Trends and opportunities for robotic automation of trim & final assembly in the automotive industry

Abstract

This paper presents the technical analysis of, and industrial robotics' potential opportunity in, the trim and final assembly area of the motor vehicle manufacturing industry. This work focused on providing a general knowledge of the trim and final assembly line sequence, and the processes and operations in each station at a detailed level. We then looked at what technologies could be used in the future to automate the existing manual operations and described those here. Such technologies may include robotic vision, force control guidance, or employing a robot as an intelligent assist device. We also surveyed and identified the opportunities and the future research trends in this industry segment.