Dirac: Rebuilding American Manufacturing, One Work Instruction at a Time

We’re thrilled to emerge from stealth and announce the Public Beta Release of our first product,

BuildOS: the world’s first automated work instruction platform for the manufacturing industry.

Paper-based Assembly Work Instructions Are Killing Your Manufacturing Productivity

Today, creating assembly work instructions takes weeks or months of manual, mind-numbing effort.

We’ve spoken to dozens of manufacturers of all shapes and sizes across the country and we consistently have heard the same message. Paper-based work instructions are causing a cascade of operational problems that they can no longer afford to ignore. 

From figuring out what order to assemble all of the parts in, part by part, to taking hundreds of screenshots of CAD files, to manually typing up each step-by-step direction and producing several hundreds of Word or Powerpoint pages – work instructions are the dread of all mechanical and manufacturing engineers.

Some of the biggest pain points we have heard related to creating work instructions include: 

• Slow, Manual Creation: Engineers are spending countless hours taking screenshots, annotating files, and updating work instructions today across multiple software tools.
• Tribal Knowledge Walking Out the Door: Experienced workers are vital but failure to document their tribal knowledge of the assembly process causes huge disruption to manufacturing operations when they retire or leave to join a new employer.
• Fragmented Tools and Knowledge: Today manufacturers use some combination of CAD tools, Microsoft Word and Powerpoint and images and videos to create assembly work instructions leading to critical assembly knowledge being scattered across multiple different systems.
• Inconsistency Leading to Lower Quality: Challenges keeping paper-based work instructions up-to-date leads to variance in assembly processes and quality across your products.
• Errors, Rework, and Reputational Damage: Paper-based work instructions lead directly and indirectly to mistakes, delays and reputational damage. 

Some of the most advanced manufacturing companies on the planet suffer from this archaic approach to creating assembly work instructions.

“We run a tight ship and move quickly at Lumafield. Our team of world class mechanical and manufacturing engineers are able to do more in less time than most organizations because of our use of advanced software tools in every part of our work,” says Eduardo Torrealba, Co-Founder and CEO of Lumafield. “Assembly instructions are one area where we are typically forced to adopt slow, clunky processes from traditional engineering workflows due to the lack of great software. We wish there was a better way to get this work done more efficiently.”

Demo GIF of BuildOS, the first automated work instruction platform.

BuildOS: Your Automated Work Instructions Platform 

We’re bringing work instructions into the 21st century with BuildOS.

Engineers build software for other engineers. But what about the technicians on the manufacturing floor? At Dirac, we’re building BuildOS for them. 

With BuildOS, you can simply drop in a CAD file and let the magic of BuildOS do the rest. The platform figures out what order to do all of the assembly of a mechanical system, produces 3D renderings and animations of each step, and generates the text for each instruction — all automatically. We’re taking the process of drafting work instructions from weeks to minutes.

BuildOS is Digital, Visual and Updates Instantly

BuildOS isn't just about automating the process; it's about bringing work instructions to life. 

BuildOS generates dynamic, interactive 3D animations of each assembly step. No more static images; you get animated clarity. Changes made to your work instructions in BuildOS are instantaneous, creating a living document that evolves with your production process. 

As a digital-native software product, BuildOS ensures that your work instructions are accessible anytime, anywhere and on any device. From a technician on the shop floor with a tablet to an engineer tweaking instructions at their desk, everyone is always working with the most up-to-date information. No more printing out updated work instructions; BuildOS is always updated in real time, reducing waste and boosting efficiency.

BuildOS is an 80/20 Tool That Helps You Document Your Team’s Tribal Knowledge 

BuildOS automates 80% of the grunt work of creating assembly work instructions. The remaining 20% that we don’t automate — the tribal knowledge of your technicians, rules of thumb like “grease this,” “locktite that,” and “torque this bolt to this spec,” — we allow the user to fill in those gaps and document this critical tribal knowledge as part of the digital work instructions on BuildOS. 

With BuildOS, you can annotate, reorder, and manipulate the generated instructions to reflect your team's deep understanding of the assembly process. This isn't just a simple text field; you're linking this crucial information directly to specific parts and assembly steps. BuildOS transforms tribal knowledge from a potential vulnerability to a lasting asset, ensuring that invaluable expertise is never lost.

Real-Life Success Story: Ancra Aircraft's Transformation

Ancra Aircraft, a leading aerospace OEM, equips over 60% of the world's aircraft freighter fleet with main deck cargo loading systems. When we first met the Ancra team we found them facing the same challenges with paper-based work instructions that plague so many other manufacturers. 

Ancra was actively seeking a solution to streamline their assembly process and deepen their competitive edge.

By implementing BuildOS, Ancra transitioned seamlessly from paper to digital work instructions. The results were remarkable:

• Time Savings: Ancra reduced the time spent on creating and updating work instructions from an average of 4 days to just 1 hour. 
• Knowledge Retention: Ancra has systematically captured and documented the tribal knowledge of its assembly process and preempted the risk of knowledge loss due to retirement or turnover.
• Enhanced Quality: Standardized procedures improved product consistency and customer satisfaction and reduced costs due to rework and waste. 

Ancra's success showcases the transformative power of digital work instructions and serves as a blueprint for other organizations aiming to modernize their operations. 

Read more about how Ancra uses BuildOS here.

BuildOS is a power-tool for manufacturing engineers, not a replacement.

BuildOS is not just a software tool; it's a catalyst for a manufacturing renaissance. 

We're not here to replace engineers or technicians; we're here to unleash their full potential. We’re building something that improves their quality of life, that automates away the grunt work that hundreds of thousands of people dread doing every day. We’re automating work instructions so production teams can get back to doing what they love: building great things.

Imagine a world where engineers are no longer bogged down by manual work, where their time is spent on innovation, not endless administrative tasks. That's the world BuildOS is building. By automating work instructions, BuildOS frees production teams to focus on what they love: building great things. 

We are immensely thankful to our friends, supporters, and investors who have made this possible. 

Take the First Step Today

If you’re interested in modernizing the way you build, schedule a free consultation and discover how BuildOS can transform your manufacturing operation. 

The future of American manufacturing is digital—don't get left behind.

Left to right: Peter Weiss (co-founder & CTO), Fil Aronshtein (co-founder, CEO)