps.

Touch Display

The touch display presents the operator with the interactive instructions created in the editor. Various visual aids – such as text, arrows, and images – are used to guide each individual work step.
The operator can confirm completed steps directly by touching buttons and controls on the display to proceed to the next step.

External Tasks

Integration of external subprocesses into a MiniTec SmartAssist recipe.

Hand/Foot Switch

The hand or foot switch is used to trigger work steps or to send confirmations to the system. Alternatively, a keyboard can be used.

Modules for individual process support