Hybrid Reconfigurable System design and optimization through virtual prototyping and digital manufacturing tools

Abstract

Engineering changeability-oriented and costdriven approaches are needed by enterprises to design and optimize manufacturing and assembly systems for the demanding production requirements of the present industrial scenario. The integrated design of Reconfigurable Systems addresses tailored flexibility through modularity, integrability of resources, product and process customization, and system convertibility and diagnosability. The cooperation of robot and humans in hybrid environments offers a good trade-off between changeability, high quality and low costs, by exploiting the human dexterity and cognitive proactivity, together with robotic accuracy and performances. Virtual prototyping methods and digital manufacturing solutions are now mature and effective enough to play a strategic role within the hybrid reconfigurable system (H-RS) design and optimization process. The present research work proposes an engineering method to design and optimize H-RSs, by using virtual prototyping and digital manufacturing as a strategic support for the analysis and synthesis of the technical solu-

Operations management issues in design and control of hybrid human-robot collaborative manufacturing systems: a survey

“…The HRC system is also a potent concept able to enhance the reconfigurability of manufacturing systems (Chryssolouris, 2013). Hybrid reconfigurable systems design have been studied in the context of virtual prototyping and digital manufacturing (Andrisano et al, 2012;Pellicciari et al, 2012). With hybrid stations instead of fully automated or manual stations, reconfigurations of a production line are possible through movements of all or some of the workers and mobile robots (Wansoo et al, 2019).…”

An Offline Programming Method for the Robotic Deburring of Aerospace Components

“…To enhance the manufacturing accuracy and reduce the wasted time at changeover, the CAD-based and digitizer-based OLP must follow a structured process. The method originally applies the fundamentals guidelines firstly proposed by [22] and [23] and synergistically integrates complementary topics to enhance the robotic workcell intelligence: behavioral simulation, OLP, artificial vision, fixed or held compliant deburring tools and grippers [24], [25]. The method focuses on:…”

A Calibration Method for the Integrated Design of Finishing Robotic Workcells in the Aerospace Industry

“…Following the approach already proposed by [5], the method is implemented through the definition of parametric modules which simultaneously embed geometric characteristics, control logics and robot code for a quick simulation in a CAD-based offline programming environment, optimization and automation of the calibration process itself.…”

“…The authors already developed and proposed a method for designing reconfigurable robotic workcells, based on a PPR approach (Product analysis, Process identification and Resource selection). The integrated use of CAD-based environments and offline programming (OLP) tools is fundamental to satisfy the requirements on system changeability and to easily reduce the time lost for robot's reprogramming at changeover [4], [5].…”